A taxi company is listed
in Mount Morris IL (5 miles away), but I have yet
to check on their rates.
As of Summer 2005, there
is commercial airline service to Rockford
from Orlando FL, Las Vegas NV, Denver CO, Detroit MI, and
Cancun. If that helps any.
Driving
directions to the area:
- Take your best route
to I-39 south of Rockford Illinois
and north of I-88 (Rochelle); exit at
Route 64, mile marker 104.
- Head west roughly 20
miles, through the breadbasket of the nation, to Route 2, in
Oregon Illinois -- our county seat.
1) to
RIVER VALLEY
COMPLEX (our favored training venue):
- Turn right (north) on Route 2, enjoy a
pretty drive along the ramblin' Rock River...
- Turn left (west, and the only logical
choice, the other being Quite Damp) at Route 72 towards Leaf River
and Forreston.
- In "downtown" Leaf River, turn left
(south) at Main Street. There's a green sign for the
Library, which is just beyond RVC at 605 Main
St.
2) to
Mount Morris Coliseum (an occasional training
venue):
- Continue on Route 64 for 5
more miles to Mount Morris (home of
the Freedom Bell -- personally bestowed, I believe, by St.
Reagan).
- Two blocks west of
the in-town stop light, turn left (south), then
go a block and a half, and cast your eyes to the left.
That's the back of the building. Much easier to find than to
describe how to find.
3) to Gallowglass
Manor (our house*):
- From Oregon IL, continue on Route 64
for 5 more miles to Mount Morris
(home of the Freedom Bell -- personally bestowed, I believe, by
St. Reagan).
- At the in-town stop
light, turn right (north) at McKendrie, which will turn into Mt.
Morris Rd. Four miles along,
Gallowglass Manor will be on the left, at
6372 N. Mt. Morris Rd.
- If you get to the Baptist Church,
you've overshot by a half-mile.
*By the
way, Mapquest seems to think that "Gallowglass Manor"
is north of Route 72, up on the
gravel road. It's not, but let's just let that stay
our secret, eh? We don't need to help the terrorists win, and
the cows that graze that field can practice their social skills on
the occasional visitor.
Accommodations
If you're not up for pitching
your tent on the grounds at Gallowglass Academy (nearly always an
option), here are just a few of the more civilized
accommodations in the immediate area, including (some) summer 2003
prices. This is not an exhaustive list...
Selected
hostelries close to Gallowglass Academy
under new
management in 2004!
Mount Morris Motel, Ridge
Rd at Rt 64 east, Mt. Morris, IL 815-734-4114
($36 single occupancy -- $41-51 double).
Rooms are smaller than the Big Chains, of course, but
freshened up! and now they've got a WWWeb presence! http://home.insightbb.com/~mtmorrismotel/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html
White Pines Forest State
Park (7 mi west of Oregon IL), 815-946-3817 (lodge $79 dbl occ)
www.whitepinesinn.com
Blackhawk's Trail Lodge
(on the Rock River, Rt. 2, 4.5 mi north of Byron IL),
815-234-5544 (no pets!) www.blackhawkstraillodge.com
Lake Louise, Byron
IL (815-234-8483) www.lakelouisellc.com
(cabins $70; hookups available)
Paddle Wheel Inn (Rt. 2
north of Oregon IL) 800-468-4222. "Standard" rooms $99 (incl 2 queen-size beds, contintental
breakfast, mini-bar, use of spa &
sauna)
Chateau Lodge, 1326 N.
IL Route 2, Oregon IL 815-732-6195
Pinehill Bed &
Breakfast, 400 Mix St. Oregon IL
815-732-2067
Most of
the major chain motels are represented in Rockford (I-90 at US20)
20-25 miles northeast
of
Gallowglass.
These are
in Rochelle (I-39 at I-88), about 20-25 miles to
the southeast:
Comfort Inn & Suites,
1133 N. 7th St. (Hwy 251 & Rte
38), 815-562-3911 ($69.95 as
of July 2003)
Holiday Inn (Hwy
251 & Rte 38), 815-562-5551
Best Western
800-528-1234
Brandywine
815-284-1890
Super 8, 601 E. Hwy 38,
815-562-2468
There are also two
Bed & Breakfast places in Oregon IL (~10 miles south & east
of us, on the banks of the ramblin' Rock River)
Pinehill
Inn $80-145 Phone: (815)732-2067 Fax:
(815)732-1348
400 Mix St., Oregon, IL
61061-1113
The property has 5 total
guest accommodations with private bath, 3 with
fireplaces. http://www.pinehillbb.com/
Patchwork
Inn $75-115 Phone:
(815)732-4113 Fax: (815)732-6557
122 N 3rd St.,
Oregon, IL 61061
The property has 10 total
guest accommodations with private bath and 1 conference
room.
...and Galena is not all
that far away, either -- about 75
miles. Check here http://www.bnbinns.com/cgi-bin/c_search?city=Galena&state=IL
a very few Gallowglass
Academy House Rules
1. Just. Don't. Do. Anything. Stupid.
2. If you simply must do something that you already
know is stupid, make sure your partner knows what you’re
going to do, and do it slowly, using as much control
as possible. Originally this one had swordplay and such in
mind, of course, but I cannot think of a situation in which it is
ever bad advice.
3. Privacy may be at a premium at various places in
the house. If any door is closed, please
knock and announce yourself
before entering.
4. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown,
flush it down.
5. You are an adult, and responsible for your own
fun. You are equally responsible for knowing your own limitations:
do NOT push your body beyond where it should be pushed.
6. The smaller dog is Moxie – she’s
friendly but very strong, and may want to jump on you. Whether to
allow this is up to you, but she is NOT – repeat NOT – allowed
outside unless on a leash. She will run into the road and become
flat. Gretel, the big dog, is shy & wary of
Strangers, so introduce yourself gently & become her Friend. The
Cat is Frosty, and the behavior of Cats is beyond
analysis or reasoning.
7. Please consider packing out your own trash; we
don't have regular collection this far from town.
8. Regarding illegal drugs or firearms, see Rule #1.
9. If you cause us to invent a Rule #9, rest
assured it will bear your name. Permanently.
