Sheridan, IL to DeSoto, MO – 9/3/2016
September 3, 2016 (Saturday)
Moving day. We got up a little early for us and did all the things we needed to do to head on down the road. We stopped in Ottawa, Illinois for breakfast (me at McDonald’s and Michael at Subway). The drive today was a little over 300 miles to DeSoto, Missouri (another Silverleaf/Holiday Inn Vacation Club). The weather was very pleasant for the entire day.
We stopped in Springfield, Illinois to check out the Illinois State Capitol and then the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. We drove through the historic downtown area, which was very quaint and lovely. We found the Capitol and was a little surprised at the silver topped dome (so used to the bright gold domes).
We found parking on the street (free on weekends) and headed onto the grounds. There was security to get into the lobby and we were told we could only stay on the 1st floor. We walked around and saw all that we could see. The inside of the dome was beautiful.
Once we were done inside, we went outside and walked the grounds to view all the statues and fountains. Very lovely.
We left and headed over to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. I think this museum was one of my top three. Loved it. You feel like you are there. Very interactive and very wonderfully presented. You get to understand Lincoln as a child and see a replica of where he lived in a small cabin. You get to get a glimpse of his life as he was running for President; his life in the White House; how he lost his sons; and when he was shot. Really enjoyed it and would go back in a heartbeat if we’re here in the future.
We left the Museum and debated on whether we should go over to the Library part of the museum across the street. We were told the Library part was closed so we opted not to go. Later on we were bummed because we forgot about a school friend of Michael’s who used to work for the Chicago Sun Times; when he died they dedicated a reading room in the Library to him. Quite a big deal and we would have liked to have seen it but we’ll have to come back and check it out. We ended up going across to the other side of the street to the train station where they filmed the Steven Spielberg film “Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Fields. Very interesting. Got to see some of the film, some of the clothes, and some of the artifacts they used in the film that were of the time period.
When we left, we headed out to the Abraham Lincoln Tomb. It was in a cemetery that is still being used today (to my knowledge). It’s quite large and is on a hill type area. It’s just a few miles from the Museum/Library.
We left and headed out to drive the remainder of the way to Timber Creek Resort in DeSoto, Missouri.
Our car’s GPS got lost with new roads as we went through St Louis.
We got to the resort, checked in, and moved into our new home. This is another Silverleaf that is transitioning into Holiday Inn Vacation Club. It’s very similar to the Lodge units in Sheridan, Illinois. It even has the swan coffee table (used to be a snow sled) that I love. The bedrooms are nice sized, and the second is like a studio that has its own kitchen and bathroom. It doesn’t have a washer/dryer or internet (crying tears here). Bummed about no laundry but we were told they have one for pay near the RV park at the resort.
That was our day. Hope yours was great.