Rock Cut State Park

Every now and then you find a gem of a park when you weren’t expecting it.  I was looking for something close to home but not too close.   A location providing the opportunity for family and friends to join us.  Rock Cut State Park just north of Rockford, Illinois appeared to fit my needs.

I made the reservation through ReserveAmerica.com.  There were plenty of sites available.  I picked one that said it had a slight grade. I started to get the RV packed two days early, yet seemed to leave later than I planned, once again.  Well I was closer to my planned destination time.  One of these trips I will arrive at my destination to have dinner at a normal time.

The entrance sign is a bit worn, but the park is well maintained.  We had site 180 in the Plum Grove campground.  The slight grade was a bit more than slight, but I managed to raise the rear of the RV enough so there was only a slight slope towards the rear.   I was glad to have my leveling blocks.  The site was large enough to park the RV and two cars.   We shared our site with longtime friends Ann & Steve and their son Robert.  Even with the vehicles there was still room for them to set up two tents.

This park appears to be a favorite among large family groups.   All around us were family groups camping on multiple sites.  The weather was good and the entire weekend you could hear laughter and good times that everybody seemed to be having.

My daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren spent Saturday with us.  We enjoyed the company and took a hike along the trails/roads.  We stopped for a picnic at Lake View Picnic Area.  I am not sure why it has this name, as I could not see the lake at all from this area.  Perhaps at one time years ago, you could.

Later, back at camp, Steve and I grilled steaks for dinner.  While we ate I put out Aria’s food and water near the RV steps so she too could enjoy an outdoor meal.   Robert had a fire going in the fire pit and as dusk approached, I decided to turn on the outside TV so we could watch some of the Olympics.  Yes, I can hear some saying “What a TV???”  My roughing it days of camping have past, so now I am embracing an easier life.

We moved closer to the fire to enjoy the ambience and Aria decided to head back to her water/food.   Soon we heard growling and Aria’s barking.   It appears that Aria had a close encounter with a racoon attempting to swipe her food.  I suspect the racoon was as startled as Aria, who I saw jumping straight up into the air.   The racoon took off like a shot, knocking over the cart I had to carry firewood.  Aria was nervous for the rest of the night. Lesson learned – before moving away from Aria’s food/water I need to move it inside when dusk arrives.

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The park has one cabin that can be reserved.  It has a great view of the lake, and appears to sleep a large number of people.   While hiking near the cabin, we ran across a hawk in the trees, communicating with another further away.   Below is a quick video I took to record the sounds.  Little did I know that I would catch the bird taking flight also.

I am sure we will revisit this park again.  I hope to find more like this in my travels.