Peter and Hanneh go to Florida!

Name: Hanneh Shiheiber
Date: 3/8/13 - 3/15/13
Destination: Panama City Beach, Florida
Latitude and longitude coordinates: 30.1764 N, 85.8056 W
Road Trip Miles: 1324
Total trip miles: 7,317.36 miles

I went to Panama City Beach, Florida from March 8 to March 15. Panama City Beach, Florida was founded on May 2, 1936. The city received its name because it was the nearest American port to the newly opened Panama Canal. In 1935, Gideon Thomas built the Panama City Hotel because he saw great potential in the area for tourism. Many people criticized his vision and said no one would come to beach because it is not attractive. Thomas responded to saying, “I’m not attempting to grow vegetables here; I’m trying to grow people.” Today, Panama City Beach is a vacation spot for travelers all over the world.

Taylor and Jonathan's Journey

Name: Taylor A. Cheatham.
Date: May 1st-May 6th, 2013
Destination: Carbondale, Illinois
Road Trip Miles:16
Total Miles:2621

I went to my apartment which is a few miles off campus with Jonathan, and back, which entailed a long, trecherous journey of about 16 miles in total. 8 miles there, 8 miles back. It was quite the grueling test. Through long hours on the road, walking many miles along the way, we were able to successfully make it there and back without any sort of problem.

Jonathan Heads to Ol' (West) Virginny

Name: Evan Noffke
Date: March 9 through March 16, 2013
Destination: White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Latitude: 37.7939 N
Longitude: 80.3036 W
Road Trip Miles: 1198
Total Miles: 2605

Sit, my brethren, and I shall wind a tale.  On March 9th, 2013 at 5:00 AM, Jonathan and Evan embarked on an epic journey the likes of which have rarely been seen by man, be they ancient or modern.  The two stalwart companions had at last come of age, and their wonderlust had pushed them to leave the town of Carbondale, Illinois for the greener hills of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  Within the robust Chevy Tahoe, amongst a fellowship of men and womenfolk alike, the duo crossed many miles of terrain both rugged and rolling.  The quest this band of students was on was unlike any Spring Break odyssey that had yet been undertaken by any member of the humble fellowship.  For 'twas a mission ordained by the gods themselves which lead them to West Virginia, seeking to offer their hardy services to Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization which constructed affordable housing for those in need.

Upon arrival in the mountain town, the company of volunteers were to meet yet another travel-wary company who hailed from the eastern lands of Pennsylvania.  The same quest had brought this band of men and women to West Virginia.  Work was to begin in the morning.

For five long days, the league of volunteers toiled under the sky. Whether it spit snow or shined bright with the sun's mid-day rays, Jonathan and his companions put up siding, soffit, mounted plumbing fixtures of brass, and painted.  Upon the sixth day, the company's overlords allowed the humble volunteers a day of freedom to explore the region.

Jonathan and his brethren headed into the Allegheny Mountains, seeking a cave which legend told held many treasures.  After a long trip, they arrived at their destination: Lost World Caverns.  The ancient, sprawling caverns contained a bevy of both stalagtites and stalagmites, the majesty of which was unmatched by anything young Jonathan had seen before.  The beauty of this places was immense but alas the beauty only made him think of his home, Wham.  He and his friends knew it was time to voyage home.  In the wee hours of March 16th, 2013, the companions embarked back from whence they came.  Satisfied with the effort to help those less fortunate than themselves, Jonathan and Evan returned at last to Wham.  Some say you can still hear the two's whispers within the corridors.

Of interesting note:  White Sulphur Springs is home to a massive resort called The Greenbrier.  The Greenbrier was opened in 1858 to cater to the wealthy of Virginia's lowlands.  The Greenbrier hosts a professional golf event known as the Greenbrier Classic which attracts some of the largest names in golf.  Also, underneath The Greenbrier lies a massive bunker, designated as the site that the president would have been sent in the event of a nuclear war (this was during the Cold War).  At some point, the secret location was leaked to the press, and tours of the bunker now serve as an activity to the resorts guests.  Although I have no picture of Jonathan with The Greenbrier, I'll include a few pictures.

Michael Neilsson and doggy, William Penn go to Houston

I went to Houston to visit my sister for a long weekend.  I took William along and showed him some of the flavor of "Big Texas."  While in Houston, we hung out with my sister and when it was time to go out, William stayed home.  During my trip, I was able to go to a Saint Arnold's brewery.  At the brewery, people bring food and games to play in a big convention type room.  I would recommend the brewery to any travelers visiting Houston.  We traveled 1800 miles by driving to and from St. Louis and then flying to and from St. Louis and Houston.  I was in Houston April 11- April 13.

