August 12th-18th - Joliet RV Rally and Indiana Visit

On  the 12th we drove to Joliet, Illinois for the last Carri-Yal Rally of the season. The rally was hosted by club members Bill and Karen who live in the area. We took Homer because Marge is in the shop and Homer needed a good run anyway. Our rally was at the RV Park at the Hollywood Casino in Joliet. We had nice sites and a free breakfast each morning at the hotel nearby.

While it rained at night the day weather was great. One day we toured the old Joliet Prison which was abandoned in 2007. Unfortunately there was a lot of vandalism to it before the Historical Society took it over last year. The architecture of the place is amazing. Here are a couple of pictures of the outside. It is all made out of Joliet limestone for which the town is known. Prisoners quarried the stone and built the prison in four years. Part of the "Blues Brothers" movie was filmed here years ago when it was still in operation.

Being inside this place was no picnic. Here is a picture of the very first cell for two people. No water, no toilet. There was one bucket for water and one bucket for waste. It was 4 foot by 7 foot by 7foot. This was hard time.

Of course the women prisoners were kept separate. Interestingly the women were only allowed out of their cells ONE DAY PER YEAR.  When they were let out they gathered on the cistern. Here is a picture of the cistern in the middle of the prison. Crazy.

We toured downtown Joliet which is known for its murals and the Rialto Theater. Here is a picture of some of the murals by the train depot. Most murals depict life in the city over the years. Sadly many are in need of major restoration.

We also went down to the Rialto Theater. It was not open so we were not able to tour the inside which they say is over the top. It is a magnificent theater which now shows movies and hosts other events.

Another day during the week we took a boat tour of the Des Plaines River from Starved Rock State Park.  Here is a picture of our group boarding the trolley to the boat dock.

Here are a couple of pictures on the boat ride toward the dam. It was a beautiful evening for a boat ride. The Asian Carp were jumping up as we motored along. They get excited by the vibration of the boat motor. They are an invasive species that they are trying to contain by various means.

The last day of the rally we went to the Joliet Museum which depicted life in Joliet over the years. It was really well done. There was this new building which was attached to the church they purchased on the right. It made for a beautiful museum inside with the stained glass windows.

For our last evening we went to Bicentenial Park where the city provided free live music each Thursday night. This week it was two bands who took turns playing. One band was a polka band and the other was a Sinatra tribute band. Both were quite good and entertaining. We just took our chairs and enjoyed it all. Many got up and danced as well.

After a great rally, on Friday morning after breakfast we drove to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit Jim and Marilyn our friends who moved there from Middlebury, Indiana this year. Some years ago Jim lived in our subdivision and we RVed with him and his then wife, Kathy. We had a nice visit and got home Sunday afternoon and unpacked until our next trip.