Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens

Went towards my high school area to see Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanic Gardens .  It's relatively new.  Used to be just unused forest an illegal dumps next to the Cal Sag Channel.  Palos Heights has created a lovely little nature area.  Trail loop is only 1 mile and benches around the lake to sit and take in the view.

 

 

 

Pictures from the zinnia garden

Pineland princess

You wouldn't believe me so here's the sign

They have a small nature center.  I'm sure it's no relation, but this was my grandmothers name until they changed it to Beatrice on Ellis Island when she immigrated.



Westward view of the lake.  Canoes & kayaks can be rented for $8 an hour.

They have a herb and butterfly garden.  Throughout the preserve there are signs identifying most of the trees, bushes and flowers.

Pale cone flower

Phlox

 Black eyed Susan

View of the Cal Sag Channel

View east to the nature center

 Boat ramp on the Worth, IL side of the channel

I may be pretty bad a bird shots but I can always seem to spot turtles

 

Illinois Beach State Park

Since I've been trying to go to as many Illinois State Parks as possible, today was a trip to Illinois Beach SP with Gayle from work.

I've lived in Illinois my entire life, and did not know this park existed right on the lake at the last dune shoreline in Illinois.  Glad we got there in the early morning, by the time we left, it was getting warmer. 
 

The view south where we walked from to the north end of the bike trail

 



Another surprise about this park is the campground.  You cannot see the beach or lake from the campground, but it's maybe only a 30-40 yard walk thru the dunes.

The sign said the campground was full, but there were quite a few open sites, some on grass, some on asphalt.  The sites are close together, but it may be better in early spring or late fall when it may not be as crowded.  Brochure say there are 241 Class-A premium sites, showers, electricity and dump station.

Huge parking lot with barely any cars.  I think this SP may have been popular in the past, but the beach is a lot of gravel and the trails not taken care of very well.

Butterfly milkweed

The day was a little hazy

 

The Dead River

 

 Bridge over wetlands on the .2 mile path to the beach

 

View south

There were two old concession stands with outside showers, and I'm guessing lockers also on the inside.  The looked like they haven't been used in quite a long time...

 ...maybe not even used for the last 21 years.  Looks like Illinois does not spend much money maintaining this park.

View north - the building is a small visitor center

We walked the south side of the park, up the lake, thru the campground, around the Dead River, and back up the beach to the parking lot.

 

Puppy Passing Thru

Had a little visitor yesterday.  One of the ladies from the RV forum bought a puppy and was looking for a pet transporter.  I volunteered since the puppy was in Michigan and she's in southern Illinois, so I was a good 1/2 point.  Her name (from the breeder) is Charmed.  She's a Havanese.   Brought her down to her new mom today. It was fun having a puppy in the house, but I forgot how loud they can cry.

A strange new place

 

 She's thinking Zorro is HUGE!

 

Poor Zorro looking scared to death - she moved so fast!

 

Yes I'm cute and I know it

 

 

 

 

Heritage Canyon, Fulton IL

July 19, 2014

After lunch with Roxanne in Fulton, we then visited Heritage Canyon which is a limestone canyon dotted with buildings from the 1800's.

Swinging bridge to the nature trail.

Limestone walls in the canyon from the nature trail

The inside of the small kitchen building.  Kitchens were separate building because they would catch on fire.

The church which can be rented for weddings, but on this day, an outdoor wedding was going to take place a little later in the day.

The inside reminded me of Wayside Chapel where Dad & Chickie, Mom & Ron and Lynn & Ken all got married (as well as couple of friends).

Metal gates in all the buildings stopped from actually going inside.  The pictures are thru the gates (or windows).

 

Need to identify this little (3") bird. He was singing in the tree, but flew down to this tree branch to say "look at me singing"!  Maybe a Kentucky or Nashville Warbler (?)

Inside the printing shop shop

General store

General store

Funeral home - guess besides pine boxes they also used something similar to wicker

Pine casket, children's caskets (black one has a window to see the child) and the embalming table

Just looking at the dentist office was painful.  I should have taken a picture of the tools used.

 

Soda fountain

Horse drawn funeral hearse

Inside of the log cabin.  The bed was so tiny.

 

Tool shed for the log cabin

Covered bridge