Biking Wisconsin's Tomorrow River State Trail

Wisconsin's Tomorrow River State Trail runs for nearly 30 miles, from Plover to Manawa, passing through Amherst Junction, Ogdensburg, and Scandanavia.  The trail is crushed limestone and was in such good condition that road bikes could use it.  A sign warned that the trail was closed when aerial spraying of crops was occurring, and the trail does pass many fields.

I began in Plover, parking in the Copps parking lot at the corner of Highway B and Hoover Avenue.  The trail starts behind Copps, just over the railroad tracks. Exit I-39 at Highway B and take it west to Hoover Avenue. Other trail parking is available at Twin Towers Road, Custer Road, Lake Emily County Park, and Highway Q in Amherst Junction.  I biked 28 miles, but only the Portage County sections.  The remainder of the trail is in Waupaca County.  A Wisconsin pass is required which can be bought at any trailhead for $4 a day, or an annual pass for $20.  Below is a map of the Portage County portion (click to enlarge.)

The first couple miles has a railroad spur alongside the trail which serves industrial concerns such as R. R. Donnelley and Del Monte factories. The spur track ends and you find yourself biking through rolling Wisconsin hillsides with meadows and crops on either side.  As with most rail-trails, many mature trees edge the trail, often obscuring views of the fields.  A lot of irrigating was occurring as I biked, as seen off to the right in this photo.

Horses are allowed east from Twin Towers Road, but they are not allowed on the limestone trail.  They have their own mown path alongside the trail.


 Much of the trail is very scenic as seen below, and the opportunities to see the neighboring fields and crops and farm structures adds more interest to the ride.

I biked east the 11 miles to Amherst Junction where the trail is missing a segment for 1 mile, after which it continues to Manawa.  Then I continued biking the detour around the missing section: at Highway Q in Amherst Junction, turn left, at the next road turn right onto Highway KK, bike under the underpass, at the next road turn left onto School Road, take it to Alm Road and turn left, and the trail is soon on your right.  But the route is well marked with large brown signs pointing the way to “Tomorrow River Trail” so navigating the detour is not a problem.

After reaching the eastern segment of the trail, I biked until I reached the river.  I’d hoped that the trail would parallel the Tomorrow River, but instead it simply crosses the river on that eastern segment near Amherst Junction.  One of the two railroads that ran through town was named the Tomorrow River Railroad, and its roadbed is the one the trail runs on, and hence the name.  But here’s the namesake river the trail crosses over...

You regularly see speed limit signs of 55 mph, which seem out of place until you remember that snowmobiles use the trail in the winter.

Every mile you’ll see very small brown signs for Tomorrow River State Trail, and beneath giving the mileage in even smaller lettering.

Biking Madison, Wisconsin's Capitol City Trail

Madison has four trails that were combined into this 17 mile Capitol City Trail, which in turn connects to several other trails. This map shows the myriad of trails using colored lines (click to enlarge.)  The trail is paved and in good repair.

 I parked at Olin Park which can be reached off the Beltline Highway (US 12 and US 18), exiting at John Nolen Road and going north to Olin Park, just past the multi-building Alliant Energy Center which hosts expositions, conventions, concerts, and sporting events.  The trail runs along Lake Monona with views of the downtown and Capitol building seen below...

Often along the trail you'll find helpful map kiosks like the one below, showing where you are, what's near you, and what other trails connect near you. The trail is well marked with signage so you don't miss a turn.

 As you reach the downtown, you can head west to bike the historic downtown and see the Capitol building if you wish. The scene below is of the Monona Terrace Convention Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  Beyond this point, the trail leaves the lakefront which becomes private property, but using the trail and/or side streets, you can circumnavigate the entire Lake Monona and return to your vehicle.

At Olin Park, you have the option of biking the Wingra Creek Trail which traverses park areas, crosses several streets, and gets you to the University of Wisconsin's Arboretum, the Henry Vilas Zoo and Park,  which also offers more paved trails. and the dam which creates Lake Wingra as well as a public beach.

