Wednesday I biked to pick up my van from servicing in town, Thursday was our first real snowfall of the season, and today we enjoyed the snow , hiking at The Hollows in Cary, Illinois...

Resolutions for 2012

The tradition of New Year's Resolutions goes back to 153 B.C. The Romans named the first month of the year after the mythical king Janus (January), the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back, allowing him to peer backward and forward at the same time. Hence, Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions.

Though I have never put stock in proclaiming what too often are merely temporary personal improvements, I relent now and begin 2012 with these lofty (if inane) aspirations:


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Master the subject of algebra:

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Buy a belt because...

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Get up-to-date with the latest music trends and groups...

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Bike instead of driving...

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Pray that more days start out this way...

...and NOT this way...

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Work out, get into shape, and develop a "six pack:"

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Learn more about that new-fangled invention called the computer...

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Solve that troublesome snoring problem...

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Study up on punctuation rules...

 

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Don't act my age, act my feelings...

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Analyze all those household mechanical problems and SOLVE them using the proper tool...

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Make those plumbing repairs I've been postponing...

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Re-read this psychology study...

 

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My advice to everyone for 2012 and beyond: Figure out where you fall on this life timeline, and enjoy the rest of your journey on earth...

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

Hiking Starved Rock State Park

Starved Rock State Park is located on the south bank of the Illinois River, opposite the village of Utica, about nine miles west of Ottawa, six miles east of LaSalle, and 94 miles from Chicago.  It can be reached via Illinois 178 a couple miles south of Interstate 80. After crossing the Illinois River, turn left into the park.  The park is noted for its eighteen canyons within its 2630 acres, fourteen of which feature waterfalls. Thirteen miles of trails take visitors to the canyons. The park celebrated its 100th year in 2011 and is said to be one of the first state parks in the country.

Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans recorded as exploring the Illinois River Valley, and by 1683 the French had established Fort St. Louis (named for King Louis IV) on a large sandstone butte overlooking the Illinois River.  Starved Rock is reputed to have derived its name from a Native American legend of injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe upriver from Starved Rock, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his killing, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation, giving rise to the name "Starved Rock."  The butte area was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1960.

There are over 13 miles of hiking trails in Starved Rock State Park taking hikers to 18 deep canyons in the park (14 of which feature waterfalls during rainy times) including French, LaSalle, Ottawa and St. Louis Canyons which feature the more long-lasting waterfalls at Starved Rock.  The River Trail offers scenic views from attractions such as Lover's Leap Overlook, Eagle Cliff Overlook and Beehive Overlook. Below is Wildcat Canyon...

St. Peter sandstone comprises the primary rock formations, the result of a series of floods as glacial melt broke through moraines, sending torrents of water across land and creating the canyons nestled against the rise of the bluffs that form the park.  Certainly not the terrain one would expect to find in the flatlands of Illinois!

La Salle Canyon and its waterfall were highlights of this hike.  Visitors can hike behind these falls and take photos through the water.

From December through February bald eagles can be viewed at the park, either fishing below the Starved Rock Dam where turbulent waters stay unfrozen during the cold winter months or roosting on the Leopold or Plum Island. The eagles, some local residents joined by many migrants from upper Minnesota, winter here.

The Starved Rock Dam is a nice side trip while at the park.  It features an informative Visitor Center with indoor and outdoor observation decks to view the locks.  You might be fortunate and see barge traffic utilizing the dam as seen here!  And the bluff formation across the river in this photo is none other than the famed Starved Rock.

Hiking Matthiessen State Park

Frederick Matthiessen of LaSalle, Illinois, was a wealthy man and also an extremely charitable man well-known for his philanthropy. He provided his community with a high school, a gymnasium, an athletic field, a public library, a hospital, and an electric light plant, among other improvements. And he developed a private jewel of a retreat named Deer Park, which his heirs donated to the State of Illinois in 1940 with the stipulation that it be preserved as a nature area and wildlife sanctuary.  It was later renamed Matthiessen State Park in his honor.

The park is centered around a stream that flows from Matthiessen Lake to the Vermilion River. The stream has cut partway through the sandstone layers, leaving interesting rock formations and drops. The Upper Dells begin at Matthiessen Lake with the Lake Falls, which drop into the canyon below and continue downstream to the 45-foot-tall Cascade Falls where the Lower Dells begin.

The park has grown to 1,938 acres with the addition of former prairie land and forest land south of the original park and significant natural areas along the main canyon. The canyon itself provides a perfect habitat for many mosses and liverworts that thrive on the damp, shady walls. Ferns abound, and throughout the entire length of the canyon, falling water and marvelous rock formations delight visitors.


