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A Short Trip on Route 66

September 22, 2014 By Dr. Julie-Ann 3 Comments

Old Route 66
Northbound on Route 66 between Funks Grove and Bloomington, IL

I woke up on Saturday and realized that, for the first time all semester, I didn’t have any papers to grade nor any workshops to plan.  So The Mister and I decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity to take Old Route 66 to the Funks Grove Nature Center south of Bloomington.  Funks Grove has the largest prairie woodland left in Illinois.  We knew it was close-by but didn’t realize how close until we discovered that it is only about a 15 minute drive from our house.  The nature center has several short trails that I think The Mister and I will explore as the seasons change. 

It is amazing what you can find when you choose to drive the old roads instead of staying on the superhighways!

Funks Grove Depot ModernRetroWomancom

 

On the way to the Nature Center, we passed the Funks Grove Depot.  Naturally, I made The Mister pull over so that I could take a photo of it.

 

FunksGroveStorefront ModernRetroWomancom

And, across the street from the depot, is an old storefront that has been converted into an antiques store.  Alas, we couldn’t tell if it was open or not.  If we knew for sure that it was open, you can be sure we would have done some exploring in it!

 

FunksGroveNatureCenter Blue Trail Prairie ModernRetroWomancom

The volunteer at the nature center suggested we take the Blue Trail because it was short, it went through a prairie preservation area and then through the woods.

 

FunksGrove Nature Center Blue Trail Woods ModernRetroWomancom

Despite the fact that we visited just a few days before the calendar turned to Autumn, the trees in the woodlands were still quite green.  I’m looking forward to going back after the leaves change color!

We were going to go on another short trail but the sky was starting to look ominous so we headed home.  It was a good thing we did because torrential rain that flooded the streets within minutes began when we were halfway home.

What unexpected treasures have you found close to home?

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Dr. Julie-Ann

I'm Dr. Julie-Ann, living life in its Technicolor finest by channeling my Grandma, Donna Reed, and June Cleaver with a bit of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly glamour thrown in for good measure, too. I work outside of the home full-time as a university administrator helping professors and graduate students achieve their teaching goals but I nourish my soul and find tremendous happiness trying to be the "perfect" 1950s homemaker.
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Latest posts by Dr. Julie-Ann (see all)

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Filed Under: Glamorous Lifestyle Project, Gratitude Tagged With: Funks Grove, Route 66

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    September 23, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    Our region is rather remote with narrow, winding, gravel road. Without a particular reason to travel out of our way, we just don’t do it. While I know quite a bit about my particular corner of that world, I’ve never visited others.
    Kathy recently posted..SORRY — CAN’T MAKE YOUR PARTYMy Profile

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  2. Ode To Mrs. Katz Cohn says

    September 26, 2014 at 11:33 pm

    What a fun way to spend the afternoon, minus the rainstorm. The leaves up here (I’m your northern neighbor in the Chicago area!) are starting to turn and it’s just beautiful. I love the fall. I live in a town with some red brick streets and the combination with the fall leaves always makes me smile- like someone planned out the color scheme.

    I saw in the paper a 1950’s house in Park Forest (I think.) I want to go but it’s hard to round up the troops for that kind of outing. So that’s my hidden treasure- and it’s still hidden from me!

    Sarah
    Ode To Mrs. Katz Cohn recently posted..Hey there, Rosemary!! Thanks for my shiny, happy hair!My Profile

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Trackbacks

  1. More Kicks On The Original Route 66 - Modern Retro Woman says:
    October 18, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    […] day a few weekends ago, The Mister and I set out for more kicks on the original Route 66.  The last outing was heading south of town.  This time we headed north to the towns of Towanda and […]

    Reply

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Hi There! I’m Dr. Julie-Ann

By day, I help professors achieve their teaching goals at a mid-sized public university smack dab in the middle of the United States. The rest of the time, however, I’m using all of those same scholarship skills I use for my out-of-the-house job to study mid-century gracious living advice books on topics such as personal presence, only wearing beautiful clothes, and good cooking.  My readers love that I am able to translate that information for today’s modern world so that they can be the kind of women they’ve always wanted to be.

Learn more about me (along with my life with The Mister) and the blog by clicking on the “Start Here” button on the navigation bar at the top of the page.

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