Warbirds at Marion Airport

This happened back in July, and for whatever reason I neglected to blog it at the time, but I'm getting around to it now!  The WWII Warbirds came to Marion Regional Airport, including 'FiFi', the Commemorative Air Force’s famous Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber - the only remaining flying example of the aircraft in the world.  Accompanying FIFI will was B-24 Liberator 'Diamond Lil', and a P-51 Mustang. Other historic airplanes accompanying the B-29 included the only flying Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and a B-25 Mitchell Bomber 'Show Me'.  Other attending aircraft included a C-45 Expeditor, DC-3, T-6 Texan and PT-13 Stearman.

These special aircraft were at Carbondale airport then moved on to Marion.  There were a few static displays, but mot of the plains were continuously coming and going- you could purchase rides in these historic aircraft.  Former SIU aviation student David Oliver was at the controls when the B-29 landed at Carbondale.  Oliver is the youngest B-29 aircraft commander in the history of the CAF, is also the B-29/B-24 Squadron operations officer and a B-29 instructor pilot.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress, first flown in 1942, began active service in 1944 and is perhaps best known as the aircraft whose missions over Japan helped bring about the end of World War II.  The B-29 Superfortress was designed as a replacement for the older B-17s and B-24s, with longer range and greater bomb loads. The B-29 was also used in the Korean War in the early 1950s and was a staple of the U.S. Air Force until the late 1950s.


If you like planes or world war history, this is an amazing event to attend.  There were many veterans walking around, and most of the people who went up in the planes were veterans of these wars.  The lines were a little long, but it's a small airport and only so many planes could fit in, and of course everyone wanted to see them.

It was a great way to spend the afternoon, and you just don't get to see planes like this.  The most amazing thing was seeing the P-51.  It flew over numerous times and despite the hefty price tag never stayed in the lot long before someone paid for a ride.  You'll never hear a rumble like that anywhere else.  :)

Bell Smith Springs

Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area was designated in 1980 as a national landmark, consisting of eight miles of marked trails, with sandstone cliffs, crisscrossed by four creeks, and containing several natural springs.

The trails are marked especially well, most in Southern Illinois are only marked by trail head markers, some have markers visible every so many miles, but the trails at Bell Smith are all marked clearly by colored bands on the trees.  Each trail has it's own color, and even when one intersects another it's easy to stay on it.

The most popular trail, according to Wikipedia, is the Stone Arch, which is found on the Natural Bridge Trail.  We did take that trail, but had young kids with us, and it actually went up the side of a steep rock with hand and footholds, and we wouldn't take the kids up there.  This, along with a few other trails, cross a creek, so also be careful on those.  I have to assume if the water is high you simply won't be able to get across as there are no foot bridges.

There are many nice big waterways, and we passed several groups of swimmers.  It seems to be a popular spot for swimming in warm weather.  It also seems t be a bug draw for people hanging out and drinking, there were a bunch of drunk kids in the parking lot, and the roads leading into and around the park are narrow and leave you nowhere to go, so please be careful when driving around within the park.

Directions:
(from route 34 South)

Turn left onto Old state route 13 in Harrisburg.
Turn right back onto IL-34 N.
Turn left onto IL-145/IL-34 S.
Turn right onto Water Tower road.
Continue onto McCormick rd.
Take the first left.
Again, take the first left and follow road into the park.

Rocky Bluff Trail

Out of all the places we have been in the last few years, I can honestly say this one is now my favorite.  A quick, 2.2 mile hike not far from Marion, nestled in Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge.  We usually go to Shawnee Wilderness simply because of its size and sheer volume of trails, but sometimes smaller is better, and this one is truly a gem.

I don't know the history of this trail, when or why it was constructed, so the pictures are just going to have to speak for themselves.  You will have to have a day pass for this one, so my directions are from the Crab Orchard Visitor Center.  Passes are $2.00 for a day, or $15.00 from July to July.  You can also buy a duck stamp that can be used as a seasonal pass.
 Right off the parking area (which is small, park nicely!) is the first waterfall opening into a huge bowl valley.  We went here specifically because it had rained a good deal the day before, but there was still no water on the fall.  The trail starts out going over a foot bridge across the first fall.

