That meant cancelling jobs I had for Friday, Monday and Tuesday and getting flight tickets at higher rates. I managed a non-stop flight early from Tuscon into Chicago-Midway for Friday morning and arrived shortly after noon to a cool, hazy, sulphur-stinky sky. Once I got my white Toyota Camry rental car, I was on my way to Indiana, driving south on IL50 until I reached US30, then driving east to Merrillville and taking Broadway to Crown Point. (I could take the I-294 Tollway, but I hate paying tolls. This way I can also stop at a forest preserve and walk a few miles to walk off the energy after sitting in a cramped plane seat for almost four hours)
I've flown into Chicago-Midway many times now, but this time it all seemed different. The airport is upgrading its eateries, so there is much detour down terminals. Traffic on Cicero Avenue was bumper-to-bumper as I inched southward. It was going to be a long, nerve-wracking drive if I didn't stop somewhere to walk off some tension.
Chicago is the county seat for Cook County, a 5.2-million strong county. To help preserve the meadows, wetlands and swamps near Lake Michigan and to cleanse the industrial air, the Forest Preserves of Cook County was established in 2014 to help preserve the wild flora and fauna in the area. The preserves also help manage the flood zones that occur every spring after heavy snow melt. The woods help clean up the air and muffle the sounds of trains, planes and automobiles. There are several preserves as one drives south of the airport on IL50 (Cicero Avenue). I didn't want to drive out of my way, either, because some of the nicest preserves are west of Midway airport.
My first choice was the Midlothian Meadows, just as the Friday rush hour was beginning to congest. This area is notorious for vehicle break-ins (according to some reviews I read on Alltrails). I noticed people sitting in cars, parked perpendicular to parked cars for a better view of pedestrians. I threw all my belongings in the trunk.
The Midlothian Meadows is a small patch of dense woods to the east of IL50, bordered by Crawford Avenue. There are maples and ash, elm and some oak, but most is dense thickets with vines traveling up the bark. I parked off the large parking area off Crawford Avenue and took the paved trail north. The loop is only 2.6 miles; that would take me 45 minutes. The trail is ten feet wide, wide enough for two bikes, a wide stroller or several joggers. The trail suffers from frostheave in some parts, so rollerblading may not be all that smooth here. Milkweed and other wetland flora thrive here. Sadly, there was also a lot of trash along the trail, from cookie wrappers to beer cans. (Really, people?!)
I could hear traffic along the loop. The quietest section was the northeast section, away from cars and close to the Midlothian Creek, which seems to flood over its banks here. I could hear frogs and the proverbial red-wing blackbirds. Recent snowmelt and rain made this section quite muddy, but it was nice to hear the blackbirds again, even if there were no wildflowers out and none of the trees were leafed out yet. It was still a sleepy landscape of browns, greys and dull greens. The actual meadow for which this parcel of land is named is in the western section of this preserve.
Rush-hour traffic was now in full glory when I tried to pull out of the parking area and resume my drive south. I had to go north, on IL83 (W 147th Street) until I reached IL1. I stayed on that route until I hit familiar grounds with US30. There are more preserves along this stretch of road, including the Thorny Creek preserve which I explored last December, but I continued on my way to Carol's and not stopping until I hit the Plum Creek preserve on the Illinois-Indiana stateline.
This preserve caters to horses, judging by the many horseshoe marks I saw in the mud. The trails here are not paved, but wider to accompany pack animals, dogs, and perhaps mountainbikes. I liked this patch of woods. but there were many muddy sections I had to bypass, and several blowdowns
The main trail in the Plum Creek Preserve is the two-mile interpretive trail. There are shorter trails off the main trail. All trails are blazed with different colors like red and blue. The main trail is blazed with black circles. I heard and saw more frogs and red-wing blackbirds, and there was far less traffic sounds now that we were farther away from Chicago. I would come back to this little place. Dyer, Indiana is across the state line and just my luck, so is the Windmill Brewing company, visible off US30.
I had now walked almost five miles. My daily quota had been achieved. What better place to mellow out than with a few beers in a new brewery. The Windmill Brewing did not disappoint, either. While the Mexican Lager, El Gato Lima, was out, it was available in four-pack cans. I had instead a"Feel Good Inc" milkshake-style IPA brewed with passion fruit, coconut, and vanilla (6% ABV) and an "Orange Memesicle" described as a "milkshake-style IPA with orange cream gummies" (8.2% ABV/30IBU). I never had sweet IPA like these one before. They didn't even taste high alcohol. I really liked them! To top off my visit, the local mascot, a white-brown tabby that is also on the front of the El Gato Lima cans, strolled around the brewery soliciting for backrubs.
It was now 7pm and I had to call Carol to let her know I was coming. She was quite surprised, and in a good way. She had no idea I was coming for her birthday.
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