illinois Tag Posts Index

Cosley Zoo (2026)

Good day! This time around I'm going to be reviewing Cosley Zoo, a tiny local zoo in Wheaton, Illinois, in the west suburbs of Chicago. Wheaton is most known for

Rockford Art Museum

Greetings! Rockford is the 5th largest city in Illinois and is located in the north, near the border to Wisconsin. On a recent 2026 trip, I visited the Rockford

Scovill Zoo

Welcome! This post features Scovill Zoo in Decatur, IL, which was the third and final stop in my recent 2026 foray at central Illinois zoos. Earlier in the day I

Miller Park Zoo

Hi! This is my continuing 2026 series on central Illinois zoos and other tourist attractions. After first visiting Peoria Zoo earlier in the day, I then traveled

Peoria Zoo

Hello! Earlier this year (2026), I spent a day visiting several central Illinois zoos in succession - Peoria Zoo, Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, and Scovill Zoo

Sporting memories: Getting cut from a team despite being one of the better players

There was a time when I was in high school where my father got relocated and I had to move to a completely different area where i knew no one and had to enroll in

One of those days where nothing works

I've been quite proud of my accomplishments in the world of distance running lately and have been seeing great improvements in my ability to go long distances without

My longest continuous run to date - and it wasn't difficult either

I'm just loving seeing this improvement and how when I am finished I don't really even feel like it was all that difficult to accomplish. I guess the whole sticking

My 10K runs are getting faster without me trying

There are a lot of cliches out there about practice making perfect and the more you do of something the easier it becomes but for me lately, I haven't actually been

Sublime Sunday - Reverse Sunset

Winter is here with nice sunset colors. I was lucky to see this happening before all the color was gone. Sadly my phone didn't quite catch the real colors and turned

The Capitol building of the state of Illinois

. The Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield is a magnificent structure. I can share some facts and points of interest, but it's really the photos that show

Illinois Firefighters Memorial

This 14 foot tall memorial, in Springfield, Illinois was erected in 1993 in honor of the fire-fighters of Illinois who have given their lives in the line of duty

Wednesday Walk - Giant City

Here is a walk at Giant City State Park in Southern Illinois for this #wednesdaywalk by @tattoodjay This park is at the very bottom of the state of Illinois. This

Morton Arboretum (2025)

It's great to be back! While it has been a while since my last travel post, since that time I've visited a lot more museums, zoos, and other attractions and I have

DEFIANT Rogue Texas Democrats: FBI Joins the Roundup!

On August 7, 2025, U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced that the FBI will work with Texas authorities to help locate Democratic state legislators who fled the state

Grand old historic homes

I wanted to share photos of a few more of the grand old homes in Elgin, Illinois This lovely old town has its own distinct history and identity, but now it is considered

Lovely homes in Elgin

A weekend photo tour of Elgin, Illinois. Elgin is located 35 mi (56 km) northwest of Chicago along the Fox River. It has a population of around 114,000,. Probably

Autumn at the Lighthouse

A few months ago I posted about the Grosse Point Light. It is a lighthouse on the shores of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois. It is a beautiful place to visit

Art Institute of Chicago (Part 2)

Glad you decided to stick around! This is post #6 of 8 about my Summer 2024 visit to downtown Chicago: B1: Chicago Overview, CityPASS, & Millennium Park B2:

Art Institute of Chicago (Part 1)

How do you do? Welcome to the fifth of eight posts chronicling my Summer 2024 exploration of downtown Chicago museums and other attractions: B1: Chicago Overview,