Friday, May 14, 2010

May 2010 The Annual Mushroom Hunt













It seems we always have funky weather when we go to Illinois, and this trip was no exception. In fact, it was the worst yet. When we arrived in Galena on May 11, we discovered that Northwestern Illinois had had a very early, very warm spring. The weeds were already up to my knees and everything was WET! Although we only found one morel, we did find a several patches of wild orchids. They were well worth the hike.




Wet and getting wetter by the moment, we pulled ourselves up the hill and went in search of something hot to eat. What we had in mind was a nice bowl of homemade soup with some dark, heavy bread. What we found was a restaurant/antique shop/museum/greasy spoon/trailer park right on the Mississippi River, owned and managed by one weird guy. Stanley was a bit disappointed in his fish, but I had a fine hamburger.




We spent a few hours with Ruby the next morning and then we were off to Chicago and on to Anchorage.