Deliciously Ordinary | Lindsay Stockhecke
www.deliciouslyordinary.com
A popular swimming spot in the summer, Kinkaid Lake Spillway is a stairstepping waterfall worth visiting any time of year. When the sun is absent, or when he starts to stop by. When the world feels heavy and lightness obsolete. Somehow nature finds a way to quiet it all for even a moment. Prioritizing more of these moments is made easier by places like the spillway, and for that I am grateful.
On my way to the falls I stopped into Cutting Edge Catering located on Murphysboro Main Street. Having been open just shy of a year, I beat their lunch-time rush arriving shortly after their 10am opening. I opted for a to-go lunch, packaged perfectly for a picnic and easy on the wallet. The recently renovated building provided a nice ambiance during my short wait. The twelve minute drive to the spillway was sweet and easy.
The water was the highest I had seen making any walking of the falls impossible, but the picnic tables and packed meal made for the perfect visit. I brought along a book (a top recomendation for outings or everyday life “The Art of Noticing” by Rob Walker) , binoculars and headphones to enhance the experience. I enjoyed the sounds of the falls for the first part of my visit while journaling and added tunes for some walking around the parking area afterwards.
**Fun fact** Did you know that offices, schools, businesses, and most places we frequent daily overwhelm our systems with positive ions, which is not a good thing? When near a waterfall you receive an abundance of negative ions from the increased oxygen levels which positively affect your metabolism, immune system, digestion, blood pressure, sleep, and emotional state. All these advantages are available to you by just sitting at the base of the falls. A quick jaunt at the spillway could charge you up like a battery!
Kinkaid Spillway is located at the end of Kinkaid Lake and when water levels are lower visitors are able to walk up and down the falls, swim in and around the different levels and enjoy a full day of summer fun. Stronger swimmers can even cross over the top to swim directly in the Lake but during the cooler days/months visitors can expect less of a crowd and an entirely different way to exprience this area, one of serenity and stillness.
Heads up, whether enjoying the scenery or hiking and adventuring around be on the lookout for snake friends and do not expect to get cell service down here.