Heading south from Olin Park, you'll find 12 miles of trail, first briefly paralleling John Nolen Road, then passing beneath Nolen.  The next section is run by the county, not Madison, and requires a DNR pass ($4 for a day pass or $20 for an annual pass) which can be purchased at a registration station.  After paying, the trail deteriorates a bit, with frequent bumpy sections as you pass the  huge sewage facility on both sides of the road you are alongside, and then the trail finally heads through rolling hillsides of meadows, then marshes, and later woodlands.  You'll see mown grass pathways which are the E-Way, a cross country ski trail, and then the Lussier Family Heritage Center which has a wildlife viewing area, prairie restoration area, campground, washrooms, showers, water, and vending machines.  By this point, I had biked 20+ miles in 95 degree heat, so I returned to my vehicle and missed the remaining 9 miles or so of what would have been the best natural scenery still ahead.

Colorado River : Source to Sea

I’m re-reading Colin Fletcher’s River: One Man’s Journey Down the Colorado, Source to Sea describing his six-month, 1700 mile solo raft trip in 1989 from the Wind River Range in WY to the Gulf of California.  Since first reading it, I was so inspired that I've rafted, canoed, or kayaked 777 miles of the river on various adventures, and now in re-reading the book, it’s fun to re-live my trips through his narrative.

 Fletcher studied the river and decided that the true "ancestral waters" of the Colorado River start in Wyoming's Wind River Range, and that these drops of water from springs high in these mountains, trickle down to the Upper and Lower Green Lakes and then down the Green River to its Confluence with the Colorado River.

Explanation is required here: The "Colorado River" originally referred to the waterway located on the Colorado Plateau below the junction/confluence of the Green and Grand Rivers in Utah's Canyonlands National Park. At that time, no part of the Colorado River actually ran through the State of Colorado. In 1921, politicians in the State of Colorado managed to get the "Grand River" (which flowed out of Grand Lake in Colorado below Rocky Mountain National Park, through Granby and later Grand Junction -- notice the Grand in these names) renamed Colorado River. Thus the original Colorado River, along with the formerly called Grand River, together became the longer and current Colorado River.

But Fletcher and many others feel that the Green River, which is 300 miles longer than the former Grand River and drains a larger area than the old Grand River, is therefore the "master stream."

 In the photo below, I sit in the front-left of a raft on a rapid in the Colorado River...

Here is a shot of one of my two 120 mile canoe trips down the Green River from Green River, UT to the Confluence with the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park, at which point a jet boat from Moab picked us up and returned us up-river to Moab because canoes cannot negotiate Cataract Canyon's rapids below the Confluence (which by the way was so named by John Wesley Powell in 1869 when he made his first trip here.)  

Here's a video I made of my 2 excursions canoeing the Green River...

But on both canoe trips, as I camped at the Confluence waiting for the jet boat, how I longed to make that right turn and continue down through Cataract Canyon, but of course couldn't. Finally, a few years later I did! The Sierra Club offered a service project removing invasive Tamarisk at the Confluence.  By necessity, we had to raft to the Confluence from Moab, do our work, and then exit through Cataract Canyon's rapids.  What a great raft trip that was!

Below is a photo of the Colorado River from up above on the mesa...

...and here's a photo as we entered Lake Powell at the end of Cataract Canyon, beneath the Highway 95 bridge (also called the Hite Crossing Bridge)...

Here's a video of both our Tamarisk removal project and our wondrous and exciting and wet raft trip through the rapids of Cataract Canyon...

After Cataract Canyon, the Colorado River becomes Lake Powell National Recreation Area, thanks to the Glen Canyon Dam at Page, Arizona.  Below are two aerial shots of magnificent Lake Powell and a few of its side canyons, several of which we explored by houseboat and kayak on my two houseboat adventures there (in 2003 on the western end, and in 2012 one on the eastern end of the 186 mile-long long lake.)

Kayaking the side canyons is a wonderful way to explore Lake Powell...

Here's a video I made of my second houseboat/kayak adventure trip on Lake Powell, this one at the eastern end of the lake...

