Monday, April 4, 2016

ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS

Sunday, April 3 – We had another long driving day north on I-55 through Missouri to Springfield, IL. It was a nice and SMOOTH ride on I-55. That's a pretty nice interstate! The roads through Arkansas were nice also. This route is much easier on your vehicle rather than the southern route on I-10 through Louisiana, that's for sure!

Can you guess what city we went through on our way to Springfield.
St. Louis

Can’t get to the East unless you cross the Mighty Mississippi.
Mississippi River

We are in Springfield, IL, to see everything Lincoln and to visit the Illinois State Capitol. We are staying at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The grounds encompasses over 360 acres of land that is fully fenced for added security. This place is huge! It is a pretty nice place to stay.

Abe greats visitors at the front gate.
Abe

One of the many, many, many buildings on the grounds.Springfield State Fairgrounds

We have never seen a poultry building as nice as this one.
Springfield State Fairgrounds

We have a full-hookup site with 50 amp electric. The hookups are at the very rear of the campsite so hooking up water and sewer were a little challenging for us. Paul had to dig out our extra sewer hose. He's going to need it anyway, because we found our regular sewer hose full of holes. He's not sure if it was sun damage or if the landscapers at the Houston Elks chewed it up with their line trimmer.

We are camping on the blacktop instead of the sites on grass. It's pretty wet here from spring rains and more rain is in the forecast for later in the week. At least we won't track mud into the RV. The campground just reopened for the season on April 1. There aren't many campers here, so we have plenty of room to spread out. Our closest neighbor is four sites away. It's nice that they spread out the RV's so they aren't sitting next to each other. An added bonus is if you are 55 or older it is only $20/night instead of $25.

Springfield State Fairgrounds

Springfield State Fairgrounds

Looking right.
Springfield State Fairgrounds

Looking left.
Springfield State Fairgrounds

Marsha has several days of intensive sightseeing planned. She's been looking forward to seeing this area and all things Lincoln for several years so Paul needs to get ready for a couple long days walking all over town. Check back and see if he survives the tours.....:-)

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day.

15 comments:

  1. Enjoy. We had a great time exploring all things Lincoln and the state capital.

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    1. P.S. Didn't know the fairgrounds had a paved option! We were on wet grass, thankfully not too wet!!

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  2. Enjoy your time there, don't rush to Ohio pretty darn cold for a few days yet.

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  3. We stayed 5 days at the fairgrounds and it wasn't enough to see everything. We had to take a 30 amp site as the 50's were full. You'll be very busy trying to get all the sites in.

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  4. We visited many years ago. Sounds like it just might be time to head back that way. Glad you made it there as planned.

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  5. We have had several sewer hoses that leaked after a long stay in the sun. I think when you collapse them and then stretch them out again they break. Good to know about the fair grounds in Springfield.

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  6. I was amazed at how much Jan and Bill found to do while they were there . Looking forward to your blogs on the sights.

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  7. I was amazed at how much Jan and Bill found to do while they were there . Looking forward to your blogs on the sights.

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  8. We've not spent any time in Springfield. I'm sure you will find all the high points!

    We seem to have to replace sewer hoses every few years or so due to holes.

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  9. Haven't been to Springfield since I was a kid, and can't say as I remember much about it.

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  10. The fairgrounds look like they will serve well for days filled with sightseeing. Hope you found out about the holes in the sewer hose before you dumped your black tank ;-)

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  11. Paul, believe me, that it won't be too bad:) You and I feel the same way about these museums and historical sites. I have to say, that I truly enjoyed this area:) Have fun!

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  12. I grew up in Illinois so I've been to the fairgrounds and the Lincoln sites many times. The last time we were there in our RV we discovered they opened a new museum which we really enjoyed. I hope you have a great time in my home state!

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  13. Great camping location! So glad Paul got his knee fixed so he can keep up with you, Marsha! Enjoy!

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  14. Want to visit Springfield sometime so we will be taking notes

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