Unlike our previous legs of the trip, wherein we would stay up all hours, then lie in until 11ish, this time, we've been early to bed and early to rise. I'm not sure if that makes us particularly wise, but I've seen many sunrises this way.
Our original plan for Illinois had included Chicago, but then we considered the difficulties of navigating Vincent in a land of parking garages and parallel parking, and decided to go off the beaten path a bit.
Ryan thought it would be fun to wander around Galena, Illinois, because it was in a magazine of "Top 100 Places to Visit." So why not?
On our drive, we required sustenance, and ended up at Prairie Street Brewery as a result of some feverish dinking around on Yelp. We split a very tasty order of chicken nachos and downed very tasty beer in a very old-school refurbished warehouse. Naturally, we parked in the wrong place and dutifully orbited the entire building before we found the correct door, but that encouraged a long walk through a really neat alley, so all was not lost.
We decided we needed some nature before we continued on to Galena, so we stopped at The Horseshoe Mound. This place was just GORGEOUS. Butterfly gardens, viewing spots for the nearby land, and markers for the solstice... truly a place of power and beauty. Here, just look at the pictures.
Honestly, it could not have been a more beautiful day, and we drank in the sunshine and flowers just as the butterflies did.
The next part got a little frustrating. I *hate* shopping. Galena, despite what the books may say, it basically a tourist destination of shopping. It was very olden-styled and had an antique aesthetic, but it was really just rows of shops and restaurants. Not that that's a terribly awful thing, in the scheme of things, but having seen too many sunrises, my mood and enthusiasm were quickly waning. I did some intense shopping at a specialty pasta shop, and then grumbled impolitely as Ryan dragged me up and down the street without entering a store or purchasing a single item.
Galena has a brewery, though, and after miles of sidewalks and shops, it was nice to sit at a bar top and indulge in some pretzel bites and brew. I enjoyed a Strawberry Blonde Ale and we revived ourselves over some Food Network show that was playing dumbly on the corner tv.
After another consultation of the internet, we decided to divide our eating time in Galena with a stop to Durty Gurt's, which is a cheeky diner that also serves some pretty enjoyable Bloody Marys.
The jalapeno tuna melt was pretty spectacular, too. Over dinner, I worked very diligently to rid myself of my terrible shopping hangover and general crappy mood. Add to that a very full belly, and I more or less rolled to Vincent in misery.
We headed towards Wisconsin with the sun setting. We were ready for the next adventure, though somewhat stymied as to how Illinois and come and gone so very, very quickly!
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