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Lakewood Forest Preserve, McHenry Dam and Moraine Hills State Park.
Wednesday was the last NICE DAY in the forecast for quite awhile.
It was blustery, with 40-50 mph winds from the south. Sun was in and out, but the 60-70's temps were lovely.
Since our boat hoist is broken and it is hanging in the air...we decided to venture out in the counties for a little fishing with son and daughter-in-law, who had some vacation time.
We decided to try two of our favorite places.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
We headed to Lake County Forest Preserve up in Wauconda, Illinois. Really only a few minutes from our house. It is the largest Forest Preserve in Illinois, with huge tracks of pristine land, walking and biking trails, horse trails, dog park, rolling hills, prairie, marsh and perfect for family outings for biking, hiking, picnicking, fishing and picture taking.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Several little lakes and ponds are sprinkled here and there along the walkways. In the distance is an island usually thick with geese. They were hunkered down in the grasses though, with the wind being so wild.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
I just had to take photos where I found them. The bulk of the big trees are oaks, every kind.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Nestled in a small valley is the trout pond which is wind sheltered. HOWEVER...closed to fishing for the bulk of the month because of stocking. This gives the stocked fish a chance to spawn.
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| oldnewgreenerdo |
We were disappointed but it was still beautiful.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
I should have done a video the wind was wild!
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| oldnewgreenredo |
I love nature and will take photos for possible paintings later.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
As I kid, milkweed pods were my favorite...these are just about ready to explode into seed fairies!
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Color is hit and miss in Illinois. We had a very dry July, August and September after a very wet Spring. With the wind, anything that turns is blown away, so color may last for only a day.
We moved on, and drove northwest.
to
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| oldnewgreenredo |
I have never seen all the rocks in McHenry Dam, in 30 some years,...mind you the water was up to the blue service bridge by the locks, last Spring and most of June.
The Fox River, yes the one that Father Marquette and Joliet traveled down to find the Mississippi. It runs from Green Bay, Wisconsin to the Illinois River then to the Mississippi. And, you can boat all the way...with locks. I always wanted to take the entire ride in a boat, but have never had the opportunity.
We dropped the guys off to fish here, and headed for one of the trails along the river and marsh.
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| oldnewgreenredoo |
Just around the bend, we saw a huge turtle track here, must have come from a turtle dragging it's shell belly all the way to the water. The width was at least 8"with huge feet.
Besides having the waterway, the parks have glacial features, moraines and eskers, acres of marsh as well as hardwood forests and hills. It's beautiful and very, very large. The trail we are on is over 3 miles, but we are going to turn around and come back rather than do the whole thing.
Today we were just by the dam and the marsh next to it.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
This huge tree, drew my attention. While those are mulberry leaves in front of it, the tree itself was an Eastern Cottonwood.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
That's my finger sunk into the grooves of the bark. Cottonwoods love to grow along streams, rivers and in floodplains, which is exactly where we were walking.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Other usual marsh plants are Sumac, now a brilliant burgundy, which were actually drying up.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
This is the only flowering plant we saw on our walk. It appears to be some sort of Loosestrife which favors marshes and wet lands.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
We've had three record years of rainfall in N. Illinois, and this area is a natural flood plain marsh. Lots of trees will just die when there is too much standing water for too long.
This tree, looks to have been disassembled and made into a Hobbit hideaway.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Beaver are making a comeback as well as muskrats, this almost looked like a beginning of a dam.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
The camera focused on the grass rather than the pair of mallards on the edge of the new wood dam. Still a cool photo.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Back at the damn, the guys had been fighting the wind and NO bites, but it didn't matter.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
It was a great afternoon outside with FAMILY, what could be better!
Hugs,
Where is your favorite place?
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Do not use my photos without my permission and linking back to this post on my blog.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Sandi
Sandi
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