birds, kayaks, and looking for lincoln

Well, I’ve been M.I.A. for the last few days… but I’ve been busy with some worthy activities, I swear! Here are some highlights:

Birding & Hiking

I’ve seen and/or heard over 60 types of birds on this trip alone, including: summer tanager, cedar waxwing (image at left), yellow warbler, indigo bunting, pelicans, and many, many more. I did a great deal of hiking and birding at Starved Rock State Park, which has some incredible views.

Kayaking: Ready Oar Not…

My dad and I rented something called a ‘funyak‘ for a few hours and floated down the Vermillion River. Yes, I was skeptical at first, too, of something called a funyak. As it turns out, it was an excellent choice for two novice paddlers– I grew up canoeing, and a kayak is something of a different animal. Funyaks are inflatable, yet sturdy, and basically impossible to flip even when we hit rapids and went over a dam (yes!). During our 2.5 hours of kayaking, we saw no other human beings on that particular stretch of water. We did, however, see a blue heron, a red-tailed hawk, and a baby racoon. We also heard, but did not see, a barred owl. Kayaking has been on my bucket list, and I’m ecstatic to have now done it.

Looking for Lincoln

My dad is a huge Abraham Lincoln history buff. So we’ve been sniffing out Abe’s tracks down here in the Land of Lincoln– Springfield, Illinois. To get us started, we ate at a place called the Lincoln-Douglas Cafe. Today’s main event was the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. This is an incredible museum; very, very well-done. I didn’t even have a minute to get bored. One short video even featured vibrating seats, strobe lights, and a smoke machine. The video was called Lincoln’s Eyes, and it featured an artist talking through his process of depicting Lincoln’s eyes, and how he studied Abe’s life in order to make the most honest artistic renderings.

I also stood on the steps of the Old State Capitol, where Obama announced his candidacy for president; poked around the building of Lincoln’s law office; attended a riveting book discussion with David O. Stewart on Andrew Johnson‘s impeachment and Lincoln’s legacy; went to the Brewhaus, a dive that boasts a beer list of 100+ selections, where I was less than impressed with Abita Purple Haze.

Image of cedar waxwing courtesy of Savannah Grandfather at flickr; image of kayak courtesy of FreeWine at flickr; image of Brewhaus neon sign courtesy of C. Bendorf.