Elevation
Significance: cool, shaded paved path under a thick camopy of trees native to Illinois
https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Parks/Activity/Pages/KankakeeRiver.aspx
What a busy morning! It all took off as soon as I got up at 6:37am to let Zeke out to pee. I packed garden supplies from Carol's garage that she allowed me to take with me, washed the bed sheets, took more phone calls from Adrene (who still doesn't know that Carol doesn't want her working for her anymore because of her attitude), and met Hank when she stopped by at noon. I had planned on being on the road by 9am, so obviously I was still on schedule. I always seem to leave for road trips at N hour + 3.
Hank is Carol's cousin with whom she's close. They grew up together. Hank told me that even as teenagers, Carol was bossy and at times gruff with her. Hank is now in charge of all of Carol's household chores like paying bills and balancing the checkbook, buying groceries, etc. Lately Carol has been disrespectful toward her, according to Hank, and Hank is losing patience with her. Yet she still comes over to help Carol out. For how much longer, though? Hank is now 70 and has a bad back; she can't be Carol's caregiver for much longer. She, too, is supporting the family plan of getting Carol in an assisted-living environment. John, Carol's younger brother, is already working out a plan, Hank revealed.
I finally left Crown Point by 1pm, deep in thought about Carol, our future, and how to move forward. This may be the last time I get to stay in this spacious townhome when I come back to the Region.I got to know Crown Point better because of my frequent stays here. I don't like leaving her while she is still in the hospital, but staying at her place all alone is also awkward. Driving off was bittersweet
Once I got into Illinois, though, I was back to road trip fever. Kankakee is only 50 miles from Crown Point and the state park there is rated one of Illinois' top five. I wanted to check out the River state park, walk around for at least four miles, and drive on.
Kankakee River State Park is 12 miles northwest of the town of Kankakee and on both banks of the river by the same name, extending for 11 miles. Hiking and biking trails are only on the north end. The southern bank is for kayakers and equestrians. Native tribes like the Potawatomi and Miami tribes called this river their home until they were removed after the 1838 Black Hawk war. There are several historical plaques in the park describing the native tribes and then the French fur traders of the 17th century.
I didn't research where the three-mile hiking trail along Rock Creek is, the river that flows into the Kankakee river in the state park on the north end. I found the paved bike trail -- the trail dominates the park --and walked 2.2 miles going north, then turned around the way we came, occasionally walking down to the river bluffs to let Zeke drink.
It was a very refreshing walk that got me out of the humidity for a while. There are mile markers every half mile and many unmarked trails that take one to the river. The river here is like a much younger version of Starved Rock SP, but with much smaller ravines and less dramatic canyons.
There were a lot of walkers and cyclists on the paved trail. I enjoyed the walk, walking under shagbark hickory, Eastern hemlocks, Eastern Redbud and River birch, all trees that are not native to Arizona. These trees are all sweet-smelling, giving the bike trail a pleasant aroma and a dark shade. I kept Zeke on leash and only let him road when we were at the river.
I enjoyed the park. People were fishing and wading in Rock creek. I will explore the trail there another time. The town outside the park, Borbonnais, is named after a French fur trader who lived in the area. It's also home to Olivet Nazarene University, where the Chicago Bears do their training during their off season. Ethan is a big Bears fan and I thought of him and missed him.
I didn't explore any eateries after my walk. I got on I-57 and resumed my drive south, passing corn and soybean farms. I saw a pretty sunset over Rend Lake. I also saw at least two interstate marquees reminding Illinoisans to mask up.
I decided at the last minute to take a slightly different route back by stopping in Carbondale, where my friend SteveT lived for many years and home to Southern Illinois University. Illinois gets hilly once one is south of I-70, but by the time I got into town, it was already dark. The lone brewpub still listed as open in Google, Buckwater Brew works, had just closed when I walked in at 9pm and pretty much the rest of the town was shuttered for the night because of the covid pandemic. The brewpub looked very cozy and I must visit on my next road trip! Southern Illinois and Indiana are so unlike the northern parts of their states.
With everything closed for the night, I opted to drive down to Giant City state park and park in the lodge parking area. This proved to be a great idea, as the lodge also had many cabins spread apart with wide parking areas. There were cars parked near the cabins but the lodge was closed. Only the restaurant was open during meal times. I never saw a person while walking the grounds with Zeke. That turned out to be good, as pets are not allowed in the cabins. A statue dedicated to the Civilian Conservation Corps worker wore a blue face mask, accentuated by the lighting. We saw deer, fox and raccoons before settling in for the night under the stars and loud cicadas. I will explore the trails here in the morning before resuming my drive.
No comments:
Post a Comment