Navy pier with William :-)

During the week of January 29,2013 William Penn traveled from 625 Wham drive Carbondale IL, to Bolingbrook IL.(329 Miles)

From Bolingbrook IL, William and i decided to go to Navy Pier in Chicago it.(600 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611 35.8 miles) For a total of 71.6 miles, there and back.

Finally it was time for William and I to head back to Carbondale IL. (329 miles)

For a total of 729.6 miles.

Jonathan's trip to the Hill of Walnuts

Name:  Tina Havrilka
Date:  April 11-16, 2013
Destination:  Walnut Hill, IL
Latitude: 38.4772 N
Longitude:  89.0433 W
Round Trip Miles: 159.6
Total Miles: 567

Tina and I attended science and math class before we left that Thursday evening.  I listened in and learned about algebraic equations and how to solve them.  It was dark when we finally left Wham, but I kept Tina safe!  When we got to the car I found out that we were going to a place called Walnut Hill.  Tina chose Walnut Hill because she wanted to take me to a town called Centralia.  This is a town in Illinois where a man that worked for one of the Presidents a long time ago was from.  This man was special because he helped save President Ronald Reagan's life.

It took about 1 1/2 hours to get to Tina's house.  It was a long drive but I helped her watch for deer along the way.  When we got there it was very late so we went straight to bed because Tina and I had to wake up early in the morning to take the children to school.
Liz goes to a school in a town called Breese so she rides a bus from Sandoval.

Once Liz was dropped off Tina took me to Centralia to take her son Gabe to his school.  Gabe is funny.  He scratched me behind my ears and tried to sneak me out of the car to take to school for show and tell.
Our next adventure was on Sunday.  Tina, Gabe and I drove back to the Carbondale area to attend a special dinner with some of the other people that are going to be teachers.  I got to have my picture taken with a buffalo.  I was scared of it at first, but when it didn't move it wasn't so scary.

The dinner was delicious.  It was fried chicken.  Gabe was very well behaved that night and offered to share his cupcake with me but we thought it would be best if we didn't.
When the dinner was finished, we still had a long night ahead of us because we had to leave Giant City Lodge and head to Breese to pick up Liz before we could go back to their house.
The next time we left, it was so Tina could take the kids to school again.  She didn't have much time to play with me while I visited because when she wasn't driving, she was doing homework.  Finally on Tuesday morning, we headed back to Carbondale after dropping Liz off in Mt. Vernon to catch the bus to school.

St. Louis Color Run and Fitz's American Grill and Bottling Works

Name: Taylor & William (dog)

Miles: 224

Location: The Color Run- St. Lous (Poelker and Kauffman Park Area  The intersection of 14th Street and 13th Street and Chestnut Street Downtown St. Louis, MO and Fitz's American Grill &  Bottling Works, Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO

Description:  William and I were excited to be spending the weekend in St. Louis. We left Southern Illinois late Friday night and drove up to  St. Louis. We had made arrangements to stay at a friends house near where my race would start. Knowing we had to get up early, we went to sleep right when we arrived in at our friends house. The next morning, we were up bright and early to get to my race. As soon as we arrive to Poelker and Kauffman Park Area, I left William in the car so he would not get all messy from the color run. It ended up being a very rainy day, so I was covered with different colors and it was a big mess. It was great to be apart of this color run because it fundraised money for research for Autism. After the race, William and I decided to get some lunch at Fitz's American Grill and Bottling Works. This restaurant was very interesting and had a lot of tasty selections. This restaurant is famous for their root beer float and root beer BBQ flavoring. William and I made sure to order different selections so we could try many dishes. After lunch, we started our trip back home with our bellies full. 

Name: Christy Hood

Date: April 26, 2013

Destination: Coulterville, IL

 

Latitude: 38˚ 11’ 3’’N

Longitude: 89˚ 36’ 20’’W

 

Round Trip Miles: 100.00 mi.

Total Miles: 3741.9 mi.

 

Ben Franklin and I left SIU-C on Monday, April 22, for the hour and fifteen minute drive home. Ben doesn’t like long car rides because he kept asking me, “Are we there yet, Christy?!”. To pacify him, I stopped and got us a soda in Murphysboro. Ben Franklin really likes Coke. When we got home, he of course was bouncing off the walls from all the caffeine. I stayed up late while Ben and my dog, Chance, slept on the couch while I stayed up late and did homework. This became a nightly ritual while Ben stayed at my house. They really became good friends!

On Friday, April 26, Ben went with me to work at the Coulterville Banking Center. I am a teller there. We had a busy day ahead of us because it was Customer Appreciation Day. At the bank once a year, we serve our customers a big meal in appreciation of their business. Ben was fascinated as he watched me work my teller window and he got to visit with a lot of our customers at the bank. He couldn’t believe all the money that a teller hands out and takes in in one day. Before we walked across the street to the community center where our appreciation dinner took place, some of my co-workers and I told been some of the history of Coulterville.

 

 In our bank, one of our customers painted a beautiful mural of old historic Coulterville as it was in the early 1800s. James Coulter, the founder of Coulterville (hence the name) settled in Coulterville in 1829. The people of Coulterville wanted to name the town after Coulter, however they were not able to do this until he left town because he wouldn’t allow it. From 1830 to 1833, James Coulter built the “rock house” that still stands in Coulterville today. In 1850, the first six blocks of town were laid out and became known as Grand Cote Prairie. Today, the classic car club in Coulterville is thusly named the Grand Cote Cruisers.

Customer Appreciation Day was a success! All the employees of the Coulterville Banking Center served 100 people more than they had anticipated! Ben couldn’t believe how much food we served! We were both very tired from a very long day, so we went home and went to bed.

The rest of the weekend, I did homework and the boys (Ben and Chance) played and hung out. Ben didn’t want to leave his new friend behind and Chance was really sad to see Ben go back to school with me. As we left town, we drove by Pistol City. I told Ben that my family and I eat at this restaurant quite a bit. I also told him that Pistol City wasn’t just a name. There was a story behind it. When Coulterville was still a young town, there were a lot of gun fights amongst people, so people from around the area gave Coulterville the nickname “Pistol City”.

On Monday, April 29, I brought Peter home to Carbondale. We had traveled a total of 100 miles! We were both exhausted from the long weekend of work and homework, but Ben was glad he came to stay with me. 

 

 

 

Jonathon and Brandilyn visit The Poor House in Saline County IL

Brandilyn R. Klope
April 27, 2013
Destination- Harrisburg IL
Miles Traveled Roundtrip:  83.4
Address: 1600 Feazel Street
                  Harrisburg , Illinois 62946

                I decided to take Jonathon to visit the The Poor House also known as The Pauper Farm. This house was built in 1877. The purpose of this was to take care of the poor people during this era. While taking a tour of the museum Jonathon and I learned that in 1819 the Illinois General Assembly brought forth the Pauper Bill which required the County Commissioners to put other people in charge over the poor people of the town. Most of the Pauper families received aid for their car. As you take a tour though this house you can see and feel the history of what the people from this era lived like.
                Next to The Poor House is the Saline Creek Pioneer Village. The village represents pioneer living during this era. This pioneer village contains a cabin, Blockhouse and a threashing floor which is one of the very last few in the United States.
                I had so much fun taking Jonathon on tour of historical places so I also decided to stop by a neat looking Army tank that wasn’t far from my house. I hope you enjoy our pictures and please go visit The Poor House in Saline County and learn more about local history. We had a blast!

Peter and Courtney Visit Oxford, Mississippi

Name: Courtney May

Date: April 24^th-April 28^th

Destination: Oxford, MI

Latitude: 34.3664° N

Longitude: 89.5192° W

Round Trip Miles: 610.16 miles

     Peter and I left Carbondale on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, to travel home to Carterville, IL. On Friday we packed our things for our weekend excursion to Oxford, Mississippi. We planned to leave early Saturday morning around 5: 00 AM to make it to the Double Decker Arts Festival. However, we spontaneously left around 10:30 PM on Friday night. The journey was long with nothing but black for miles. Peter and I snuggled up with a blanket and let Justin drive. Around 3:45 AM we pulled into Oxford, Mississippi. Peter was so excited his tail practically wiggled out of the truck. We found rest at our friend Stephen’s house and called it a night. The next morning around 9:00 AM, Peter and I woke up ready for the Arts Festival. On our way, we enjoyed the sights in Oxford. We drove by the college, The University of Mississippi. When Ole Miss was chartered on February 24, 1844, the Mississippi Legislature laid the foundation for public higher education in the state. The university opened its doors to 80 students four years later, and for 23 years was Mississippi's only public institution of higher learning. For 110 years, it was the state's only comprehensive university. The Double Decker Art Festival showcased various businesses. Vendors were set up along the town square selling art and food. Some sold jewelry, vases, frames, birdhouses, woodwork, pottery, chairs, clothing, etc. Peter and I were sure to get a picture next to our favorite vendor. They were selling string art. After exploring the vendors, Peter and I ate at Papitos Mexican Grill. After dinner we went home to relax and call it a night. The next morning, Sunday, Peter and I left Oxford, Mississippi and headed back to Southern Illinois. Peter and I traveled a total of 610.16 miles.