Smokey visits the University Museum!!!

On Monday, December 13, 2010, Smokey the dog and Christin Harris went to the University Museum at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. The University Museum is a very important place on campus because it houses many wonderful historical items. The museum is located in the Faner building on campus. Smokey and Christin started the journey from 625 Wham Drive and made the long 1.4 mile trek (round trip) in the frigid cold temperatures to 1000 Faner Drive, the University Museum. The latitude and longitude for the museum are 37.716809 degrees north and 89.218412 degrees west. Smokey and Christin enjoyed their brief visit, even though it was FREEZING!!! Next time they take a road trip, Christin and Smokey have decided to pick a warmer destination. FLORIDA, HERE WE COME!!!!!

Smokey Encounters Vultures

On December 7, 2010, Smokey traveled 18.51 miles to Makanda, IL (37degrees North, 89 degrees W). Makanda, IL is a very quiet and small town with a population of only 419. Even though it is small, it is filled with treasures! The downtown "boardwalk" store fronts are dated back to the 1890's. Inside the store, over 60 local artisans sell locally made goods such as tea and coffee, jewelry, candles, paintings, glass work, and even metal and brass sculptures! Makanda is also home of the annual Illinois Vulture Fest. Makanda has very large popluation of black and turkey vultures, especially in the fall due to the deer hunting season. The locals of Makanda decided to take this opportunity to celebrate the vulture with a festival. Throughout this two-day festival, visitors can take advantage of local artwork, see crafters work, taste new and delicious foods and listen to live music!

The Adventures of Valerie and Smokey

Well Smokey's adventure began on Sunday, December 5th at around 1 pm-I let him sleep in for awhile. I told Smokey that he was going to go home with me to help decorate my parents' house for xmas, but that we were going to stop on the way to look at some historical sites. So Smokey and I began our adventure heading to Chester, Illinois.

Our first stop of the day was at the Popeye statue, which is located beside the Mississippi River. The 6ft bronze Popeye statue, was dedicated in 1977, is located in the Segar Memorial Park. It was inspired by the fact that Elzie C. Segar, the creator of Popeye, was born in Chester and many of the Popeye characters were based off of real residents of Chester.

The next stop was at Menard Correctional Center, but we were not allowed to take a picture so we went to the best next place, The Pierre Menard Home. The Pierre Menard Home is home to the first lieutenant govenor of Illinois from 1818 to 1822. The Pierre Menard home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.

The last stop on the way to my parents' house was at the beautiful Fort Kaskaskia park. I took Smokey to the bluff that overlooks the Mississippi, which was at one time the Kaskaskia river until an earthquake changed the direction of the river. I told Smokey, which he didn't believe me, that the orginal town of Kaskaskia, was once the first state capital of Illinois. I also shared with Smokey all the historical events that have taken place here. I shared with him the Lewis and Clark Connection, Garrison Hill Cementary and how in 1909 the town of Kaskaskia disappeared due to massive flooding.

Overall, Smokey had a very long, but fun filled day of learning and of course Christmas decorating. But that is for another adventure of Smokey and Valerie.

Smokey and Jayme at Neely Hall

Smokey and I traveled to Neely Hall which was constructed in 1965. Neely Hall was originally built to house women but currently houses all genders. Neely Hall currently houses anyone looking to reside there but specifically includes international students, ROTC students, and 21+ students (specific floors allowing alcohol). Neely Hall was the first of the 3 towers built, each being 17 floors. Smokey and I traveled 1.9 miles to the 17th floor of Neely Hall which has an amazing view of Carbondale and SIUC campus. Neely Hall is located at 37 degrees, 42', and 53" North and 89 degrees, 12', and 40" West. The pictures show the new football stadium and old McAndrew stadium along with other buildings and areas of University Housing and the SIUC campus.