This trail is listed as 'moderate' as far as difficulty, but to be honest it is still an easy trail.  It is 2.2 miles if you take the loop.  Just make sure to follow the signs, the trail is very well marked, but there are a few times where you can pick up other trails, like Wild Turkey trail, which does not loop back to the parking lot.  This is a very pretty trail, while we went in fall which is probably one of the best times, I think it is diverse enough to be wonderful any time.  They also use this trail during the spring for flower walks every Saturday in April, citing over 60 native species of blooming flowers.

Not far after the first waterfall you come across another, with a nice deep gorge below.  On both falls, so long as there is no water, you can walk off the trail and right up to the edge. Be careful! There are no rails here.

I thought that the waterfalls would be the highlight of the trails, but it didn't even scratch the surface.  The trail winds on a slight downhill grade, and the surrounding area gets hilly, which is really pretty.  There's a lot of downed trees from past storms, but instead of looking bad it just gives you interesting shapes and things to look at, with lots of moss, fungus, and beaver chewings. 

Then the trail get really interesting.  You start going down a hill you didn't even really know you were on.  You can see below a few footbridges, and at first I was like, 'how to we get down to those? I wanna see them!" But the trail gets twisty and winds all the way down the hill and back around.  At one point it's almost comical, you think, why does it turn 180?  But it really is a neat little walk.

There are three foot bridges in rapid succession at the bottom of the hill.  

A little farther down you will find a trail marker, and there's a small offshoot that runs to a huge rock you can stand on right over Grassy Creek.  The trail follows along the creek for almost the remainder of the hike, and all of a sudden you come across a long line of bluffs.

There are several small water runoffs that the trail crosses, and many little footbridges.  Eventually you come across a neat hollow, with fallen trees and a turn in the bluffs and stone steps.  It was here that I really fell in love with the place, and it gets even better.

It runs back along the creek, with it on one side and bluffs on the other.  Amazing.

There's a ton of neat striations in the rock, you can see many layers, mini caves, different kinds of rock, and even layers of sediment from when the whole area was under water.

It just gets more interesting as you go on.  You keep thinking you'r going to have to start walking uphill, but you never really do until the end.  The trail opens up into the void created by the waterfall.  It's impressive dry, but I'll bet it's spectacular with water flowing.  The workers at the visitor center said to come during a wet winter, and if your lucky, the water will freeze going over the falls.

Stone steps lead up upwards (finally) to the top of the bowl and back to the beginning of the trail.

Go out and enjoy this trail!  Trust me, you won't be disappointed.  I've been on everything from a quarter to six mile trails, and this little two mile trek is one of the best I've seen in Southern Illinois.

Directions:

To the Crab Orchard Visitor Center (from I-57 S)

Take exit 54 B and turn Right onto Old 13.  

Turn Left onto 148 at the big intersection at Energy.  

 A few miles down the center is on the left.  You have to come here first to get you day pass unless you have a duck stamp or year pass.

Directions to Rocky Bluff Trail (from Visitor Center)

Turn Left out of the parking lot onto 148.  Follow it five miles.

A Little Grassy general store will be on the right, turn Right there onto Little Grassy road.

A few miles down the road will curve/split, you have to take the Left to stay on Grassy.

At the first Crab Orchard sign (for Devil's Kitchen Lake) turn Left onto Tacoma lane. 

Across the bridge is a small parking lot and a sign for Bluff Trail.

Enjoy!

Update:

We returned to Rocky Bluff on Mother's day 2014.  It had been raining for weeks, and in fact rained almost all that day.  We walked down tot he waterfall while thunder rumbled overhead.  It finally flowed!  We did not walk the trail, but I was ecstatic to see water on the cascade.  Our walking sticks were even still there from last time!  I image people using them and leaving them for others :)