Location

Accommodations & Area Attractions

a very few Gallowglass Academy House Rules

Just where'n'hellz LEAF RIVER at, anyway?

Big Picture: Sol 3, North American continent, in northwest Illinois in the good ol' USA.

Close-up Shot: Relative to the well-known landmark of Chicago, it's about 100 miles northwest -- south of Rockford, north of I-88.

Electronically:  Here's the general idea of Leaf River, courtesy of Mapquest.com  

"You can get here, but you have to work at it"

• There is no Amtrak (passenger rail) service to Ogle County.
• There is no public bus service to, or in, Ogle County.
• 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.