Fifteen miles after Lake Powell (below Glen Canyon Dam) you arrive at Lee's Ferry, the put-in for raft trips through first Marble Canyon and then Grand Canyon.  I was fortunate to raft the entire Grand Canyon in 1999 and here are a few photos and comments.

Then in 2002 I kayaked 50+ miles from the base of Hoover Dam (Lake Mead Recreation Area) through the Black Canyon/Lake Mohave portion of the Colorado River.  Here are some photos and info from that 5 day kayaking/camping Elderhostel program.

Millennium Trail Underpass Open at Grand Avenue

(Click to enlarge photos)

The Forest Preserve District of Lake County has opened another underpass on the Millennium Trail, this one ensuring safe passage beneath Grand Avenue in Lindenhurst, and connecting Fourth Lake Preserve to McDonalds Woods Preserve...

I began at the Operations Center visitor lot on the north side of Grand Avenue west of Route 45, and biked south through the underpass.  The trail then proceeds south through lovely forest and open meadows (and some leased farm fields) to a gate near Rollins Road.  Another underpass is planned at Rollins Road which will join this segment with the miles of trails available in Rollins Savanna Preserve.

A grass/dirt side trail heads west to this overlook at Fourth Lake, and assorted other brief grass trails weave through the area...

If you pedal north from the Operations Center, you leave the preserve and bike along a paved path through the Country Place subdivision.  Stop at the start of the houses and study the map seen below (or take a photo of it with your cell phone camera) because the Millennium Trail ahead is uncharacteristically (for the LCFPD) poorly marked with signs. After you cross Sand Lake Road, turn right as the trail encircles the Bonner Farm/Millennium Park property, and then crosses Country Place road.  The Millennium Trail continues as a paved trail as it follows Starling Lane through the subdivision and then crosses Meadowlark Circle.

The trail again becomes crushed gravel (all in good, solid condition) as you enter McDonald Woods.  You are in the southern-most section of the preserve and the trail is basically a lopsided figure eight trail.  Study where you are entering the loop trail or make a noticeable mark in the gravel so you see it when you return here, so you know which trail to use to leave the woods when you are heading back.  Again -- no signage here.  I turned right (counter-clockwise around the loop) and soon came to this preserve map.  As you can see, the lower loop goes around meadows and the upper loop around lakes/ponds, and your exit trail is at the bottom of the lower loop...

You'll no doubt enjoy the magnificent woods and scenic open areas and lakes.  The upper loop has an access trail to the parking lot off Grass Lake Road, and signage there indicates that an underpass is in the early stages of construction to take visitors under the road to Lindenhurst's Oak Ridge Park that is across the street, and presumably, an eventual extension of the Millennium Trail to the north.

This ride is only about 11 miles in length, but when the Rollins underpass opens next year, you'll be able to get rides 20+ miles in.  In addition to parking in the Operations lot, you can also access this ride using the Bonner Farm lot or the lot off Grass Lake.

Thanks again to the LCFPD for their continued work in extending the Millennium Trail and building segments to connect the existing sections of the trail!

Wildflowers Ablaze!

The wildflowers abound alongside the Millennium and Ft. Hill Trails in Lake County (Illinois) forest preserves...

My Latest Adventure ... Grandfather!

Introducing Elias...

The Parable of the Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose. 

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. 

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She then pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. 

Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?" 

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. 

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. 

The granddaughter then asked, "What does it mean, Grandmother?" 

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. 

"Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" 

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity? Do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? 

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? 

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of your life. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? 

How do you handle adversity? Are you changed by your surroundings or do you bring life, flavor, to them? 

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?

Itasca (Illinois) Fireworks

(Click to enlarge photos)

2013 Wild Woman Triathlon

This is a low key, un-timed sporting event for women, a fun outdoor morning of enjoyable exercise with no pressure to push oneself unless you desire to. It is staged at Independence Grove, the crown-jewel of the 30,000 acre Lake County (Illinois) Forest Preserve District. The participants kayak 1.5 miles, hike/run 3.1 miles, and bike 13 miles, and a potluck lunch follows the competition for those so inclined.  The annual event is open to 150 women who are divided into three groups of 50.  Each group begins with a different activity and then cycles into the other two events, making it reminiscent of an exciting three ring circus spectacle, with plenty of action for spectators to observe and enjoy.

