Caitlyn and Con go to the Capitol Building

Con and I traveled to Springfield, Il. I was in Springfield for my little sisters high school cheerleading state finals. We were up there for the weekend and since it is the capitol of Illinois, I figured it would be a great place to take Con. He is pictured on top of my car with the capitol building in the background.

Miles Traveled: 356

Longitude: 39.8016667
Latitude: -89.6436111

Total Miles Traveled: 13,293.81

Rolly takes another trip with Courtney

In addition to the last trip, Rolly also joined me on a weekend trip to St. Louis, Missouri for Mother's Day. My children and I left May 8 and stayed in the Drury Inn by Forest Park. Rolly came along with us to the Science Center, the Galleria, and to Busch Stadium. We arrived back to Du Quoin the morning of May 10th. Rolly will return to Wham Wenesday May 11 to finalize his travels for Spring 2011!

Latitude: 38.6272222

Longitude: 90.1977778

Rolly's Total Miles Traveled: 11,183

Walt Disney World

Phil and Rolly visited Walt Disney World in March. They traveled 2173.6 miles. lat. 28.33 Long. 81.21
Rolly's total miles = 10, 980.6

Michelle & Rolly Visit The Inn

Rolly and I took a trip to Elizabethtown, IL. While in Elizabethtown, Rolly and I went on a visit to my home so he could meet my dog, Sassy. Then we went and visited the River Rose Inn. The Inn Keeper, Sue, was very nice and let us take a picture at her sign. The River Rose Inn is a bed and breakfast that has rooms with titles such as The Captains Quarters and The Rose Room. Sue and Bruce were not the first owners as there have been many more. Rolly also got to meet another new friend, Rosie, the inn dog. Even though it was not a long trip, Rolly got to see many historic sites and tourist sites on the way to and from Elizabethtown. Some of the sites were The Rose Hotel, The Fish Dock, etc.

Miles Traveled: 140 miles
Total Miles for Rolly: 7,807.1 miles

Coordinates:

Longitude -088304337

Latitude +37450829

Rolly and Courtney take a road trip to Centralia, IL

My children, Channing, 3 and Kendall, 5 have had a great time with their new puppy friend. Rolly joined us on Wednesday, May 4. He traveled home with me to Du Quoin, IL and spent the evening outside playing on the swings, blowing bubbles, and riding along on a bicycle. He even went on a scooter ride with me through town! Rolly slept snugly with Kendall and Channing in their bunk beds that night. The next morning, we set out on a little road trip. We set out at 9 AM on Highway 51. The kids took turns holding Rolly on the way there. He was very spoiled and got lots of attention! We drove to Centralia, IL. I hoped to get a picture by Kaskaskia College, but the kiddos were tired of being in the car by this point. On our return back to Du Quoin, we stopped at a cemetery in Du Boise, IL, so I could make up the assignment I missed while I was sick. Rolly explored the tombstones with us. We found many war veterans that had been buried there! It was really interesting, and I'm glad Rolly could share the experience with us! This weekend, Rolly has kept us company at home. He enjoys watching SpongeBob, reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and playing baseball. We have really enjoyed having Rolly around!


Destination: Centralia, IL

Miles Traveled: 110

Longitude: -89.1333333

Latitude: 38.525

Total Miles: 7667.1

Rolly and Brian Rock Out in Nashville

Rolly decided to spend Spring Break in Nashville Tennessee. I decided to go with him and we explored the great city together. We left Wham and began the extremely boring drive. Rolly refused to take turns driving so I did it all. As we arrived in Nashville we set out for some food. We went to Hog Heaven right next to Vanderbilt and enjoyed the greatest BBQ sandwich in the world. I am not kidding! Then we checked out downtown Nashville hoping to find some celebrities, mainly Carrie Underwood. Rolly was very popular as we checked out the country music scene. Before returning home we went to the famous Ryman Auditorium. Still no Carrie Underwood but it was a great experience.


Destination: Nashville, TN

Miles Traveled: 405.12

Longitude: 86° 47' 4 W

Latitude: 36° 9' 57 N

Total Miles: 7557.10

Stacy & Con Explore Harrisburg

Con and I left Carbondale on Tuesday and headed to Harrisburg. While in Harrisburg, Con traveled with my to various places in town. I wanted to take him to the Garden of the Gods but decided not to because of all the flooding nearby. Instead, I took Con to the Saline Creek Pioneer Village and Poor House Museum. This site contains a gathering of buildings around the original "Pauper House", or poor farm of 1877. The building has been converted into exhibit rooms and a museum. On the 3.5 acre site are other buildings, some containing collections of items such as tools. I remember when I was in grade school, we took a field trip to this area and it was a really neat experience. I took the picture of Con on the Sahara Coal Wagon at the museum site. This strip mine contains a lot of Saline County History.

