The original plan was to fly from Fargo and transfer to this flight. When I needed to cancel the first flight, I kept the second one for security sake which is why we depart so late.
As I mentioned yesterday, when we arrived there was a full blown wedding reception happening in the inn. They finally all disappeared by midnight and I have to admit, the place fulfilled my expectations of quiet solitude.
Breakfast was outside on the patio and was absolutely amazing. Spinach apple quiche, French toast, sausage, potatoes, fresh fruit and pumpkin bread, just to name a few. We certainly had our fill!
A second couple had somehow snuck into the B&B last night, during the wedding festivities, and they told me that their booking experience was similar to mine.
The proprietor has owned the inn since 1985. She and her husband ran the place but he passed awhile ago. Or, as she said, "He upped and died on her". So she runs this place with the help of a handy man and hired staff to serve the events.
She has a website but only a phone number. No e-mail. No online reservations. She told us that she’s not a detail person but more a “whoopedy whoo” type person.
Yep. That describes her perfectly. In the long run, we were quite happy with our experience there because we could relax until noon before taking off.
Here are a few photos of the grounds.
I imagine a few weeks ago that these gardens were bursting with color. Most of the flowers were already spent. There was a lovely reflection pool on the grounds as well.
We relaxed until noon, when we decided to head to St. Charles to walk along the Fox River Trail. We had plenty of time to spare.
He certainly doesn't look to welcoming, does he?
The park was amazing: beautiful grounds, well maintained walks, and lots of activities to enjoy.
Just the walk along the river itself was interesting.
Just below the bridge stands this large statue of a native american representing the Pottawatomie tribe.
The inscription states that these people were peace loving and friends of the settlers.
The final paragraph is beautiful:
Our final prayer as we left our land
was that you would love this Valley as much as we loved it.
We were one with the earth, sky and water.
We were the Neshnabek, the “People” of the Valley.”
Along the river trail, we headed to the municipal building that stand majestically at the bridge.
There is a small dam there with a fish ladder along the side. But we didn't spy any jumping today.
The flowers added to the beauty, and there had been similar gardens scattered along the trail.
We headed back from here to the car to make the trip to the Chicago airport to return the car and check in for our flight. The mileage was less than thirty, but the time to get there was three times as long. Kind of crazy, but I will say that there was a LOT of traffic. Quite the opposite of our experience in North Dakota!
We stopped at a farm market to pick up something for dinner at the airport. Marty needed this photo.
So, this brings our trip to a close. We've already had our gate switched three times since we arrived. Travel can be challenging, can't it?
But this trip was worth all of the aggravation that we encountered. Nothing like a happy ending.
Not sure when we'll be on the road again, but I'll be sure to keep you posted!
Thanks SO much for following along. Until next time.....
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