Smokey 2's Trip Over Thanksgiving

Smokey 2 went on an Adventure over Thanksgiving break. Smokey traveled by car to Thompsonville, Illinois from Wham. He traveled 77.24 miles by car to visit this historical site round trip. The latitude and Longitude is N 37.916443 and W 88.761564. The site is a log cabin building located in the middle of Thompsonville and has been there for a long time. Smokey 2 enjoyed his trip to this site. He also visited a number of other places, such as, the Fire House, the American Legion, and he enjoyed all of these things.

Smokey the Baller

On November 15, Smokey decided that he would like to get a little workout in with his friends. He thought to himself, "Man! I haven't dunked on anybody in a long time." Therefore, Smokey decided to come hand out with me, Michael Warren, and dominate the chumps at the West Frankfort Aquatic Center in West Frankfort, IL. He took this trip to the WFAC because he knew that there would be more than enough people to play a little basketball with and he knew that Michael plays there quite often. He played pretty well. He and Michael played for about an hour before they finally lost a game and decided to retire for the night. Smokey carried the team. Oh ya, and I think the rims are broken in now due to Smokey hanging on the rim so much. Your the man Smokey.

Smokey 2's Sports Venues Trip

Smokey 2's trip was full of sports. He went to 4 different sporting venues, some right here in Carbondale. It wasnt a long travel but it was full of information. The first spot that Smokey 2 visited was SIU Arena. I figured since it was newly renevated, Smokey 2 should see where his friends, the basketball Salukis, will be playing. Hopefully this season can better than last year's. However, on Saturday, the Salukis lost to their bigger neighbors to the north...The Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois.

The next spot Smokey 2 visited was Saluki Stadium. We went to the stadium after the Salukis beat the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks, 20-10. It's been an up and down season for the Salukis but hopefully they can finish the season with some momentum to go into next season.

The next place that Smokey 2 visited was Rent One Park in Marion, IL. This is the home of Southern Illinois Miners baseball team. Even though the baseball season is over, the field still looked great and it was a great day to see the field.

The last place that Smokey 2 visited was Ray Fosse Park in Marion, IL. This is a public park with a playground and baseball diamonds. Ray Fosse was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for multiple teams but he is most famous for an injury he sustained in the 1970 MLB All-Star Game. He was playing catcher at the time, when (should be Hall of Famer) Pete Rose ran him over at a play at home plate. Ray Fosse suffered a separated shoulder, which was believed to ruin Fosse's career but that is incorrect.

Smokey 2 had a great time going to different sports venues. It was good weather, great time traveling, and Smokey 2 learned a lot along the way.

Smokey's On Deck!

Smokey traveled 2.08 miles and spent the afternoon at Superblock Recreational Fields in Carbondale. This park consists of eight soccer fields, four baseball and softball fields, a couple football fields and a track; along with a parking lot and drinking fountains.

He

spent the afternoon running around, releasing some energy. This park is where people associated with the Carbondale Park District play. Also, students that attend Carbondale Middle School use these fields to play their games. This park has a couple playgrounds which families can bring their young ones to play. I wish there were games going on so that Smokey could watch one, but unfortunately there was not. But, it was nice for Smokey to play on the playground and run the bases on the baseball field.

Kitten's Trip To LaRue Hills

Kitten (Smokey) and I traveled 33.91 miles to LaRue Hills (37 30' 15''N 89 26' 18''W) in the Shawnee National Forest. We hiked to the top of the 150 ft limestone bluff in the Mississippi flood plain. Captain Merriwether Lewis wrote about this area in a journal in November 22, 1803.

Sharon and Smokey's Trek Through the Upper Part of Union County

Well, Smokey was going to make a trip to Garden of the Gods, however, I did not have enough time to take him there. :( I do think though that Smokey was still pleased with where all he was able to visit. The main place that I took Smokey to was Bald Knob Cross in Alto Pass, Illinois.


