Starved Rock State Park

Trip legs (latest at top):

19 Aug 04 – Starved Rock State Park, Illinois
This morning we break camp and leave Turkey Run State Park in Indiana to head northwest. We cross into Illinois and stop at a rest stop on the interstate. We decide to make lunch there even though it's cool, windy, and overcast. We fire up our stove and make chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We are the only ones using picnic tables, much less having hot lunch. Any other time I would have just chosen an exit and gotten a big cheeseburger, which would be more expensive but less time-consuming. Today we are both enjoying our ability to create meals when and where we want.

Rest Stop Lunch
The princess waits to be served.

We arrive at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois, set up camp, and at 4pm decide to go hiking for a couple hours, as tomorrow it is supposed to rain. Starting at the visitor center we hike up to Starved Rock, where legend has it that a band of Illini Indians were starved to death after they killed a rival band’s chief. There is a terrific view from the boardwalk which surrounds the perimeter of Starved Rock. Immediately below in the Illinois River is Starved Rock Dam and Lock. Tomorrow when the weather is crummy we can check out the visitor’s center for the Lock.

Starved Rock Dam and Barge
View from geologic formation known as Starved Rock. This is the mighty Illinois River.
Dam Shadows
Kinda artsy, huh?
Barges from Beehive
We are looking at the Illinois River from Beehive Overlook. These barges are just upstream of Starved Rock Dam and Lock. The barge on the right is steaming upstream after completing its lock passage, while the barge on the left is waiting to use the lock to proceed downstream.

We continue hiking to Lover’s Leap Overlook, Eagle Cliff Overlook, and Beehive Overlook. Each affords a view of the river, and differing views of the dam and lock. From Beehive I try the fancy panorama mode of my camera, and one day will try the software to stitch all the pictures together. We also manage to find the trail to Pontiac Canyon even though it is not marked. On the way back into the campground we drive by a flock of wild turkey, 2 adults and 5 juveniles.

Pontiac Canyon
The trail to this canyon is little used, probably because their is no signage where the trail splits off. However, I have a Buick, so finding Pontiac Canyon was child's play.
Wild Turkeys
There were seven of these turkeys, but they took direction extremely poorly and I could only get five in a shot that was focused.

We meet our camping neighbors when Dovid and part of his family drive up in their van-of-many-colors. I take one look at his van and think to myself “there is no way to make this stuff up.” Later in the evening we toast our conventional marshmallows over Dovid’s fire, while his family toasts Kosher gelitin-based marshmallows, and we learn a little about Jewish dietary law. We told him about our trip and he suggested we start a weblog! :-) Dovid is in the final stages of becoming a life coach, specializing in relationships between dads and sons. Dovid’s own son and daughters were very pleasant, well-behaved kids. We stay up until 11 talking about educating kids and Dovid’s background planning Outward Bound-type adventures for kids.

20 Aug 04 – Starved Rock Dam and Lock
We get up tired due to the late evening before. After breakfast I am dying to get some pictures of Dovid’s van, but he, his son, and his son’s friend are obviously immersed in prayer, and I don’t want to interrupt them. The sight of them dressed in ritual garb in the campground is incongruous and wonderful. Finally, after I think they are done, I go over and tell Dovid of my desire to get a picture. and he tells me to get my camera. Then, as part of a prayer he blows a ram’s horn, right in the middle of a campground morning. I get my picture, then learn of the Binding of Isaac. If I were to become Jewish I would like to learn from someone like Dovid, he is an empathetic and enthusiastic teacher.

Dawn: What I liked about Dovid was his peaceful approach to life. And I felt he was very warm. His kids were very generous. That says a lot about a person.

We spend most of the rest of the day at the Army Corps of Engineers Illinois Waterway Visitor Center at the Starved Rock Dam and Lock. We take a lot of pictures and ask a lot of questions, but the write-up on the lock will have to wait until we have more time.

Breakfast in the Rain
This is really a glamorous lifestyle. What we don't know yet is to appreciate the fact that it is not freezing outside.
Dovid Blows his Horn
This is a ram's horn Dovid is sounding. Of course the whole campground can hear it, which makes it all the more fun.
Dovid's Van Back
Dovid's Van Left Side
Dovid's Van Hood
Dovid's Van Roof
Dovid and his Family
What a nice bunch of people.
Dovid's Van Right
Dovid's Van Interior
You can reach Dovid, a personal coach, at www.DovidGrossman.com or www.coachville.com

21 Aug 04 – Meeting the Great Blue Heron
We start the driving to the trailhead farthest east in the park. We get a taste for the next 2 days of hiking as we pass the tan and brown sandstone cliffs. When the ice sheet covering this part of Illinois retreated 11,000 years ago it exposed this layer under the harder bedrock. Because this layer is softer it erodes faster than the bedrock, and the resulting sandstone cliffs and promontories are extensive and beautiful.

