So, I just wanted to let you know about the trip that my mom and I had gone from June 19 - June 23.

It was a LONG road trip. Our destination was Kaskaskia, Illinois. 

We had to stop in Jacksonville, Illinois for the night to rest and get something to eat. The next day we drove over the Mississippi River. During that time, we stopped at the Illinois River and got to touch the water. I've never been to the Illinois River. In all my 40 years, I've never visited the river, nor have I ever seen the Mississippi River either. This was my first time.

Anyway, we got to Kaskaskia, Illinois.

A little trivia about Kaskaskia. Kaskaskia is actually Illinois' 1st capital. It was founded in 1703. Settlers were coming into Kaskaskia to live and when Illinois became a state in the Union in 1818 there were over 7,000 people. There is a Liberty Bell called the Bell of the West that was given to Illinois in 1741. Which means the bell was before the Philadelphia bell. 

Anyway, the capital was moved to Vandalia, Illinois, and the Mississippi River changed in 1881 and destroyed most of the town. The capital ended up being on the Missouri side, but it's still an Illinoisan town. Then, in 1993, the Mississippi River changed course again and ran over the town. To date, there are only 20 people living in the town. They are all farmers, but the only thing that is left is a church from 1657, the Liberty Bell and a courthouse. It's very scary to think that the River could change course again at any time. 

We stayed in Missouri at St. Genevieve and then went across the Mississippi River to look at some other places. We ended up passing a penitentiary and a corrections facility. It was VERY nerve wracking because guards were driving around the area. 

After going back over to Illinois, we stopped in Chester because Kaskaskia had to move the cemetery because of the River. Many of the people are buried in the Chester Cemetery. But, think about it, if the River was to move again, it could either wipe out Kaskaskia or Chester. As we passed through Chester, we found a covered bridge. There are not many left. Many were torn down when the paved roads were made. But, many covered bridges are now historical landmarks. They are beautiful to look at, but you can't drive through them anymore. 

As we went through Chester, we stopped and found Fort Kaskaskia. It overlooks the Mississippi River. Not too far away is a cemetery on a hill. The people buried there were not in the Mississippi flood, but many died probably from the battles and disease. Many of them were in the 1800s. It was sad to see young children buried there that didn't even see their 3rd or 4th birthday.

As we continued our journey we ended up in Vandalia, Illinois. Which is our 2nd capital. 

Trivia about Vandalia. Abraham Lincoln walked the floors. Of course, the floors on the lower level had to be redone because the boards were breaking, but that was in the middle 1800s. So, Lincoln still walked the floor. The 2nd level has the Senate and House of Representatives, where Lincoln DID walk and those are the actual floors. We can't go into the rooms but I got to see how the people sat back then. It was very interesting. 

After Vandalia, we wanted to go to Springfield to see our 3rd capital.

Trivia about Springfield. We actually have 2 capitals in Springfield. The original capital where Lincoln was in, and the newer one. Anyway, after a fire burned the capital in Vandalia, they needed to move the capital. There were votes for Alton, Jacksonville, Springfield, and others. Alton won, but the votes were inconclusive. It wasn't until Lincoln came onto the scene and he decided to move the capital to Springfield, where it resides to this day.

The whole reason for the trip was because I had written an essay called: The Historical Events of Illinois. It was all about the Historical Events from Kaskaskia all the way to present day Illinois. I wanted to see Kaskaskia before the River decided to change course. It was a wonderful experience, aside from me getting sick on Saturday after we came home from the trip. I realized that I was having a panic attack going over the Mississippi River. My mom can't drive, so I was doing ALL the driving and was tired and going over the River wasn't helping. 

I ended up throwing up on Saturday at home, which I was glad it happened. I looked like a zombie when I came home, but I was glad I didn't need to go to work on Saturday.

Mom and I had a wonderful time and we told everyone that the "cooks went on vacation." Why did I say that?

Because the men in my family take women for granted. They don't know how to cook or use the dishwasher. My dad doesn't know how to wash his clothes either. So, after 15 years of not going on vacation ( the last one was in 2005), I wanted to take mom on a vacation. The men in my family suffered...but who cares. It's their own fault because they don't want to learn to do anything. I keep telling my family that if (God forbid) something should happen to mom, what are they going to do? I'm not going to take care of them. I'm not their mother, I'm not their wife, I'm not their maid. They are going to have to grow some balls and actually man up in order for them to survive. 

Anyway, mom and I are ready for our next trip next year. We want to go to Wisconsin and then into Minnesota to see the Mall of America. Stay a few days and let the men suffer again. Then we will drive up and stop at the border of Canada. We can't go into Canada because we need to have a passport. At some point, it would be nice to get one so we can go to Canada and see the beauty of that country.

Anyway, it was an awesome experience, and I tell everyone that "you should see the beauty of your state before going to another state or country." I get a lot of people telling me they have seen all of Illinois. I guarantee they haven't. We have found places in Illinois that I doubt many people have seen. Many Illinoisans didn't even know about Kaskaskia. Goes to show that people from Illinois don't really know EVERYTHING about our state. They only know of the interesting ones, like the Great Chicago Fire, Lincoln's tomb, and the SS Eastland Disaster (many of the older people would know about it). Mom and I are constantly finding more things about Illinois while on our road trips. 

I know I never mentioned about what we did on our road trip. So, now you know. If anyone from Illinois is thinking of going on a road trip, plan it out and if you need to go on Expedia.com and get hotels for 1 night as you go on the road trip. We did, and each of the 4 hotels we went too, were under $100 for 2 people for 1 night. It was awesome. If you love history, especially Illinois history, looking at the 3 capitals is a sight to see. Beautiful and emotional...especially in Kaskaskia. It's sad to think that it was a thriving town of over 7,000 people and it eventually ended up with only 20 people there. I would love to do it again, and hopefully I won't have another panic attack while going over the Mississippi River.

Sorry, for the LONG post, but hope you enjoyed it. And if you want to know more, you can find ALL the information online. There are sites talking about all 3 capitals. 

Enjoy.

Raven.