Miles Traveled: 80.6
Latitude: 37.738304
Longitude: -88.540296
Total Miles Traveled: 12937.81

Con and Michael dodge a tornado in St. Louis

On Thursday, April 21, Con and I traveled from Carbondale to the bustling metropolis just outside of Karnak Illinois. After we stayed at a nice bed and breakfast, aka. Michael's parent's, we geared up for a trip to see the Redbirds play on Friday night. On Friday, my day, brother, Con, and myself headed for St. Louis amidst endless warnings that there would not only be massive amounts of rain, but also severe storms. When we arrived in St. Louis, I was the first to see the Arch this year, the weather was perfect and our hopes were up. The game was scheduled to start at 7:30. The storm hit at 7:31 after four pitches were thrown. Two feet of rain and a dozen or so tornado's later, the game was ready to begin. Only a 2 1/2 hour rain delay. At least when the action picked up, the Cards were hitting the ball and jumped out to an early lead and ended up beating the Reds 4-2. We headed back home to Massac County, arriving sometime Saturday morning.

Miles Traveled - 416

Total Miles for Con - 12857.75

Latitude - 38 37 38 N

Longitude - 90 11 52 W

Con and Mandie's Trip to Alabama

Con and I left Wham and first went to Du Quoin. We stayed at my house in Du Quoin until the following day when we left for Alabama. We were going to Alabama to visit my cousin who was turning one. Everyone was very excited to visit Clark; however, it was a very long ride, so we rode in my uncles RV. We finally arrived in Alabama and Clark was waiting at the door. That night we stayed in a hotel. The next morning was the party. We had to get up extra early to help prepare for the big bash. The party was right outside of Oneota, Alabama in Palasades Park. The park was up on a mountain. Con, Tim, Carson, and myself got our picture taken on one of the cliffs. It was beautiful there. Con and I got our picture taken by an old log home in the the park as well. After the party, we went back to Clark's house and had a great time with family. The following day we went to Springville, Alabama to visit more friends and family. After our visit we went to Truesville, Alabama to eat at Jim N Nicks. It was an excellent restaurant. However, Con tried to eat my food. After our dinner, we headed home. We didn't return to Du Quoin until 2 in the morning. Then, I returned Con to Wham on the following Tuesday. We had a great time.

Miles Traveled: 854.5

Total Miles for Con: 12,441.75

Longitude: -86.47315

Latitude: 33.9433859

Rolly and Kathleen's Trip to the City Hall

Date: 5/2/11-5/4/11

Rolly and I left Wham after class and traveled to Du Quoin. We decided we better get something for dinner so went to my apartment to determine what ingredients we needed to buy. With our list in hand, we made a trip to Kroger. We came back to my apartment in Du Quoin and made my “Joe Mamas Famous Spaghetti” recipe. It was amazing. Rolly stuck to his dog food. Then we played Disney’s Scene It game with my daughter and boyfriend Chris. After our victory, we decided to hit the sack. The next morning, we took my daugher to the bus stop at Sacred Heart Church in Du Quoin and came back home. Then Chris, Rolly, and I made a trip to Du Quoin Library where we took a picture in front of City Hall where all the great town decisions are made. After that Rolly and I did some homework and traveled back to Carbondale to get our hair trimmed. Next, Rolly went to work with me. Since it was a late night at work, Rolly took a nap in my purse. We made the trip back to Du Quoin and finally hit the sack. We woke up for school with a bit of a struggle, but made it back to Carbondale just in time to take a science test and walked back to Wham to do some homework before he takes his next trip.

Destination: Du Quoin City Hall

Longitude: -89.2361935

Latitude: 38.0114393

Rolly Dog and Kathleen Kelley's Miles Traveled: 87.98

Total miles traveled by Rolly: 7151.98

Megan & Rolly Voyage to Suburbs

This trip was a long one! Rolly and I started a trip to Crystal Lake, IL on a Friday. We went up north to celebrate my godson's 1st birthday! Dylan, my godson, was in LOVE with Rolly!

While up north, Rolly and I did many things. We stayed at a fridays house and spent the first night watching movies and relaxing from our 7 hour drive. That Saturday, he spent some girl time shopping the town with Cassie, my friend from home. He helped her pick out some fabulous new decorations for her apartment in Chicago. After a long day of shopping, Cassie, Rolly and I went to grab some food and relax with friends.