Matthiessen State Park is located a few miles south of the more famous Starved Rock State Park on Illinois State Route 178 just south of Utica, Illinois.  Its principal attraction is the mile-long canyon which is nearly 100 feet deep in places and from 50 to 140 feet wide.

It's a well-developed area for hiking and offers a network of staircases and bridges, where visitors can stand and marvel at the beauty not only surrounding them, but far below. In more than one place, the steps lead to the very floor of a gorge where clear, ice-cold water is dotted with stepping stones. Be prepared for mud in many places!

At the end of the Lower Dells, there is a cave with two entrances you can hike through, seen in the photo below...

Christmas Eve Family Festivities

Continuing a 70+ year tradition in our family, the cousins gather and celebrate the birth of Jesus!  Hallelujah!






The next generation poses for a photo...

Additional photos of the evening's festivities are available here (and can be downloaded)...

Christmas in the Village

Last weekend was the 16th Annual Christmas in the Village, a free concert given to the people of the Barrington area each year, featuring the church choir and orchestra (click to enlarge)...

Here's a link to a brief 3 minute video with snippets from some of the songs...

http://www.vcbweb.org/ministries/worship/citv-highlights#!prettyPhoto/0/

Home Small Group Christmas Party

Our church home small group celebrated Christmas yesterday with our annual Christmas party.

Our group leader, Dick, and his wife Ingrid...

Edgar, Betty, Jim, and Tish...

Amy, Edie, and Ingrid...

Our hosts, Joyce and Paul...

Ellen surrounded by Chucks...

The evening hours flew by quickly, filled with fabulous food, festive fun, and fine fellowship. Here are Amy, Karen, and Ingrid...

The annual grab bag gift exchange...

The evening provided a wonderful conclusion to the year's Bible studies!!

Ray Lake Forest Preserve Opens to Public

The 555 acre Ray Lake Forest Preserve, site of the former Ray Lake dairy farm, is now open to the public.  The farm's signature sculpture has been refurbished and proudly welcomes visitors to the preserve.

The entrance is on Erhart Road north of Gilmer Road and west of Fremont Center Road.  (From  Fairfield Road, go east on Gilmer and then left - north - on Erhart.  From Route 60, go west on Erhart past St. Mary's school, cross Fremont Center Road, and go north to the parking lot.)

The parking lot accommodates  25 vehicles and offers washroom and drinking facilities. It appears to have one of the new solar powered gates that open daily at 6 am.

The 2.4 mile blue trail loops the property, passing meadows and wetlands and traversing several small woodlots. The Fort Hill Trail (which begins at the Route 176/Fairfield intersection) follows the left side of the loop and will eventually head east to Fremont center Road and then over to the Lake County Fairground on Peterson Road. (Click to enlarge map.)

Halfway around the loop you'll find this intersection.  The Ray Lake blue loop trail continues to the left, and on the right is the Ft. Hill Trail heading a half mile to the Gilmer Road underpass currently under construction.  When the underpass is completed, visitors will also be able to park at the Gilmer parking lot (between Fairfield and Route 176) and walk the underpass to reach this intersection.

The trail utilizes three boardwalks to cross wetland areas. Squaw Creek is located on the southwest corner of the preserve.

A grass trail takes hikers on a .4 mile side loop around a wooded area, with a branch trail to the Fremont Elementary and Middle schools on Fremont Center Road

An observation area overlooking the wetlands and woods has a plaque announcing that the area "is in memory of Lucy Holman, nature lover and biking enthusiast, whose generosity helped to construct this trail."  Fittingly, from this lookout I spotted a large buck 200 feet away at the tree line.  

Thank you Lake County Forest Preserve District, for yet another wonderful preserve

"It Is Well with My Soul" by The Isaacs

Sonya Isaacs relates the story behind this hymn, explaining the tragedies suffered by the composer, Horatio Gates Spafford, including losing his young son, then losing all possessions in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and later the death of his four daughters in a shipwreck, and how when passing over their watery grave, he composed these words, sung by the Isaacs in their incomparable a cappella style...





For more on the Isaacs, see my post here.

Palatine Concert Band Performance

Another evening of magnificent music by the Palatine Concert Band last night. Conductor Ron Polancich led the group in four selections, and then after the intermission, he turned the baton over to Colonel Arnald Gabriel, conductor emeritus for the United States Air Force Band, for six rousing numbers.

The Palatine Concert Band is a volunteer adult organization which provides an outlet for both avocational and professional musicians to perform fine wind band literature.  While some members are highly-skilled, active performers, most are teachers, business professionals or retired individuals with one common characteristic — a love of learning and performing the finest musical literature.