Zach and Minty

Minty and I went on an adventure to the original home of John Y. and Constance Stotler at 705 West Main. This is one of two houses built by the Stotler family in Carbondale. The first was built at an earlier date by John Stotler's father who was a Civil War Vet. The house was built in 1917 and is said to have the first in ground pool in Carbondale. The pool would be where the camera man is standing. The house also had tennis courts in the back yard.

Latitude: 37.73
Longitude: 89.22
Miles traveled round trip: 1.86
Total miles: 6468.35

Cassie and Minty visit the Coral Castle in Florida

Minty and I were very busy on our spring break adventure. We left Carbondale and drove to the Saint Louis airport. We arrived at the airport, boarded the plane and headed off to Florida. While we were there, we wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and sight seeing opportunities. We made the drive down to Coral Castle, which is in Homestead Florida. Coral Castle is a sculpture garden that was built by one man, Edward Leedskalnin. It took him 28 years, he used only home made tools and over 1,100 tons of rock. His unknown process of sculpting created an enchanting and mysterious place.
Minty and I loved exploring and seeing all the sculptures and items made of stone at the castle. We saw a 9 ton gate that was able to be moved with just one finger, functional rocking chairs, and even a telescope, all made out of stone. Minty and I were amazed and could not figure out how Edward was able to make everything. Edward claimed he only knew the "secrets of the pyramids" and when he died, his secrets died with him; to this day no one can figure out how he did it. It was an amazing place to see and Minty and I had a great time!

Latitude: 25"30'00.06"N Longitude: 80"26'34.14"W
Miles traveled round trip: 2,700 miles
Total miles Minty travelled:6,466.49

Minty and I took a journey of 343.98 miles round trip to visit our old state's capital building in Springfield, IL. While Minty and I were there we attended the Illinois Reading Conference, ate at wonderful restraunt where a kind man paid for our tab, chilled out with some Coldstone icecream and bought a bunch of cheap books. We came home with many treasures including a bunch of free teaching materials and ideas! When we took a break from the food and books, we took a walk to the Old Capital Building. I have included a picture of us in front of the beautiful building! We both had such an amazing time in Springfield! I'm looking forward to the next journey we take!
Total miles J.P. has traveled: 3766.49 miles!

Latitude Springfield IL: 39.78 degrees N
Longitude Sprinfield IL: 89.66 degrees W

Arika and Minty's Visit to The DuQuoin State Fairgrounds

On Monday, April 19,2010, Minty and I visited the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in my hometown of DuQuoin, IL. The fairgrounds is home to one of the two state fairs that are held in Illinois every summer. The DuQuoin fair starts in late August and runs through Labor Day.

While we were at the fairgrounds, Minty and I visited the Grandstand, the Expo Building, a replica of Bucky's Dome, and the Governor's Mansion. During the fair, the Grandstand is home to horse races, car races, and concerts while the Expo Building houses contest entries such as baked goods, vegetables, sewed items, photographs, and artwork.

Minty really enjoyed her trip to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds but she hopes that she gets to visit again during the fair so she can ride on the ferris wheel and eat a corndog and fiddlestick.

Miles Traveled (Round Trip): 38.84 miles
Minty's Total Miles Traveled: 3422.51 miles
Latitude: 37.983518° N
Longitude: -89.23343° W

Minty and Brice's Blue Sky Adventure!

Did you know that in the early 1900’s, Southern Illinois produced around 25% of the nations wine???.... Neither did Minty or me.

In search of some more information, Minty and I set out on a mission to locate one of the most talked about and visited vineyards in Southern Illinois . We left 625 Wham Drive on Saturday, April 10 around 1 p.m. It took us about 18 minutes but we finally made the 16.18 miles journey to Blue Sky Vineyard. On approaching the vineyard we were welcomed by the beautiful Tuscan themed entrance and hill of slowing wakening grape vines. Once we got out of the car, it was time to find out some more information. Minty decided to let me do all the talking, knowing the owners would probably understand what I was saying better than a bark. When we approached the beautiful bar area we were greeted by a warm employee and given the best information ever. We learned that Blue Sky Vineyard was founded in 2000. With the help from wine maker Karen Hand, it took the owners Barrett Rochman, Marilyn Rochman, and Jim Ewers 5 years of growing grapes and making wine, before they finally could open their doors in 2005. Another interesting thing about the location of Blue Sky Vineyard is that it is in the midst of the Shawnee Hills American Viticulture Area an area that is federally designated and recognized for its distinctiveness in grape growing. Blue Sky’s overall architecture and Tuscan design were created by Nancy Karen Brian, a tenured professor at California State University Fresno.

Overall our trip was successful. We were even fortunate enough to sample some of their award winning wines!

Miles Traveled (Round Trip): 32.36
Minty’s Total Miles Traveled: 3383.67
Latitude of Blue Sky: 37.578º or 37º North
Longitude of Blue Sky: -89.116º or 89º W

Minty and Sharita Go to Kansas

On March 26, 2010, Minty and I boarded a brand new mini-van, joined six of my club softball team mates, and began our journey to Manhattan, Kansas. Minty and I drove through St. Louis, Kansas City, Topeka, and many other towns along the way. We visited the Kansas State campus and toured their strip where the students go to hang out and enjoy themselves. We also went to the downtown area where Minty saw some historical potential in the courthouse. Riley County Courthouse was built in 1906. It is geographically measured by these coordinates Latitude = 39.1797, Longitude = -96.5632 Lat = 39 degrees, 10.8 minutes North Long = 96 degrees, 33.8 minutes West. Minty’s trip from Wham to Kansas and back was 922.45 miles, just under 8 hours each way. I should like to think that Minty enjoyed this voyage and got to see some interesting sites along the way.

Minty goes to Woodlawn Cemetery

Minty and I traveled 1.86 miles round trip to the Woodlawn Cemetery, which is known as a historical landmark. This cemetery is dedicated to John A. Logan, who was a significant political figure from Southern Illinois. He was born on February 9, 1826 in Jackson County, Illinois. He became a prosecuting attorney here and eventually became a War Democrat in 1864 for Abraham Lincoln's re-election. After the war, he became a Republican and was elected into the U.S. Senate as he was one of the leading spokesman in Congress. He was re-elected in 1885 just before his death on December 26, 1886. Altogether, Minty has traveled 2,428.86 miles.