Chester Day Trip

 A couple times a year we like to take a day trip to Chester, IL.  It is where my grandparents are buried and I have lots of great memories traveling there as a child to visit my great aunt and uncle.  We had been trying to plan it for awhile and lucked out with decent weather for our trip a few weeks ago.

Although it was a bit windy....

The Chester Welcome Center has a new fancy deck on the back now that overlooks the river, a bridge, and a train track (complete with a train no less!).  It was the perfect place for a 4 year old and a 1 year old to burn off some steam after the 2 hour trip.

Unfortunately I cut Popeye's head off a little and by the time I went to take another both kids were off and running.  Chester is the home of Popeye!

We stopped off to pick up some lunch and then headed to one of my favorite Chester spots.  I guess it's official name is Mary's River Covered Bridge, but I've never called it that.  I just think it is a beautiful spot and a rare sight to explore.  We ate and then checked out the bridge and the very swollen river.

Amelia also checked out some ants and a ladybug or two.

I found humor in this sign.  Particularly the sentence that starts, "All of the timber in the bridge is the original...."

After everyone had had enough of the bridge (actually, after I had multiple close calls of children wondering towards the swift-moving river), we stopped by my grandparents grave.  This is a tricky subject for an inquisitive 4 year old.  She mostly took it in stride, asked a few questions, and then requested we check the rest of the cemetery for a stone with her name.  So, we wondered through Paradise Cemetery (no joke) for a half hour in search of an "Amelia".  Unfortunately, we came up short despite finding numerous "Henry" stones.

It was a nice little trip and Amelia loved being in "a whole nother state!" for the day.  One of these times I vow to be a little more adventurous and check out one of the two Forts in the area.