Bald Eagles on the Illinois River

It was a lovely winter's day today, 50 degrees and sunny.  The cold temperatures are coming tomorrow so I decided to get out of the house since I've been non-mobile for awhile due to foot surgery.

I've wanted to get to Starved Rock in the winter to see the bald eagles. The eagles are starting to arrive to their winter home. I hope to get back in January when there should be hundreds of them by then.  They are closer on the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center on the north side, but the sun was not being helpful for pictures.  These were taken on the south side of the river, on the Starved Rock side.

 A young eagle whose head & tail feathers haven't turned white yet.

 



Finally! Fall Colors at Shabbona Lake

First time to Shabbona Lake State Park up in DeKalb county today.  More colors up north than around home.  Grass and dirt (mud) trails.  Nice area.  Saw lots of Canadian geese on the lake and one blue heron but it was too hard to get a picture of the heron.  The trail is well marked, but would have been nice to have mile markers on the posts. 

The park itself is a mix of prairie, maple, oaks, and pines.

There is also a campground with 150 sites, all with electricity, but the prices seemed a little high for a state park campground.

Trailhead to the lake.

 Some of the colors across the lake.

 

 

Prairie meeting up with maples. 

One of the picnic areas. 

 

 

 

 Lots of berries for the snow birds that will stay the winter. 

 A new oak, maybe 5" tall.

You can go home again - but it's different

Different but the same somehow.  Fall colors in northeast Illinois have been bad this year due to the lack of summer rains.  Very few vibrant reds.  Mostly dying green going to brown.

The spring rains helped with the drought, but the summer itself was pretty dry.  Today was a day for staying a little closer to home, so to speak.  Back to the horse trails in Palos Heights by the first stable were I used to ride for 7 years.  Unfortunately, for the horse people, the trails are still heavily used by mountain bikers, but now there are also more walkers and runners.

Guessing I walked about 6-7 miles total today.  I really need to get a pedometer or an app!

First stop - Forty Acre Woods & over to Swallow Cliff.

 One of the moraine hills - was a lot higher than the pictures shows.

Since I've been on these trails, the forest preserve has posted various signs, but the man on a paint said the bikers are still rude to the horses.

The old Swallow Cliff toboggan slides.  Long removed by the forest preserve due to liability reasons.  The forest preserve is slowing taking over the hill.  The only remnant left is the stairs which are used by a lot of people.  The old toboggan shack is at the top.

Finally!! Horses!!  One man on a paint actually stopped and chatted for a while.  Found out the owner from that barn, sold about 5 years ago and moved to Peotone.  And the second barn where I rode for another 7 years is now under foreclosure.  I sure hope someone buys it and keeps it a stable, there is no where to ride except for these 2 barns anymore in the southwest suburbs.

The forest isn't as thick as it used to be.  Many trees are marked to get cut down due to being an invasive species.  Signs said it's done so the oak have a better chance.  You can see how many they have culled in past years.

The bridge is new over the creek, but the guy on the paint says he still goes thru the creek.



The original trail under RT 45 has been rerouted.  The woods are taking over.

Since I took the east loop, just hopped in the car to horse tail lake.  We used to let the horses eat the grass at the far end of the lake where the west trail meets up to the lake.



Last stop of the day, the Little Red School House - which isn't red anymore!  Now an ugly shade of brown and closed, but they have built a new, large nature center with some live critters inside and story boards of the animals in the area.  They have also created trails (separate from the horse trails).  Nice for the little kids.

  

Wild Turkeys & Fall Colors at Matthiessen SP

The quiet in the dells area of Matthiessen SP was broken by the crack of rifles during the early hours of this overcast fall morning.  It's Illinois turkey season.

The fall colors in northeast Illinois are not the best this year.  Not enough rain during the summer months to really bring out the fall colors in all their brilliance and any rain at this time of year, just pushes the leaves off the trees.

Parking in the circle lot was empty when I arrived at 9 AM.  Headed down the stairs, over the first bridge and went south to more stairs, down to the lower dells area.  The waterfall wasn't running.  The trails were muddy and the fallen leaves were slippery. 

 

 

Back up the stairs and over another bridge. 

 

Stayed on the south 1 mile horse trail  towards the Vermillion River, hoping to see riders, but instead saw a flock of  about 8 - 10 wild turkeys. I wonder if they somehow knew they were in the protected area here.  If they venture further south into the woods, they would be in hunting area.

This tom was all puffed up trying to move the ladies along, a little blurry because he was quick!

Turned around for the 1 mile trip back past the starting point bridge and continued north to the lake and the giants bath tub.  Shortcut to the north horse parking lot so I could avoid the stairs back up because of my bad knee.  Still no horses, but there was an empty trailer so there are horses around somewhere. 

 

Walked the entrance road back to the parking lot.  In all probably a 4 - 5 mile hike today.  I miss the woods and the horses.  This is the time of year I really enjoyed riding, well maybe except when the bucks would follow us on trail.  They would charge if feeling threatened.

 

 

 

 

Ziplining in Marseilles

I can check zip lining off the bucket list!!

I saw an ad for zip lining in Marseilles a few weeks ago, then saw a billboard so I went to check it out.  Mentioned that I wanted to do this, and Gloria from work and her husband Brian wanted to go also, so we reserved our spots. 

We headed out to Marseilles on a overcast humid Saturday to Zip Chicago.  We only signed up for the short tour which consisted of 2 zips and 2 bridges that lasted an hour since weren't sure if we'd like it.  Now we want to go again!  A full tour is three hours for 8 zips.  The first zip starts from the second floor of the building, and then you zip through the trees from there on.

Gloria & Brian did really well.  Guess I can't steer, because I kept going backwards.

These are the two suspension bridges we had to walk across.   Twelve of us in the group walked to the platform and we all hooked up for safety.  Once we were all on the platform, we walked to the next platform for the second zip.  The entire time you are tethered to something, so very safe. I'd recommend everyone should try it.  Our group was actually very quiet - no screaming :-)

My first zip from the building into the tree canopy.

 The second bridge going to the second zip. 

 

The second zip back to the ground.



Goose Lake Prairie Natural Area

Another beautiful fall day in northeast Illinois.  Too nice to do yard work, which will always be there.  Did a couple of local walks.  If you consider a local walk in the next county.

Started at Goose Lake Prairie State Natural area.  Saw evidence of deer and raccoons on the short 1/2 mile trail.  Also found a few butterflies.

I found this guy hanging out by the visitor center.  "You looking at me?"

The saying is that if the bees all die, so will mankind.  Nice to see our pollinators are still hard at work.

This nature area has a nice little visitor center to learn about the prairie.  According to signs, this is the largest natural prairie east of the Mississippi. 

An egret in the marsh

Sandstone bedrock found when the pond was enlarged

I saw these two pheasants on the road behind me.  They stayed on the road just long enough for a quick picture

On the way out, stopped at Heidecke Fish & Wildlife Area. 

Then back to Plainfield for a stop at Lake Renwick Preserve.  This is a heron rookery and reserve.  I've ridden my bike there before, but always when most of the rookery trails are closed. At this time of year, all trails are open.