Ode to a Fabulous State Park (alternative title: Another Example of Crooked Illinois Politics)

The pictures above were taken last weekend at beautiful Lowden State Park outside of Oregon, Illinois. It it truly one of the prettiest parks in Illinois. In addition, it is the host site for the magnificent "Black Hawk" statue (also known as "The Eternal Indian") crafted by famous scultor Lorado Taft:

(view from across the Rock River).

And it is soon to be closed. For good.

You see, in a "brilliant" budget move, our [ahem, Democrat] governor has decided to close a number of state parks. A few things of note here: Most Illinois citizens (including a good many Dems) think that Govenor Blagojevich is an idiot. Second, most of the parks closed were in Republican territory. Third, Blagojevich has never actually visited any of the parks he closed. And finally, the closures didn't even make fiscal sense. Take Lowden State Park: it costs $45,000 to operate each year. But it BRINGS IN $90,000 a year from campers, etc.

Yes, you read that right. In order to "fix" our state budget, our brilliant governor actually closed a MONEY-MAKING state park.

But alas, here I am in political territory again. That all being said, we visited the park for one last time with Moses this weekend. It was his first (and last) real trip there, and he definitely enjoyed it:

And so, this is my "ode" to a state park that has brought pleasure to thousands of families over the decades. It was always a favorite place to go when we visited my grandparents. The Black Hawk statue has attracted people from across the nation for years. And on a more personal note, it was the last place we had a family picnic with my 92-year-old great-grandma before she passed away.

I always thought the Black Hawk statute looked a little sad. The Lowden website reads, "Legend has it that Chief Black Hawk, as he left the area after the Black Hawk War, talked of the beauty of the area and admonished his captors to care for the land as he and his people had."

Now he looks even sadder to me.

So, Governor Blagojevich, if you don't want the land-- why don't you give it back?