Cycling Pyramid State Park: Perry County,IL

Cycling Pyramid State Park: Perry County, IL

     Pyramid State Park  is one of the most beautiful parks in the state of Illinois. It is also the largest state owned park in Illinois. It is built on the remains of an old coal mine, and has added large tracts of land from other newer coal mines.

      

     Pyramid has primitive camping, fishing, hunting and hiking. The trails are open for foot traffic, equestrian, and cycling. I have hiked Pyramid many times, and use it as one of my places to workout. It is serene and quiet. It currently is not full of RV’s and tons of people. But, there is a movement to try to make more use of pyramid, by putting in electric campsites, and cabins. However, I feel we should promote the old Pyramid as a quiet place to escape, and use the newer part for more modern conveniences.

      

     Then, there is cycling. This could be a good thing for Pyramid Park. With roads for adults and kids to ride on, and trails for mountain bikes. I cycled Pyramid Parks, 10 mile trail one morning in the late spring after the trails opened up for cycle use.

      

     I loaded my mountain bike onto the ladder that is on the back of my van, and bungee corded it there. I hopped in the van and drove over to Pyramid, which is about 15 minutes from Du Quoin. I parked the van at one of the trail heads for the 10 mile trail, in Heron camp ground.

     

      I put on my helmet, and threw on my small backpack that holds water, snacks, first aid, tools and survival kit. I unloaded my bike from the back of the van and headed out.

      

     The sun was up enough to give plenty of light, but it was nice and cool with misty air. I pedaled down the trail till I hit a downward hill, which I flew down, zipping past trees, and I loved it.

    

      I pedaled up hills and flew back down them again, racing on the flat lands. I saw squirrels, rabbits, and deer crossing the trail ahead of me while the birds watched from trees, chirping as I rolled by.

     

      I rode through swampy areas, not caring about my wet legs and back. I even pumped the pedals through a flooded area of trail where the water was up to my calves. But, who cares? It was freedom.

      

     The trail ended with a steep downhill ride which came out in a parking area. Then the rest of the ride was along highway 152/Pyatt’s road to the entrance of the park, past the Ranger station, and back on a mile of roads to the campgrounds and my van. I have hiked this trail and it took about 5 hours. This time, I did not keep track, but cycling the 10 mile trail took 2 hours or less, estimated.

      

     Cycling Pyramid was very exhilarating and was one of my first experiences mountain biking. It was not difficult, and it was fairly safe, with some thrilling hills, and turns, but nothing too extreme. There is also a campsite halfway if a person wanted to camp.

    

      Pyramid is a great place to get out and enjoy nature, spend time with God and family or friends, while having an adventure.

Mermec Caverns: Stanton, MO

Meramec Caverns

     Meramec Caverns is a natural wonder that exists in the Ozark Mountains west of St. Louis, Mo. It is claimed that the outlaw Jesse James hid out in these caverns after he did a train robbery. It can be seen how this place would be an excellent location to hide out in.

      

     The caves are stunning and have been shown in several movies. They have also served as a possible fallout shelter in case of a nuclear war.

     

      My wife and I traveled here recently and stayed at the hotel in Meramec State Park, which is named after the Meramec River. We practically had the hotel and the park to ourselves. It was delightful. The caverns also have a hotel and campground right on the banks of the river, but we felt drawn to go a bit further down the road to stay at the Park, so we could do some hiking as well as visiting the caverns.

      

     Our room at the Meramec Park Hotel had a balcony with a stunning view of the forested mountains behind us. It was incredibly peaceful, and we enjoyed the solitude.

      

     We hiked a couple of nature trails in the park that went into the hills, and down by the river. They were well maintained and lovely.

      

     We went out to eat, and we like trying to find local places to dine. There were all the normal places, like McDonalds, but very few local eateries. We did find a place on the interstate called the Du Kum Inn, which was delicious and brought many hours of infantile pleasure as I made fun of the name. They claimed to have the best fried chicken in Missouri, and they might be right.

      

     The caverns are a favorite spot for bus loads of kids going on field trips. But, luckily we got there early enough to go on a great tour that was minus the racket. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We had a few kids on our tour and he answered every single question they had, with patience and humor.

       Meramac Caverns is a great road trip location. It can be a day trip. An overnight get away or just part of a long distance trip. I will definitely go back. There were several trails I did not get to hike.

      

Cycling Pyramid State Park

Cycling Pyramid

     Pyramid State Park  is one of the most beautiful parks in the state of Illinois. It is also the largest state owned park in Illinois. It is built on the remains of an old coal mine, and has added large tracts of land from other newer coal mines.

      

     Pyramid has primitive camping, fishing, hunting and hiking. The trails are open for foot traffic, equestrian, and cycling. I have hiked Pyramid many times, and use it as one of my places to workout. It is serene and quiet. It currently is not full of RV’s and tons of people. But, there is a movement to try to make more use of pyramid, by putting in electric campsites, and cabins. However, I feel we should promote the old Pyramid as a quiet place to escape, and use the newer part for more modern conveniences.

      

     Then, there is cycling. This could be a good thing for Pyramid Park. With roads for adults and kids to ride on, and trails for mountain bikes. I cycled Pyramid Parks, 10 mile trail one morning in the late spring after the trails opened up for cycle use.

      

     I loaded my mountain bike onto the ladder that is on the back of my van, and bungee corded it there. I hopped in the van and drove over to Pyramid, which is about 15 minutes from Du Quoin. I parked the van at one of the trail heads for the 10 mile trail, in Heron camp ground.

     

      I put on my helmet, and threw on my small backpack that holds water, snacks, first aid, tools and survival kit. I unloaded my bike from the back of the van and headed out.

      

     The sun was up enough to give plenty of light, but it was nice and cool with misty air. I pedaled down the trail till I hit a downward hill, which I flew down, zipping past trees, and I loved it.

    

      I pedaled up hills and flew back down them again, racing on the flat lands. I saw squirrels, rabbits, and deer crossing the trail ahead of me while the birds watched from trees, chirping as I rolled by.

     

      I rode through swampy areas, not caring about my wet legs and back. I even pumped the pedals through a flooded area of trail where the water was up to my calves. But, who cares? It was freedom.

      

     The trail ended with a steep downhill ride which came out in a parking area. Then the rest of the ride was along highway 152/Pyatt’s road to the entrance of the park, past the Ranger station, and back on a mile of roads to the campgrounds and my van. I have hiked this trail and it took about 5 hours. This time, I did not keep track, but cycling the 10 mile trail took 2 hours or less, estimated.

      

     Cycling Pyramid was very exhilarating and was one of my first experiences mountain biking. It was not difficult, and it was fairly safe, with some thrilling hills, and turns, but nothing too extreme. There is also a campsite halfway if a person wanted to camp.

    

      Pyramid is a great place to get out and enjoy nature, spend time with God and family or friends, while having an adventure.