Elevation
Significance: shaded trails in and around interesting rock formations
I woke up to dense fog that diffused the sunrise. I had climbed up the park's water tower - observation deck to see the canopies, but I got very little to see in the mist. As soon as the official sunrise was over at 6:18am, I drove off to the first trail, the 1.3-mile long Trillium Trail north of the lodge and near the group campground.
Fog was still dampening any light, but I could see the trail clearly. Bright orange chanterelle mushrooms dotted the path as I maneuvered around interesting sandstone rock formations, some with dripping water, and a trickling brook. The smells alone were worth this trail, as a around me I saw cool greens and browns.
I was done in 40 minutes, then drove off to the next trail, the Indian Creek Nature Trail. Access to this trail is also off the Giant Creek Road. This one-mile loop was even more interesting, with more of an elevation, stairs, and even more grandiose geology.
Deep, narrow paths were formed here from powerful water, creating "streets" in the rock. It was like walking through a medieval village with its narrow paths. Lush green moss grew on the rock walls. Wet flora scented the area as I explored in and around the rock. Part of this trail also consisted of stairs to get over the wet rock. I found this trail the most scenic of the three that I explored.
The third and last trail was the much shorter Devil's Standtable trail. The trailhead is right off the Giant City Lodge road. It's listed as 0.3 miles but I clocked in 0.54 miles, exploring the rocks in greater detail. The actual standtable resembles more a devil's penis, but I will say no more.
Old graffiti from the late 19th century were still evident in the sandstone below the standtable.
I never met anyone on any of these trails, but by now power walkers were on the road greeting me. I left the park at 8am as the rest of the park was just waking up.
I visited this park because SteveT recommended it. I'm glad I went out of my way to see this. I never saw any trash along the trails. This park is harder to reach than Starved Rock State Park and the smaller crowds make this park more enjoyable. I hope to be back on my next summer road trip as I left so much unexplored, both in Carbondale and in the park.
Getting back on my route was more difficult, though. It was all backroads for several hours, through the Shawnee National Forest. I toured parts of the Southern Lincoln Heritage trail, including a stop in the small town of Jonesboro, where Abrahm Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas held their third debate on September 15, 1858 (Douglas won and retained his Senate term). A half-mile path around a pond complimented my stay at the Lincoln Memorial park, along with standing next to a life-size statue of Lincoln. He was over 6' tall, while Douglas in comparison didn't seem taller than 5'6".
I took IL127 back toward I-57, but then missed the turn-off to Cairo, a river town straddling both the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. It was once a busy town in the days of Mark Twain and I've toured the city at least twice. I wanted to see if businesses have come back, as the town was dead the last two times I was there. Alas, I didn't have a quick way to get into Cairo, and just resumed my drive into Missouri and then Arkansas.
This last stretch was not very scenic at all. I was driving through the flat Mississippi River Valley where the best crop to grow is cotton. Towns in both Missouri and Arkansas looked abandoned. Storm clouds intermittently interrupted the boredom I felt on this stretch.
I drove through Popular Bluff, MO via US60. That was a disappointment except for its interesting old theatre and its marquee. I should have stayed on I-57 until reaching I-40 as I lost a lot of time in these pokey little towns. Most everything was closed, too, thanks to covid fears.
I made it to Fort Smith, AR and the Bricktown Brewery at 7:40pm, with 20 minutes before closing. Its large patio is dog friendly. I like this chain brewpub and I like their spicy chicken sandwich with spicy cole slaw. I had that with a blueberry ale before resuming my drive. Unlike my last two visits to Fort Smith, I did not walk the grounds of the historic fort along the Arkansas river. My goal now was to get across Oklahoma as fast as possible. Driving through Oklahoma at night at least was more tolerable rather than the high humidity and scenic-less driving I endured driving through the state a month ago. I pushed myself to stay awake, making it to just outside Oklahoma City and a very busy rest area.
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