Turkey Run State Park ~Marshall, IN

We stayed at Turkey Run State Park while visiting family in Indiana.

I have visited a couple of times but staying there was a great decision.

Being able to go on these hikes early in the morning(well as early as I could manage to get my kids out of the rv) was amazing. We were able to beat the crowds and see the hollows in peace (as peaceful as you can get with 5 kids). I just kept asking myself “why did I not come here all the time when I lived here?” I grew up close to this beautiful place and only came a couple of times! Loved watching him help her. If we stay again we will choose a different camping spot though if we can.
This one was close to the road (so loud) and was not near the playground or nicer bathrooms at all. Sunday morning we went to “Turkey Run Hollow.” It ended up being a perfect hike for a Sunday morning.

I wish they had church in a place like this.

I decided checking out the Log Church at the park on a Sunday was pretty perfect also. We made the mistake of leaving the dogs food out one night while we were there.

It was in a sealed container but I heard lots of growling in the middle of the night and we found it completely empty the next morning…

Oops.

They have a nice little nature center at the park. My sister, her husband, and my niece came out to hike with us while we were there! My parents came to see us also while we were there.

I really liked our stay and can’t wait to stay again!

Cohokia Mounds State Historic Site ~Collinsville, IL

I wanted to stop here the last time we passed but I could not do all those steps!

This time I made sure we stopped!

It is so fascinating to me that these large civilizations existed back then in North America!

You can go to the top of the largest mound! Lots of steps!

A perfect activity for antzy kids that have been stuck in a car! They have an amazing museum! It was so interesting.

With lot’s of interactive exhibits.

Have you ever been to the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site?

It is a great stop, right outside St. Louis!

 

Roubidoux Springs Campground and Rv Park ~Waynesville, MO

First stop was Roubidoux Springs Campground and RV Park!

It was pretty close to the highway and only $20 per night for full hookups! We had no clue what it would look like and if we would be able to pay since we were getting there after 5 pm.

Thankfully it does have a self-pay at the campground and it ended up being in a nice location.

A pretty creek on one side and woods all around!

I found out later that this was a Conservation Area! They do make it clear that they have flooding problems so keep that in mind when you go. Instead of getting on the road right away the next morning(we were driving to Indiana for a family event).

We ended up spending the morning at the campground due to our first mishap of the trip…

A tire that was losing air.

It started on our drive the evening before and my husband took it to get checked out.

We ended up needing to get it replaced.

I have begun to embrace that there will be these mishaps on our trips.

Pretty sure there has been something on every single one.

Thankfully this one was a quick fix and it was done while we had a beautiful place to wait.
I really do not like being in the camper with the kids if I can avoid it (they have a lot of energy for a small space) so I took them down to the creek to eat their breakfast.

And then we went for a walk to the Conservation Area!
What a beautiful walk!

Can you imagine this as your daily walk?

It would be an amazing way to start your day! Since we were walking everywhere (Nick had the vehicle and our oldest at Walmart), we only checked out the edge of the Conservation Area.

These girls might have driven me crazy at times that morning but they were extra snuggly at this spot!

I was glad that a problem like a new tire became an opportunity to experience this beautiful place.

We would have missed it if we had not been delayed.

We even saw a beaver on our walk!

What an unexpected gift!

 

Check out our route, here!