Eric's Sunday Drive

When Candice forecasted 80° with partly sunny skies for Sunday, I knew I had to go somewhere. Chicago didn't seem like the place to be...I'd been north quite a few times this summer...There's not too much going on in Central Illinois...Why not head west? The trip begins at a Rockford gas station at 11:00am.

Galena 12:30pm-Walked along Main Street looking at all of the cool gifts and tempting food...that I really couldn't afford. After making a sacrilegious trip to Culver's for a burger and cheese curds, we pressed on. Go west, man!


1:00pm - Stopped to enjoy the beauty of the Mississippi River at East Dubuque, Illinois. Would've spent more time here, but the stench really got in the way. You see, there were piles and piles of dead bugs laying around. Would've smelled great if I was a cat or a dog, but yeah...it was rather gross. I figured there was recently a mayfly hatching. Read up on that sometime.

1:40pm - Headed north on Iowa Highway 3 from Dubuque until we came across County Highway CY9. Take a right and you're headed for Sherrill, Balltown, and North Buena Vista, Iowa. Speaking of good views, you can get some breathtaking sights of the river's bluffs. Here's a YouTube link from someone documenting the view.

1:44pm - Caught a glimpse at some of the most interesting lawn ornaments we had ever seen! After a ten second stop, we drove north on CY9. Luckily there were signs for the Cassville Ferry! The turn off of CY9 took us onto a mile-long dirt road. (Yes, I was a little nervous.)

2:15pm - Made it to the Cassville Ferry (one of only a handful that will take you back and forth across the Mighty Miss!) Small problem though: the ferry ride required a fare. I thought everyone took plastic...until now. (Sometimes I hate this ATM world we live in.) Luckily, after scrounging up $12 in mostly quarters and dimes, we made it onto the ferry. There's nothing better than telling your friends that you took a Ford Explorer across the Mississippi River without a bridge!

3:15pm - In Wisconsin now and completely lost at this point. Luckily the sun is over our right shoulders...that means we're going east, right? We weren't far from Bagley, Wisconcin (where there was terrible flooding last week). The sign read "South 133 to Potosi." South was good, since we knew we drove north in Iowa to reach the ferry.

4:10pm - Drove through Potosi, then into Dickeyville and came across this! We drove right past, but had to back up to get a better glimpse. It's the Dickeyville Grotto. Because we lacked a map (and it was getting late), we figured that we should keep going...although I really wanted to get out and explore this more. Next time!

5:15pm - Somewhere near Hazel Green, Wisconsin (on some barely-paved road) we stopped on a one-lane bridge to find the most beautiful clear water stream! I snapped a few photos. This one is good enough for my computer's desktop.


5:45pm - Take County W east of Hazel Green and you'll come upon the village of New Diggings, Wisconsin. I wouldn't even call it a town, but it had the coolest pub of the entire trip! I made note of the town so I could google it when I got home. Sure enough, the pub has a website. This place is guaranteed to be a good destination if you have a motorcycle or convertible. With the time winding down on this Sunday drive (without a map), we reluctantly proceeded onward to the east.

7:00pm - After stopping on the side of the road to gather some wild asparagus, I finally recognized a highway I knew. Wisconsin Highway 78. We turned right and headed into the really cool town of Warren, Illinois (a destination itself and home to the Jo Daviess County Fair Aug 2-5). After hopping onto the Stagecoach Trail again, we were in the home stretch. Lena, Freeport, Pecatonica, Winney, and Rockford. After about 300 miles and about 8 hours I was home. Definitely a good trip...yes it cost $50 in gas, but sometimes you just need a change of scenery, right? -ERIC