Unlike other triathlons I've observed, this one displayed a unique dynamic since no clock was running -- all the women encouraged one another, smiled and laughed often, and as I biked from location to location to capture video and stills, nearly every participant smiled and waved and said "Hi!" to me as I passed them (and none knew I was documenting their race.) And the camaraderie at the staging area/finish area was a delight to behold as ladies made new friends and reunited with old friends.

Here is a brief video of the events.  The movie also showcases the scenic beauty of Independence Grove and you'll hear the ubiquitous birdsong in the video footage, regardless of which of the dozen-plus locations I was at to capture the activity.

This event is sponsored by Trailbound Trips, a women's outdoor adventure company. I especially appreciate the Mark Twain quote on this website: "Twenty years from now, you will be disappointed more by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did do. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Sierra Club Outings

The Sierra Club is one of the oldest and largest grass-roots environmental organizations in the world.  It was begun by John Muir in 1892.  Part of its mission statement is to "explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth," and Muir fervently believed that the best way to get Americans to protect the natural wonders of our country was to get them out INTO the wilderness.

"If people in general could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish. (John Muir)

This concept was demonstrated in 1903 when Muir invited President Theodore Roosevelt to visit Yosemite with him, and that visit convinced the president to enhance the protections of Yosemite.

The Sierra Club annually offers over 300 of these outings, and over the last decade, I've participated in these 13:

• 2002 -- Trail Service Project in the Superstition Wilderness in Arizona's Tonto National Forest
• 
  
• 2003 -- Kayaking the Suwannee River in Florida
• 
  
• 2003 -- Backpacking Indiana's Hoosier National Forest
• 
  
• 2004 -- Kayaking Canaveral National Seashore in Florida
• 
  
• 2004 -- Alaska Autumn Sampler (hiking, camping, and backpacking)
• 
  
• 2005 -- Trail Service project: Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts
• 
  
• 2006: Kayaking Florida's Greatest Rivers and Springs
• 
  
• 2006: Kayaking in the Shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina
• 
  
• 2008: A Naturalist's Kayak Trip in Florida
• 
  
• 2008: Hiking Arizona's Canyon de Chelly
• 
  
• 2010 Rafting Canyonlands NP's Cataract Canyon/Tamarisk removal and campsite rehab in Utah
• 
  
• 2012 Kayaking the Edge of the Everglades in Utah
• 
  
• 2013 Sand Pine, Silver Water, and Service in Florida's Ocala National Forest

Here is a brief video showing video footage and still photos of these outings:

History of Chicagoland's Forest Preserves

The City of Chicago is within Cook County and is surrounded by five neighboring counties, together offering residents 50+ multi-purpose recreational trails for bikers, hikers, and equestrians -- well over 500 miles of trails and all traversing nearly 200,000 acres of lovely forest preserve land.  How did this vast and varied preserved acreage of over 30 square miles come to be?

Cook County

It all began nearly 100 years ago when the Municipal Science Club of Chicago concluded in 1904 that naturally beautiful areas such as the bluffs and beaches along Lake Michigan and the various rivers of the area should be preserved “for the benefit of the public in both the city and its suburbs, and for their own sake and scientific value, which, if ever lost, cannot be restored for generations.”

In 1913, the Forest Preserve District Act was conceived and in November of 1914, the residents of Cook County voted to establish the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.  The first meeting of Commissioners was in February of 1915, and in June of 1916, the first land was purchased, 500 acres in what is now Deer Grove Forest Preserve in the far northwest Palatine - Barrington area.  

This 1925 photo shows the entrance to Deer Grove Forest Preserve at the intersection of Route 25/Dundee Road and Quentin Road. The trees have since created a dense forest around the stone pillars which still stand there today...

