Hickory Point State Park – Edinburg, IL

You know that feeling when you’re on a long drive, and the landscape swallows you whole? That’s exactly what happened on our last trip. We drove for what felt like forever, surrounded by nothing but endless fields of corn. Miles and miles of perfectly symmetrical rows, stretching to the horizon like a yellow carpet. It made us wonder about the purpose of it all—was it destined to become ethanol for our cars or feed for hungry livestock?

The small towns we passed through were just blips on the map, quickly fading back into the sea of stalks. It was just us and the corn, and it was a surprisingly peaceful journey. Our campsite was a stunning park, and our site offered the most ideal view imaginable: tranquil blue waters and towering trees. It was precisely the kind of peaceful retreat we’d been craving. Well, almost.

Our first night, a fellow camper set up a powerful ham radio right next to us. For two hours, the serene sounds of chirping crickets were completely drowned out by a cacophony of voices rattling off their locations from all over the country. It was a bizarre soundtrack to our campfire, but thankfully, he wrapped up his session and packed up his equipment, leaving us to the natural sounds of the night.

A few days later, we needed to restock our supplies, so we ventured into the city of Springfield. I was expecting a big town, but this place had everything—and then some. To our complete surprise, we stumbled upon one of our favorite restaurants, Cooper’s Hawk. Even though we were dressed in our comfy everyday clothes, we couldn’t pass up the chance for a delectable meal. As always, the food was exquisite and the wine was excellent. It was the perfect way to cap off a day of running around.

The rest of our trip was spent doing exactly what we came for: relaxing and soaking in the beauty of nature. We left feeling recharged and already dreaming about our next adventure.

What’s a trip you’ve taken where the landscape was the main event?

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