From a scenic byway to a national park to a wildlife refuge to a tallgrass prairie to a waterfall to a roaring creek to a grist mill to a seaport to a. Just a little recap and a few new images which I'll post in larger format soon. I hope you've enjoyed my journey back in time over the past five years through the scans of time. ENJOY!
Summer has long since passed, but nonetheless I wanted to share several images I captured in my travels this past summer. What is it about water that attracts us humans? These are two fountain images I photographed while traveling in Indiana and Illinois. The first fountain image was taken while visiting Nashville, Indiana's quaint arts and crafts village. The latter image is a fountain in Long Grove Village, in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Such lush green foliage. Makes me yearn for those long summer days. I guess these photos will have to do until summer comes again. Enjoy!
While trekking around Chicago this summer, I stopped to take a photo of this bridge traversing a creek in Long Grove Village, not far from the covered bridge. It was just begging me to take a photo of it so I had to comply. What is it about wooden planks and a rusting rail that makes one want to walk over and peer down into the creek. I don't know the answer to that, but I did do it. Long Grove is such a cool little village with a ton of charm. Plan a stop sometime if you are in Chicago for a visit. Enjoy!
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area is a tallgrass prairie located 50 miles southwest of Chicago and displays the largest stand of tall grass prairie that remains in Illinois. I visited the prairie almost ten years ago and found the tallgrasses somewhat taller with virtually millions of butterflies flittering around me. It was an unusual year and the lady at the visitor's center remembered that particular season well. This trip netted beautiful flowers along the trail and many a bird chirping in the meadow oftentimes unseen hidden by the tallgrasses. Trails wind through the prairie for several miles with views of marshes and ponds along the way. The utter natural feel you get while walking the trails with the tallgrasses and flowers looming over you has a rather calming effect. I actually slowed my pace and stopped to look at all of the different blooms along the trail. If ever you find yourself in the area, I hope you'll plan a visit to Goose Lake. These are my the digital images I photographed. I'll post my slides at a later date.
This gorgeous area of Illinois is known as Horseshoe Lake. With it's swamps, cypress knobs and tupelo trees dominating the landscape, southern Illinois is truly a nature lover's paradise. It's been called the Ohio River Bayou. There are close to 15 bald eagles who winter here each season. While this area is very remote, it is truly beautiful and virtually unspoiled. I was lucky enough to visit when a group of nature lovers were launching their canoes off a nearby boatramp. Watching them row out into the lake, one by one, in this backdrop really was a treat. Nearby also was a small grove of bamboo shoots or is that bamboo trees. Something you won't see often in the United States, not to my knowledge. Enjoy!
Several years ago I made my way home from a week long trip to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan via southern Illinois. Just as I arrived at Mermet Lake the sun was setting. I decided to take a quick photo. Mermet is in the area of the Cache River System in southern Illinois. Nearby is Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, a terrific area to view swamps comparable to the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou Country.