Bald Knob Cross
Bald Knob Cross is located in Alto Pass, Illinois, 62905. It was finished in 1963, it is 111 feet tall, had over 900 porcelain plates, and was lit up so that it could be seen from 7500 square feet. The cross has been under construction since 2009, the panels were taken off, and is expected to be completed by the end of this fall. The picture (left) is what the cross looks like so far, however it is still under construction and the public is not allowed to walk all the way up to the cross yet.


After Smokey visited Bald Knob Cross, he went with me to vote, in Alto Pass' city hall.













Smokey also stopped at Flamm Orchards for a little while. Flamm's is one of the largest producers of peaches and apples in southern Illinois.











Smokey also stopped in Cobden. He visited a memorial that is dedicated to the Cobden Connection. There are only five towns in the world named Cobden. They were all named after the explorer Richard Cobden. There is a Cobden in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Minnesota, and Illinois.














Lastly, Smokey visited Cobden High School, the high school I graduated from. Located in Cobden, Illinois, Cobden High School's mascot is the Appleknocker. Some of you may being saying, "What in the world is an Appleknocker?" Well, Cobden is known for it's many orchards. An appleknocker is the person who would knock the bad apples out of the trees. Cobden High School is home to a great softball team that has one the state championships the last 3 years in a row, which is a great accomplishment since the school is so small. It is also home to the Amazing Appleknockers of 1964. The Amazing Appleknockers were the boys basketball team that made it to the state championship. This was an amazing feat since at the time Cobden's population was only 900 people. However, they only won second place, but they were still the talk of the state and highly respected.


Overall, I had a great time taking Smokey around, and I think he did as well!

Smokey Behind Bars!

Along with an elementary class, Smokey visited the Williamson County Museum. The Williamson County Historical Museum is located in Marion, Illinois right off of the Town Square. Smokey visited many different places within the museum including the jail, library, bank, and post office. We were guided around the museum and each exhibit explained. The museum gives a lot of history about "Bloody Williamson" and Charlie Burger which Smokey really enjoyed!

During Smokey's Adventure, he ran into some technical issues that included his friend for the day dropping her camera. Overall, Smokey learned a lot and enjoyed his day!

Smokey's Spooktacular Weekend

Smokey had an exciting weekend. It began on Saturday afternoon when Smokey visited Marion High School to watch the first round of the IHSA State Playoffs. Smokey helped lead the football Wildcats to a victory! The round trip mileage was 33.44 miles. The latitude and longitude coordinates are as follows: 37.71702, -88.946292. Smokey's adventure did not stop at the football game, it continued on Halloween day. Smokey got the chance to pass out candy to several boys and girls dressed in crazy costumes. Before the weekend, Smokey also got to spend the day in the 5th grade. During his visit, Smokey learned about Red Ribbon Week. That is why all the boys and girls were wearing blue. "Say no to drugs" was an important motto Smokey was reminded of at Harrisburg East Side School.

Smokey's Day in Court

For Smokey's adventure, I took him to the Appellate Courthouse in Mt. Vernon, IL. Smokey and I rode from Carbondale to Mt.Vernon, which was 59.40 miles. The trip took about an hour. Smokey and I walked around the Appellate Courthouse grounds. Smokey enjoyed the statue of Abraham Lincoln and the architecture of the building. Smokey got to explore the stairs of the Appellate Courthouse. Smokey and I took a picture in front of the sign at the courthouse. After visiting the courthouse, my mom and I took Smokey to Chilli's for dinner. Smokey had tacos and rice. He enjoyed the experience and had a fun trip.

During the adventure, Smokey learned that Abraham Lincoln represented the Illinois Central Railroad in a hearing at the courthouse. Smokey also learned that the iron stairs of the Appellate Courthouse were brought from St.Louis, MO by ox-cart. The stairs took about 3 weeks to deliver. In February 1888, the courthouse was used as a emergency hospital for victims of a powerful tornado that destroyed the city.


The Appellate Courthouse is the fifth district appellate court in Illinois. The courthouse was built around 1857. The courthouse has a latitude of 38.81 N and longitude 88.91 W. The entire trip was 118.80 miles.