It's SUPERMAN! We just spent the last 3 nights camping in Ft. Massac State Park, located in Metropolis, Il...the official home of Superman. There's a big statue of Superman in front of the Courthouse downtown (yes, I did cut off the top of his head) and all things "super" related everywhere(Supergirl is looking pretty good don't you think, even with a double chin and gray hair!) In fact, Metropolis is just getting ready to hold it's 38th Annual Superman Festival and their 9th Annual Superman Film Festival, starting tomorrow, June 9th. Beautification was occurring everywhere you looked. The carnival had already set up the rides and games and many of the vendors had already joined us in the campground, so we got to enjoy watching them arrive. Looked like the Festival was all set to be quite the extravaganza. One vendor said he thought the local supermen were the best part... men with quarter to full bellies sporting "sprayed on like" Superman suits... and that the parade was wonderful, with villains and superheroes of both sexes strutting their stuff. I think we may seriously plan to attend next year.
Superman aside, Ft. Massac is a beautiful park. It became Illinois's first state park in 1908. Built by the French in 1757 and originally called "Fort de L’Ascension," the name was changed to Fort Massac, after a French Naval Minister, in 1759 . After the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, it was abandoned by the French and then burned to the ground by the Chickasaw. Only a charred ruin remained when the British arrived to take possession and they never rebuilt. In 1778, during The American Revolutionary War Col. George Rodgers Clark led his regiment into Illinois at the abandoned site, surprising the British. In 1794, the fort was rebuilt by order of General Washington and for 20 years protected U.S. military and commercial interests in the Ohio Valley. It was damaged in the 1812 New Madrid earthquake, rebuilt to play a minor role in the war of 1812, abandoned again in 1814 and finally succumbed to defeat as the local citizens dismantled the fort for its timber. The original site is still visible, although a detailed reconstruction of the 1802 fort was built in 2002 and can be seen today. Each fall, reenactors gather for the Fort Massac Encampment, which interprets life in the 18th century. So the park has a full history. What is really impressive though, is the number of local residents, in a town of only 6500, continually using the park for picnics/get-togethers, recreation, exercise, dog walking, etc. Guess we've just never stayed in a park so close to the community to observe the every day goings on. and it is really nice. They definitely love this park.
The campground is older and smaller, but very peaceful. Water is centrally available to fill your camper but not to hook up permanently, 30amp service is on all sites, with a few even supporting 50amp service. Sites are grassy, shaded and well dispersed around two circles, so privacy is assured. There are walking and biking paths, the inevitable boat ramp... directly into the Ohio River...day use facilities, a visitor's center, and trees every where. Just across the street were Sonic, a bbq place, a chinese/pizza buffet(extremely good BTW) and a Mexican restaurant with a full bar. We couldn't really ask for more and I really, really enjoyed our time there.
So what else happened you ask...well we spent most of Tuesday morning looking for a place that would repair the Tahoe AC, and most of yesterday morning getting it repaired, thank goodness. And conveniently, the repair place was just 6 blocks up the street from the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, so I spent a relatively stress free morning there. Lunch in a local bakery ended our time in Paducah, with nothing more than a postcard purchased. I'm proud of myself...no fabric!
Left eary this morning for Cuivre River State Park, just outside Troy, Mo (NW of St. Louis). We're here for 2 nights and based on the road up here to the campground, (think our house on the mountain in Italy Maggi) we won't be going anywhere tomorrow except outside to enjoy nature. Not looking forward to the trip back down Friday morning, but we'll manage.
Au Revoir mes Amis!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment