Sir Francis Becomes a Cheese Head!

Name: Sarah Kessler

Date: November 21st- November 25th

Destination: Lake Geneva, WI

Latitude: 42.5917° N

Longitude:88.4333° W

Round Trip: 1,201.4 Miles

Total Miles: 2,747.44 Miles

Sir Francis and I began our journey to Wisconsin on November 21st.  It's been three months since I've been home and I was very excited to introduce Sir Francis to my family and friends.  We left Mrs. Stearns class on November 15^th and he stayed with me in my apartment until we packed our coats and headed up to the Badger State. Seven and a half hours later, we made it to my home in Lake Geneva, WI, where we visited with my family.  He was shocked how cold it was! We spent the next day stuffing our faces with turkey and home cooked food.  We spent Friday in Madison, WI and Whitewater, WI.  After doing a little Black Friday shopping, I introduced him to my friends and he enjoyed hearing all the northern accents. 

On Saturday, my sisters, my mom, Sir Francis, and I went to downtown Chicago to see The Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre.  After the play, we walked around Chicago, looked at all of the Christmas decorations, and went shopping.  This is a tradition the girls in my family and I do every year and I was excited to bring Sir Francis with me!  We were very tired after we spent the whole day in Chicago.  

 As much as Sir Francis enjoyed being a Cheese Head, we had to return to Carbondale on Sunday.  At 11:00 AM on November, 27^th, we returned to Mrs. Stearns room, where we had to end our fun journey.

He had a stomach ache from eating too much cheese!

A Trip to Alto Pass

Name: Cammi Ruffino
Date: 11/19/2012-11/25/2012
Destination: Alto Pass
Latitute: 37 degrees N
Longitude: 89 degrees W
Trip Miles: 79.5 Miles
Total Miles: 7,777.46

During Thanksgiving break, Dolley and I visited the Quetil Trail in Alto Pass, IL. I enjoy hiking and walking the trails in the Shawnee forrest and Giant City, all near Alto Pass. 

Dolley and I left Mrs. Stearn's classroom and headed home to my apartment in Carbondale to get ready for our trip. Early Thursday morning we left for my hometown of Pinckneyville, IL. We ate a hearty meal and spent time with my family. They were getting ready to leave town, so Dolley and I had to babysit their dogs until their return on Sunday. Dolley had tons of fun playing with my two dogs and stealing all of their bones!

Finally, on Sunday we headed back home to Carbondale, but not without making a stop at our favorite places in Alto Pass. First we stopped at the Root Beer Saloon. Dolley and I enjoyed the best root beer float ever made. After our float, we headed out to the trails with my boyfriend. The Quetil Trail is a very scenic trail, featuring many bluffs, caves and cliffs. We climbed a few of these and Dolley had a great time.

Name: Tyler Thomas
Date: 11/30-12/2 2012
Destination: Ferne Clyffe Goreville, IL
Latitude: 37.5 degrees N
Longitude: 88.9 degrees W
Trip: 57.7 Miles
Total: 1546.01 Miles

On Friday November 30th, Sir Francis and I went on a hiking trip to Ferne Clyffe in Goreville, IL. For it being the last day of November, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Ferne Clyffe is a great place to hike, and Sir Francis and I were excited about our journey. The background behind Sir Francis and I is the highest point from Ferne Clyffe. It's a truly beautiful sight. Even though I don't know how far exactly, I do know that from this spot you can see for miles and miles. It takes a good amount of time to start from the bottom and walk all the way uphill to this point. It's a good fifteen to twenty minutes. By the time Sir Francis and I made it all of the way to the top of this point we were pretty wiped out. Luckily for us, there is a bench right next to this viewpoint. After resting for a few more minutes, Sir Francis and I walked around the park for about thirty to forty five more minutes climbing different rocks. Sir Francis and I were completely wiped out by the time we were finished. We headed back home to Carterville to rest up after an hour and fifteen minutes. Originally, Sir Francis and I were going to go to St. Louis, however those plans ended up falling through. That is the reason I decided to take Sir Francis to Ferne Clyffe. It ended up being a great trip and we had an excellent time.       Tyler

Dolley's a farm girl now!

Name: Megan Byars
Date: August 31st and September 1st and 2nd
Destination: Geff, IL and Van Buren, Missouri
Latitude:N 36° 59' 45.4994"

Longitude:W 91° 0' 53.5034"

Road Trip Miles: 769 miles
Total Miles: 7697.96 miles

To begin this Labor Day weekend trip, Dolley and I left from Carbondale and headed for my home outside of Geff, Illinois.  My mom was baby-sitting my cousin's two year old son on Friday so my sister and I decided to take him and Dolley for a combine ride with my dad.  Dolley was super excited about riding on a combine for the first time!

Once inside the cab, Dolley was entranced by watching the corn being cut, shelled, and conveyed into the combine.  

 The next day, Dolley left with a group of friends and me for a trip to Current River in southern Missouri.  We were celebrating the one year anniversary of my best friend and her husband with a float trip! On Saturday with left and drove all day until we made it to Van Buren.  Once there were set up our tents, built a fire and spent some quality time in some lawn chairs.  On Sunday, we got up early and got our raft and tubes and headed for the drop off.  We floated on the river all day and then headed back that night when we were finished.  Unfortunately, during this whirl-wind trip, Dolley forgot to remind me to take a few pictures with her. 

Name: Chad Harrell
Date: November 9th-11th 2012
Destination: Flora Illinois
Latitude: 38.67 N
Longitude: 88.48 W
Trip: 200.4 Miles
Total: 6928.96 Miles

Dolly made the short trip with me home to Flora, Illinois. On the trip, we took I57 from Marion to the Salem Exit.  We then took HW 50 all the way to Flora.  The trip there was 100.4 miles long.  While in Flora, we didn't do a whole lot other than go bowhunting for deer.  We spent over 15 hours in a treestand over 2 days!  We saw some deer but did not shoot any.  We then took the same 100.4 mile trip back to Carbondale.

Watch out Indianapolis, Dolley is hitting the town!

Name: Megan Byars
Date: October 26th and 27th
Destination: Indianapolis, Indiana
Latitude: N 39° 45.591567'

Longitude: W 86° 9.93084'

Road Trip Miles:  575 miles
Total Miles: 6728.56 miles

On October 26, 2012, my family and Dolley set out from my home for the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Dolley wondered why we would want to go to Indianapolis, so I explained to her that my brother, Matthew, was going to be receiving his American FFA Degree.  The American FFA Degree is a prestigious award that each year less than half of one percent of members of the organization receive, making it one of the organization's highest honors.  To begin the weekend, my family and I and Dolley, of course, decided that we needed to eat somewhere different while we were in town.  We decided on the Weber Grill, you can't see it in the picture but there is a huge red Weber grill on top of the sign. (I say lovingly that my mom is a terrible photographer.)

 After eating way too much wonderfully tasting food, we decided to walk around downtown Indy for a while.  This is when we passed the capitol building and couldn't pass up a photo-op for social studies class!

 On October 27th, we had to be at the Lucas Oil Stadium at 7 a.m. Indy time, which meant 6 a.m. our time.  Dolley, my sister Marissa, and I weren't very happy about the earliness of the occasion! Matthew's session started at 8 a.m. with over 3,000 recipients being named.  Needless to say, Dolley and I both took a nap, and those seats are NOT made for napping.  When Matthew was finally announced around 11:45 a.m. we were all ready to go.  Before we left we stopped to take a picture in front of the horse-shoe shaped Colts logo stage. 

 And before we headed home, Dolley insisted that Matthew take a picture with her outside of the Lucas Oil Stadium Gates.  Reluctantly, he complied.

Dolley Buys a House!

Name: Brooke Maurer

Date:  September 21

Destination: Villa Park, IL

Latitude: 41° 53’ 23” N

Longitude: 87° 59’ 20” W

Round Trip Miles: 750 miles

Total Miles: 6,153.56 miles

            Dolley and I left Wham on September 21, 2012. We met our friend Dan, and headed up to the suburbs. Dolley and I packed our favorite outfits the night before, for this was a very special weekend. Dolley helped my boyfriend and I find our perfect house. We went to several houses on Saturday, and finally, Dolley fell in love with the very last house we visited. Dolley said she liked the big back yard and cozy fireplace. Before we could make an offer on the house, Dolley had to check out the neighborhood. I showed Dolley my favorite place to eat, Portillos, and naturally, the smell of the cooking food captured her. Dolley ordered an Italian Beef sandwich that was lightly dipped and a chocolate cake shake. Then, we took a walk on the Prairie Path to burn off some of the calories we just consumed. Dolley learned that the 61 mile Prairie Path follows the former CA&E Railroad in DuPage County. Portions even extend to Kane and Cook County. While checking out the Prairie Path, we ran into the CA&E Station, which is now the Villa Park Historical Museum. Unfortunately they were closed, but Dolley did get look through the window at the various souvenirs. Since Dolley wasn't able to buy a Villa Park souvenir, she settled for a photo in front of the museum. Even though Dolley was disappointed that she could not go into the museum, she decided that she loved the neighborhood and she wanted us to put an offer on the house. My boyfriend and I were beyond excited, and we thanked Dolley for all of her help. We could not have done it without her help! Sunday morning we had a big breakfast and waited to hear back from our relator. After many phone calls back and forth, we were able to settle on a final price. Dolley helped us celebrate the good news by watching the Bears game with family and friends. After an eventful weekend, Dolley and I met up with our friend Dan, and headed back to Carbondale.

Dolley goes to Florida!

Name:  Casey Baker

Date: October 4, 2012

Destination: Lake Worth, FL

Latitude: 26.568769

Longitude:  -80.150999

Round Trip Miles: 2572

Total Miles: 5403.56

When Dolley and I left Wham on October 4, 2012 , she never expected she would be heading off on a grand adventure.  Her adventure, on this beautiful Thursday, began with a trip to one of Carbondale’s fine dining establishments, Quatro’s.  While there, she managed to eat almost an entire pizza by herself, much to the amazement of her tablemates. 

After dinner, we set off for a night of rest since we would not be leaving for Florida until the next day.  While at home, Dolley soundly annihilated me at every game of Guitar Hero that we played.  Needless to say, I went to bed early to avoid further embarrassment at her hands.  Since two members of our carpool had work on Friday, we didn’t begin the journey to Florida until six thirty that evening.  Unfortunately for us, the beautiful weather from the previous day was long gone and we left in conditions that could only be described as miserable.  However, Dolley assured us that listening to N*Sync on repeat would fix our gloomy moods.  She was, of course, correct.

In Tennessee, we stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs and for Dolley to get a Twix from the vending machines.  While there, she ran into one of her idols; a woman with whom Dolley shares a name.  Even though she was only in cardboard form, our dear Dolley was understandably moonstruck.

Around 5 am, after several hours in the car without a break, we decided to pull over for some breakfast in Macon, Georgia.  This was actually an accident since Dolley, our navigator at the time, had fallen asleep on the map and we missed our original turn in the previous town. The food was absolutely delicious and Dolley gorged herself on blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs.

  

Dolley didn’t wake from her food coma until we had reached Florida when we stopped at another rest area.  Dolley noticed a particularly frightening sign and, having no fear, decided to taunt the snakes by posing for pictures.  Thankfully, she survived.

When we finally arrived at my mom’s house in sunny Florida, after seventeen hours in the car, we were immediately bombarded with food and told to relax in the backyard.  Dolley once again ate much more food than I would have thought possible. 

After resting for about an hour, we set off for the beach.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and Dolley enjoyed working on her tan, looking for jellyfish, and playing with my younger brothers and sister.  She even helped bury one of the kids in the sand.  

The next day, the weather wasn’t nearly as nice, but Dolley insisted that we go back to the beach.  We went to a nearby pier to people watch and to fish.  While we were there, Dolley ran away from the group and almost got lost.  When we got back from the fishing pier, she decided that she wanted to play cards.  Dolley showed off her rummy skills by soundly beating the rest of us.

On our last day in Florida, my step-dad told Dolley and I about an everglades wildlife refuge near the house.  We decided that we needed to do at least one educational thing on our trip so we packed in the car and went.  We stopped in at the visitor center and received a lot of information from the park rangers who were more than happy to talk about the wildlife and plants in the area.  Dolley enjoyed exploring their exhibits.

The rangers said that their most popular trail was a raised boardwalk over a section of everglades.  They said that if we stayed quiet, we might see bobcat kittens or some water birds, but we weren’t that lucky.... or that quiet.

After the boardwalk, the rangers told us that a large alligator had recently been sighted at a fishing area at the canal up the street.  They told us her name was Lucy.  Dolley insisted that we immediately rush over there.  When we arrived, there were several people fishing off the dock.  This dock was only raised about 4 feet above the water which made Dolley and I very nervous.  We waited for a little while and had the good luck to see two small alligators near the dock.  Then, all of a sudden, a gigantic, eleven foot alligator emerged from under the pier and began to aggressively chase off the other gators by biting them and lashing at them with her tail.  Not long after, one of the fishermen caught a small fish.  We all gathered around as he dropped the fish into the water near the big alligator.  It barely splashed down before the alligator snapped it up.

 That night, around five thirty, we packed our bags, said our goodbyes and began the long drive home.  Unfortunately, Dolley didn’t make it into the car with us.  She was having so much fun playing with my little brother that she decided to stay a few extra days.  Thankfully, my mom noticed the oversight and sent Dolley back on the final leg of her journey. FedEx took good care of her on her voyage.  By the time she was returned safely to Mrs. Stearns, Dolley and I had traveled over 2500 miles. 

Dolly Goes Racing

Name: Jacob Griffin

Date: December 2, 2012

Destination: Gregory Lake, Drakesboro, Kentucky

Latitude: 37.2172° N

Longitude: 87.0503° W

Round Trip Miles: 315.62 miles

Total Miles: 2831.56 miles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the weekend of December 1st and 2nd, 2012, I decided to take miss Dolly on a little adventure to experience what I like to do for fun. After class on November 29, 2012, I took Dolly to my house so that she could rest until the big day. As she was sitting in my room, my three-year old niece walked in there and told me how beautiful and lovely Dolly was. I informed her that Dolly was sleeping because Dolly was going to a race to watch me. One Sunday morning, December 2, 2012, Dolly and I set out for our adventure at 6:30 a.m. to head towards a little town in Kentucky called Drakesboro. In Drakesboro there was a nice camp ground called  Gregory Lake. We spent the morning getting my things together in preparation for my race a 2:00p.m. Dolly sat in the lawn chair for about two hours until the race was over. We gathered our things, loaded our equipment, and headed home around 5:30p.m. We stopped for a bite to eat because Dolly was concerned about my nutrition after exerting myself for two straight hours. We then returned to my home around 8:00p.m. On Tuesday December 4, 2012  at 11:00 a.m. she was feeling home sick so I returned her safely back to Mrs. Stearns.

Dolly Goes to the Endodontist

Name: Rebekah Nelson

Date: September 26, 2012

Destination: Paducah, KY

Latitude: N 37.072226

Longitude: W 88.627436

Round Trip Miles: 141 miles

Total Miles: 2515.94 miles

On the afternoon of Tuesday September 25, 2012, I took Dolly home from class and brought her into my humble abode for the evening. I introduced her to my two cats, Jack and Baby. Baby was rather uninterested in my new friend and more interested in taking a nap. Jack, on the other hand, was quite thrilled at the brief addition to the family. I placed Dolly on our kitchen table and left the room for a moment. When I came back to the dining room, he had snuggled up with his new friend. After an evening of cuddling with my cat, Dolly came to work with me at the VA. She sat quietly on my desk throughout my work day and charmed my co-workers. In the early afternoon on the 26^th, my dad picked up Dolly and I from my work and we embarked on our journey to the endodontist in Paducah, KY. Dolly enjoyed an hour and fifteen minutes of lively conversation between me and my dad. Once we arrived at our destination of Dr. Shield's office, we paused for a brief photo shoot in front of the sign for her office. Dolly was a great comfort to me while they stuck my gums with needles and drilled holes in my tooth. After our office visit, Dolly and I climbed back into my parents' car and headed for home. Dolly and my dad greatly enjoyed my attempts at speech on the way home as I attempted to speak with half of my mouth numb. My dad returned us to the VA where Dolly and I climbed into my car and proceeded to the meeting for the Student Council for Exceptional Children at SIU. After spending one more evening in my lovely home, Dolly and I went for a short bike ride on Thursday morning where I returned her safe and sound to Mrs. Stearns.

Thea, Dolly, and the Fighting Irish!

Name: Thea Schwab
Date: November 2, 2012-November 5, 2012
Destination: South Bend, Indiana
Latitude: 41.6833° N
Longitude: 86.2500° W
Round Trip Miles: 886.64 miles
Total Miles: 2,374.94 miles

 Over the weekend of November 2, Dolly and I took a trip to Notre Dame, Indiana to see the Notre Dame Irish take on Pittsburg! This was quite a busy weekend for Dolly and I! First, we headed home from Wham to my apartment in Carbondale to make sure we were all packed for this weekend. After we made sure we were all packed we headed to Springfield, IL to pick up som friends. Finally, we were off to Notre Dame, Indiana. We were able to stay in a hotel, and luckily they made an exception for Dolly to be there seeing as there were no dogs allowed. After a night of much needed boneless wings from BWW's and sleep, we were off saturday morning to tailgate with friends and walk around the campus of Notre Dame. Dolly had never been there before so she was really excited! We saw the grotto, touchdown Jesus, and even were able to tour the cathedral! It was wonderful! Then, we finally were headed to the game. We were able to see such an exciting game! Three overtimes and a Notre Dame win made for a great weekend! After the game we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest after a long day! Sunday we finally headed back to Springfield, spent the night there, and then on Monday morning, Dolly was able to accompany me at my obserations in Campbell Hill for the day! Even though we had a very eventful and great weekend we were both so excited to get back to Carbondale and rest for the rest of the night!

 

AND A NOTRE DAME WIN!!! 9-0!! =)

Potato Olympics

The Fry Guys

Participants in the potato olympics. 

Karen & Sir Francis in the Windy City

Name: Karen
Date: Thursday, October 18th
Destination: Chicago
Latitude: 41.878114
Longitude: -87.629798
Round Trip Miles: 782.4 mi
Total Miles: 1,488.31 mi

Over fall break Sir Francis Scott Key and I headed north approximately 360 miles where the grass is green and the squirrels are grey to good old Buffalo Grove, Illinois where I now have my very own guest bedroom.  Sir Francis Scott Key and my two puppies were not getting along so I took him with me on my adventures while I was home to see Woodfield mall, watch the high school homecoming game, eat some deep dish pizza, and for a walk around the neighborhood.  On Sunday, we traveled about 30 miles southeast to cheers on four of my friends as they went for a little jog around the city with 44,996 of their neighbors in the Chicago Marathon. Sir Francis and I had a photo opp while we were waiting for my friends to get back from the finish line because they took forever (slow pokes).  After all of that, Sir Francis was exhausted from all the barking he did down there so we headed north back to Buffalo Grove where we cheered on the Chicago Bears! On Monday, Sir Francis and I headed to Buffalo Grove Village Hall to register to vote...sadly they did not let him register.  He did however get to take a picture riding the Buffalo outside of the village hall.  By Tuesday, Sir Francis was sick of me and slept the whole 360 miles back to Carbondale.

Junita and Sir Francis Scott Key visit Princeton, IN.

Name: Junita

Date: Sunday, September 9, 2012

Location: Princeton, Indiana

Round Trip Miles: 310.37 miles

Latitude: 38.3553 N

Longitude: 87.5675 W 

     My husband and I travel to different bowling tournaments in Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. He is a much better bowler than I am. He bowls to earn money and I work at the tournaments. This past Sunday, Kerry, Sir Francis Scott Key, and I went to Princeton, Indiana to Gibson Lanes. On our way home, we stopped at the town square. The monument is a Civil War Memorial with different soldiers represented at the bottom and the places of the battles on the rings around the post.