Don't miss the inaugural run of the Secrets of Jo-Daviess County Tour. It offers a weekend of scenic driving, golf, wine tours, and shopping. All this and close to home. This rustic county with its spider web roads that are hilly, curvy, paved and bordered with woods, rustic farms and long vistas is only two hours from the western suburbs.

It's a two day weekend event with lots of options to suit your wants and schedule. The basic plan is a one or two day event - your choice. We'll launch at 10am on Saturday from the town of Stockton on US Route 20. Your tour guide will lead the group along a pre-determined route through the county with stops at Savanna on the bank of the Mississippi river, the Mississippi Palisades State Park with beautiful vistas of the river from the limestone bluffs that define the park, Galena for shopping and lunch, a pass through Council Hill Station (betchya haven't heard of that one!) that will make you wonder if we've detoured through Kentucky then wind our way back to Stockton. We'll have dinner at a rustic country restaurant. Overnight accommodations are available at the new Country Inn and Suites Hotel with a secure and patrolled parking lot. The second day, Sunday, offers a number of options. The area has several good golf courses. Or you can tour again on your own with a detailed map to visit a restored pioneer fort at Elizabeth, tour and buy at a country winery at Massbach, return to Galena or just wander the countryside some more. All the road intersections are sign-marked like the big city and with a map you can't get lost. If a number of members cannot attend on Saturday your host would be pleased to repeat the guided tour on Sunday.
Act now! A block of rooms is set aside at the host hotel, The Country Inn and Suites in Stockton. The phone number is 815 947 6060. Ask for the MG Club rate. The standard room was quoted at $73. The room block cut off date is July 19 so don't delay.   Dan Herman, Lake Carroll, Illinois   danherm@jcwifi.com