...and this commemorative plaque below (1926) welcomes you to Deer Grove Forest Preserve at its bike trail entrance at Dundee and Quentin Roads (click to enlarge):

The plaque states that the forest preserve district “seeks to perpetuate the forests and streams, hills and vales, prairies and fields, for another generation than this.  Thousands of acres of forests skirting Cook County shall remain as the redmen left them -- that the health, strength, womanhood and manhood of our American posterity may benefit by this foresight.  To the athletically inclined there are outdoor sports - to the fishermen well stocked streams - to the floriculturist the wild flowers - to the tourist comfort - to the infirmed hope - to the future, the untrammeled unmolested virgin fields and forests - our tribute to future generations.”

By 1922, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s land holdings had already grown to 21,516 acres and today it encompasses 70,000 acres, 11% of the county!  Over 100 miles of paved trails and over 200 miles of unpaved multi-use trails are available.

The photo below shows the Des Plaines River Trail near Wheeling...

...and below is a fall photo, again on the Des Plaines River Trail...

DuPage County

With the Cook County model before them, the neighboring five counties surrounding Cook County modeled similar county preserves after those of Cook County, beginning with DuPage County’s preserves which were established in 1915 and became the fifth such system in the United States. 

Their first land acquisition was in 1917, the 79 acre York Woods Forest Preserve in Oak Brook. The DuPage preserves currently offer 80 miles of equestrian trails, 145 miles of hiking trails, and 80+ miles of biking trails, including segments of the famous Illinois Prairie Path. The preserve district encompasses 26,000 acres.  

Below is a photo of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien...

...and the Salt Creek Greenway Trail through Cricket Creek Forest Preserve in Addison...

Kane County

In 1925, Kane County’s preserve system was organized and now consists of 22,300 acres in 65 properties.  “Our Mission: To acquire, hold, and maintain lands within Kane County that contribute to the preservation of natural and historic resources, habitats, flora, and fauna; and to restore, restock, protect, and preserve such lands for the education, recreation, and pleasure of all its citizens.”

Below are photos of the windmill in Fabyan Forest Preserve along the Fox River Trail 

just south of Geneva...

...and the bike bridge beneath Route 20 across the Fox River heading to Voyageur’s 

Preserve and Tyler Creek Preserve...

Will County

Will County created their forest preserve system in 1928 and its first acquisition was Messenger Woods in 1930. It now comprises 21,916 acres. and offers over 100 miles of trails.  Their motto is “Bringing people and Nature Together.”

Below is a photo of Old Plank Road Trail...

...and Rock Run Greenway Trail...

Lake County

Lake County’s preserves began in 1957 as a grass roots effort by local resident Ethel Untermyer when her son, Frank, then a mere three years old, asked "to be taken to the woods.”  She began a year-long campaign on her own time and using her old Studebaker to drive the mostly dirt backroads throughout the county, and in 1958, over 60% of the population passed a referendum creating the forest preserve district.  Three years later, Van Patten Woods was created.  The 485 acre “Ethel’s Woods” has been established and named in her honor.  Over 31,000 acres in 65 preserves now encompass the district’s holdings. 

Photos below are the Des Plaines River Trail in the fall ...

...and the Fort Hill Trail in Lakewood Forest Preserve in the former Four Winds Golf Course property...

Below is a photo of a winter snowshoe hike in Lakewood Forest Preserve...

McHenry County

In 1971, a group of ecologically conscientious citizens passed the referendum creating the McHenry County Conservation District.  Their first land purchase was the 50 acre Beck’s Woods Conservation Area in Chemung  in 1974, and their current 32 sites total over 25,000 acres. Their 26 mile long McHenry Prairie Trail is a continuation of the Fox River Trail to the Wisconsin border.

Below is a photo of the Prairie Trail as it climbs hills in the Crystal Lake/Veteran's Acres/Sterne's Woods area...

...and the photo below is the Hebron Trail near the Wisconsin border…

 ...and the following photo is atop the highest kame in Glacial Park, which 

they opened in 1975 (located between McHenry and 

Richmond) along the Nippersink Creek.

Updated 5/30/2019