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April in Southern Illinois
Like No Other Place...
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In this V-shape foot of the Prairie State, where smooth farmlands begin to roll and then fracture into the foothills of the rugged Illinois Ozarks, longtime residents have a saying.
"There is time...and then there's southern Illinois time."
It's as if Mother Nature settled in for a rest, slowing down after a magnificent sweep that created ravines enclosed by craggy bluffs in otherworldly shapes and shaded by the expansive Shawnee National Forest.
At the southern end of the region, the land gives way to bogs and the strange, primeval world of swamps teeming with wildlife, but eerie and silent under towering cypresses that extend knobby "knees" upward from the still water.
Here in southern Illinois, twisting roads travel through tiny towns. Accents of residents soften into a sweet drawl. Visitors find the antithesis of Chicago's city bustle 400 miles to the north.
Understanding the region may be just a simple lesson in latitude. The northern reaches of the state are in the same range as Boston, the southernmost point equal to Newport, Virginia.
This is a place that takes time to explore. Nothing moves fast. The forest is vast. Hiking trails range from short to deceivingly long and difficult. But in the end, the fresh air and scents of April flowers lull you into a sense of well-being in a place that feels almost hidden.
