Moraine Hills SP biking

Our group gathered at Moraine Hills State Park and biked the 13 miles for one final time before the other four leave on vacation trips. We met earlier than usual to beat the onset of the predicted heat which has "blessed" us recently. In fact, we finished July with 16 days of 90 degree weather -- up from 4 such days last year -- and with nearly 9 inches of rain in July, it was one of the wettest in Chicago's history. But despite the heat and rain last month, I managed to set a personal record for monthy biking mileage with 440 miles. (My previous best month had been 424 miles in 2008.)



We were pleasantly surprised to see a pair of sand hill cranes browsing in the park at McHenry Dam...



... and also enjoyed the abundant wildflowers...



Lunch in Lake Zurich at Walker Brothers ended a wonderful morning with my friends.