Unplugged Weekend Away
As soon as we packed the car up I relaxed in the passenger seat (which I never get to sit) as we made our way to Kishauwau in Tonica, Illinois (about a 2.5 hours away from Milwaukee) to enjoy some time out with nature.
As a nice birthday gift, my Mom and I went for a weekend getaway with our Dog, Kota. We packed a cooler with some food for the weekend, and rented a cabin in the middle of nowhere where it gets pitch black and you can see the stars.
We decided to reroute ourselves away from the bumper to bumper traffic on Friday and managed to get to Illinois roughly 2.5 hours later. As soon as we pulled in to the Cabins entrance, our phones stopped getting service. As I was highly anticipating, and really hoping this would be the case, we checked in at the office and turned into our beautiful new home for the weekend. (The office had movies, and games we could borrow.)
For the first time in a long time, I was able to pick up a book and not worry about anything as my mind was shut off to everything that was happening in my life, and what was happening around me, and fully concentrate, and enjoy, a book I have been wanting to read for months.
On Saturday morning, our little cabin glowed with the morning sun. (At 0721, mind you) I attempted to roll over and go back to sleep, but realized, I was contently awake. And then Kota jumped up and licked my face, giving me the motivation to actually get up and begin our day.
As my mother made coffee, I sat outside with Kota just looking at the trees and hearing the songs of nature. As Mom made breakfast for the two of us, I was getting just a little nervous that I didn’t get my last school assignment in— and since we didn’t have service or internet, she (being a teacher) got a bit more nervous than I was. After breakfast she shoo-ed me to go into the town to finish my assignment. I drove through the cornfields (which I was at home in, thanks to my time in Southwest Minnesota) and drove a few miles where I had service as I sat in the car and finished up my last assignment.
When I returned we got ready to go hiking at Starved Rock State Park. The place was packed! Kota even wore his hiking pack–although, he wouldn’t really let me fasten it correctly. Granted, it was a beautiful day, slightly overcast until 1 o’clock. Kota was in heaven. He saw geese for the first time and wasn’t sure exactly how to handle them. But he got to spend a good few hours outdoors with his Mom and Sister (me). There were so many smells, being so many other dogs around and little kids laughing and yelling, and just so many other people around. He did great!
It was also a great start to the beginning of my hiking season.
Mom and I just sat on the porch talking away, talking about future plans, goals we have, and brainstorming some new ideas. As night fell we curled up in big recliners and we watched the movie, Brooklyn on my laptop. (So we broke down and pulled out some electronics to further relax before going to bed.)
When morning came again, a light rain fell. I sat outside to take Kota out. And as I sit it begins to rain harder. The frogs croak our in delight as it hits the rooftops, of both the cabin, and the car. We’re relaxing before we begin to pack up again and head back into the city, back to real life again.
How I felt:
Calm
Relaxed
Free
At peace
Had all the time in the world
Enjoyed sitting outside on the porch in the sun
What is stress?
What I heard:
Silence
Leaves rustling under Kota’s feet
The birds and frogs in a chorus of splendor
The jingling of Kota’s tags
Woody the Woodpecker
To book one of these amazing cabins just click.
Categories: Accommodations, Adventure, beauty, bucket list, Featured, hiking, life list, Outdoors, Packing, Quick Trip, Spontaneous, travel, Travel Solo, Uncategorized, United States, Weekend Trip
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