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ICKES: Give cabins a little Credit

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By Barb Ickes | Tuesday, July 22, 2008 |

I’m violating a sacred oath of secrecy here.

In the six or eight years since discovering a glorious little getaway just an hour from the Quad-Cities, I’ve vowed repeatedly to keep my mouth shut about it. Clearly, I can’t be trusted.

The log cabins at White Pines State Park in little Mount Morris, Ill., had me at the front door. The stone fireplaces, queen-sized log beds and open-beamed ceilings are the very definition of cozy. A short walk through the pine trees, and it’s blueberry pancakes for breakfast in the White Pines lodge.

We’ve encountered more deer than we have other humans on the winding hiking paths that surround the park. We’ve met people from all over the state while sharing a bonfire in one of the in-ground pits.

Take a book and a bottle of wine to the Adirondack chairs that sit outside each cabin, and you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.

White Pines is one of my favorite places on the planet. No swimming pool, no video games, lousy cell phone reception. It’s perfect.

Maybe we could do something like it with Credit Island Park in Davenport. It’s got that same built-in beauty that comes from 100-year-old shade trees, sprawling river views, wildlife and acres of land for biking and hiking.

Consider the success of the two cabins at Scott County Park. As of Friday, both six-person cabins already were booked for every weekend through the middle of October. Most weekdays are

booked, too.

People love little getaways, and people love the Mississippi River. A restaurant/

lodge with a killer river view could be a destination for locals as well as overnight visitors. At White Pines, a section of the park is reserved for cabin guests, which makes it more private and inviting. We could do the same thing at Credit Island.

Yes, the park floods. But the cabins could be built on stilts — just like they are at state parks along the Florida Keys and many other places.

I put on the thinking cap about Credit Island because the handful of people I’ve surveyed on uses for the park said the same thing — build a casino there. And that would be a great idea if it wasn’t such a bad idea.

I can see the economic benefits. Using an attractive chunk of land as an incentive to go along with the recently re-evaluated casino license could land us a whopper. The island would be a great place for an indoor water park, casino and hard-to-beat hotel room views.

But, frankly, Credit Island is too good for gambling. Bald eagles and neon lights don’t mix, regardless of gross receipts.

I know Quad-Citians who rent local hotel rooms during the winter just to get out of the house. They go to use the swimming pools, hot tubs and gas fireplaces. Who wouldn’t love to spend the night in a cozy, snow-covered cabin on Credit Island?

If we wanted, we could even keep it a secret.

Barb Ickes can be contacted at (563) 383-2316 or bickes@qctimes.com.