Jacek and I ventured out on a 3 hour bike ride Saturday and were reminded of the great resources our metropolitan area provides. I’m not talking about the museums, theater or nightlife. I’m talking about the great outdoors. Cook County (Chicago's base) is home to over 68,000 acres of Forest Preserves. We chose the North Branch Trail that starts on the north side of the city and spreads through the northern suburbs to the Chicago Botanic Garden. We didn’t quite make it the 20 miles to the CBG, but we did make it 13 miles one way to the Skokie Lagoons, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch while watching the canoes and kayakers have fun on the water. Our ride took us through beautifully restored midwestern prairie - a sea of native wildflowers - and through the forests where we saw 6 deer – three doe and three fawns, spots and all. On one break we rested in a field watching swallows zip around and around and saw a majestic hawk fly above. It was such a beautiful refreshing day.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Big City Nature
Jacek and I ventured out on a 3 hour bike ride Saturday and were reminded of the great resources our metropolitan area provides. I’m not talking about the museums, theater or nightlife. I’m talking about the great outdoors. Cook County (Chicago's base) is home to over 68,000 acres of Forest Preserves. We chose the North Branch Trail that starts on the north side of the city and spreads through the northern suburbs to the Chicago Botanic Garden. We didn’t quite make it the 20 miles to the CBG, but we did make it 13 miles one way to the Skokie Lagoons, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch while watching the canoes and kayakers have fun on the water. Our ride took us through beautifully restored midwestern prairie - a sea of native wildflowers - and through the forests where we saw 6 deer – three doe and three fawns, spots and all. On one break we rested in a field watching swallows zip around and around and saw a majestic hawk fly above. It was such a beautiful refreshing day.
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2 comments:
Aren't the deer amazing? I used to see them all the time at the corner of 31st and Mannheim. Talk about a busy intersection! But, with the forest preserve there, they were always in abundance.
Sounds like a wonderful day!
What a lovely day. And IN Chicago? I had no idea. I'm wondering, with you two being "foodies," what you had for a picnic?
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