Canyon Wall
Sandstone.

Suddenly, as we turn a bend in the path, we notice a waterfowl in the creek ahead. We are pretty sure it is a heron, but not sure which kind. I get a couple great pictures as we slowly and quietly approach it. Suddenly with a loud squawk it arises and takes flight. As there are sheer cliff walls on either side of us, the heron must head either directly toward or away from us, and it chooses to fly directly towards Dawn. Only 10 feet in the air, it’s blue color and huge six-foot wingspan reveal it as a Great Blue. It soundlessly passes within 30 feet of Dawn, who gets pretty excited by the encounter.

Great Blue Heron
In the stream leading to Illinois Canyon.
Downy False Foxglove
With bee.

We enter Illinois, Kaskaskia, and Ottawa Canyon, Council Overhang, and Hennepin Overlook and Hennepin Canyon. The canyons are all different, but basically they’re all big chasms of sandstone carved out by streams. This time of year the streams are mostly or completely dry. We see photos of some of the canyons in winter, where they build up big pyramids of ice as the base of the waterfalls. This area must be gorgeous with autumn leaves, or after a spell of below-freezing temperatures.

We stop to photograph some orange and tan mushrooms, and discover a small toad hiding under the leaf litter. Continuing on, Dawn notices what she believes to be a dead cicada which never completely emerged from its shell. It must be newly dead, as the insect is green and plump. It appears the wings never completely formed, and I theorize it was not able to pull itself out. We take pictures, but getting ready to leave I notice its little legs twitching occasionally…. it’s alive.

Hidden Toad
They generally hold pretty still so you can get a close photo.
Cicada Emerging
Malformed wings will keep this one from ever completely emerging. He's alive but stuck.
Council Overhang
This place is so big it is hard to convey with a camera. Just wandering around inside, you can feel the sand from the ceiling fall onto your hair.
Canyon
As yet unidentified.

We spend about 5 hours hiking today, but since we got a bit earlier start we are back at camp about 3pm. This gives us time to catch up on phone calls with family and download pictures from the camera to the laptop. We have not yet figured how to find time for all the individual projects we want to accomplish on this trip, and we start talking about how to arrange our days to find more time for personal projects at camp.

Rough Blazing Star
This could perhaps also be Appalachian Blazing Star.
Blue Wildflower
As yet unidentified.

22 Aug 04 – More Canyons, More Overlooks
We allow ourselves 4 hours for hiking before we return to the campground to strike camp. Today is an out and back from a trailhead to the visitors center, but we declare victory when we make it to the Inn instead. On our way a fellow hiker advises us to watch for white tail deer by the trail. We soon see a doe and 3 fawns, none of which appear to be concerned about nearby hikers. I am not sure how long a fawn stays with its mother, but only one of the fawns appears to have the white spots of a juvenile.

Canyon
As yet unidentified.
Doe in Forest
There was a doe and three fawns in the forest, but they wouldn't cooperate for a group photo. I believe they are all white-tailed deer.

We eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out on the deck, but the waitress leaves us alone as we are obviously not paying customers. We clear out when a horde of bikers start looking for a place to sit. Starved Rock is a popular destination for Chicago motorcyclists, and on a nice summer day it is easy to see why. The inn was a CCC project in the 1930’s, but to my taste it is really not very interesting architecture. I’ve seen a lot of other CCC work I thought a lot more impressive, even some stone picnic shelters that were amazing.

We retrace most of our steps back to the car but some alternate trails take us to Tonti and LaSalle Canyons. There are among the most impressive canyons we have seen on our visit, so in a way we unknowingly saved the best for last.

Tonti Canyon
LaSalle Canyon
Red Berries
As yet unidentified.

We break camp at Starved Rock, pack up and return to Dawn’s mom’s house in Chicago. We need to eliminate some of the equipment we are carrying, get some stuff we forgot or decided would be useful, and take care of some financial loose ends.