Sunday was a long day for us. Early in the morning we set up for Dylan's birthday. His Hawks themed party had tons of decorations. Luckily, because Rolly is so short, he was able to help with table decorations and streamers around the table. We had to hide the birthday cake from him. As people started to arrive Dylan and Rolly greeted everyone with a smile. We enjoyed cake, presents, and the company of family and friends. Rolly fit right in!

Our trip ended with us having another long and tiring drive back to Southern Illinois. We both napped most of the way and let my friend drive. It was a long weekend, but well worth it.

Distance Total: 749.04 Miles

Longitude and Latitude: 42 14' 28''/ 88 18' 58'' W

Destination: Crystal Lake, Illinois

Con and Nicole explore the Southern Illinois floods!

On May 1st, Con and Nicole took a trip to the Ohio river. We visited many different towns such as Rosiclare, Elizabethtown, and Golconda that have all been affected by the floods. In the first photo, Con and Nicole stand in front of a place where trailers once rested in Elizabethtown, IL. Since many people pulled out their homes from the over flooded area, there are only abandoned porches and carports left. People are estimating that by May 4th the river will rise 56 feet. This will be the 2nd highest record in history next to 65 feet in 1937.
Con then traveled with two-year-old Kinzley to the gazebo and river restaurant. As you can see in the photo, the restaurant and dock are completely surrounded by the Ohio river! The gazebo, a home to summer weddings, normally stands 45 feet above the river. Since May 1st, when these photos were taken, it has rained even more almost completely covering the entire gazebo!
Our next stop was Rosiclare, Illinois just ten minutes from Elizabethtown. As we approached the levey, there were many convicts putting up the flood gates. We were told to take no photos in order to maintain privacy for the convicts. We then headed to San Damiano Retreat Center in Golconda, Illinois. The center is neighbors to the Ohio river. After getting our feet/paws wet from the muddy ground, we were able to get a misty picture of the barges below.
Once we explored the many areas affected by the flood, we felt it was time to finally go home and get into some dry clothes! Hopefully the water will eventually go down and the people living in the area can get some relief.

Miles traveled: 160
Class miles traveled: 11,587.25
Latitude and Longitude: 37.445885,-88.305036

Con and Derek go to Decatur for the state dart tournament.

The first week of April 2011 Con and I traveled north to Decatur, Illinois for the Illinois State Dart Tournament. I have played darts for many years but this was Cons first trip to a dart tournament. During our stay at the Convention Center we both ate well and didn't get much sleep. Our trip was fun and exciting but we didn't get the outcome we expected which was to win money. We traveled almost 360 miles during our trip and were certainly exhausted when arrived back home.

Con and Hannah Explore Columbia, Illinois

Con, aka Weenie, and I had a blast exploring the history of Columbia, Illinois. Columbia was settled after American Indian settlers by the French in the mid-17^th century. Columbia is actually named after a French word meaning “the eagle”, which serves today as the community’s high school and grade school’s mascots. When exploring Columbia, Con and I stopped out at the Old Shoemacher School. This school originally resided south of Columbia along old Route 3. The schoolhouse was then relocated to its present location after Route 3 was converted into a four lane highway. Con and I traveled 207.60 to reach our destination.

Our Coordinates: N 38° 26.094
W 90° 11.402
Our Miles: 207.60
Miles thus far: 11067.25

Rolly's Easter Trip to the Zoo

Easter is never a happy day for dogs. The abundance of chocolate, which dogs shouldn't eat, and the glorification of rabbits who lay eggs infuriate them. In order to keep Rolly's mind from dwelling on these facts, Allison took Rolly to St. Louis for a day of Easter activities. First Allison fed him a great Easter feast. Rolly was still not happy, so Allison promised to show him a place where animals were happy on Easter. So after dinner, Allison took Rolly to the zoo to see animals having a good time. So, Allison accompanied with her family took Rolly to the St. Louis Zoo. Rolly was amazed at all the animals enjoying Easter, he could barely believe it. He could barely believe there were animals so much bigger than himself. He took a picture next to one of the biggest animals in existence, the giant squid. He enjoyed visiting the zoo so much he forgot how much he hated Easter and he almost did not want to go back to SIU.

Miles Traveled: 284
Total Miles Traveled: 7,064
Latitude and Longitude coordinates: 38.633608N/-90.293082W