Tag: forest preserve

Fort Sheridan

To continue the topic of the beach-going: the best thing about my current location is that the lake (and the beach) are a ten-minute walk away, and I can go there any time I want, and if I only have thirty minutes, I still go. I love that “the lakefront is Rogers Park backyard.” Once again, you can live in a mansion, or you can be unhoused and live in a tent – the lake is for everyone. With all of this being said (and appreciated), sometimes, a “backyard” analogy is a little bit too direct.

As I mentioned, there was hardly any space anywhere around the beach on Friday, and I thought that my vague idea of going to Fort Sheridan on Saturday is not so bad, because I could also swim at the place where swimming is strictly prohibited. I was looking at the train schedule and going back and forth with this idea, and saying to myself that with all of the amont of work-non-work I have, I absolutely can’t afford to waste half a day; and in any case, I have a beach ten minutes away, and I wanted to go for a long bike ride… But I already figure out the only combination of trains both way that would work for me, and even though I went for a long bike ride, the idea was still there. Then I funny thing happened: I thought that I am still deciding, and realized that I am already packing my backpack for a trip!

If was an amazing outing! It was cooler there than in Rogers Park; the water in that part of the lake was also a little bit cooler, and insanely clear… and there were less than ten people as far as I could see!

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Fort Sheridan: Late Summer

Yesterday was Labor Day, the official end of the summer season. I spent this long weekend balancing matching up on one million in-flight projects, both personal and professional, and making sure this summer had a proper final accord. It was a very busy one, but I took as much of it as I could.

Since the beginning of summer, Igor and I have been planning to go to the Dunes on Labor Day, but then the weather forecast showed dropping temperatures. First, we decided to give up. Then, there were signs of hope, and we decided to go in the afternoon when it should have warmed up. And then, in the morning, it was so cold and windy that I texted Igor to call it off. Besides, I remembered that there was one more thing I hadn’t had time for since May, and I won’t have time till mid-October: going to Fort Sheridan. So I decided to go there in the afternoon.

Since I was going North and close to the Lake, I was sure it would be colder there (as it usually is), so I even put an extra layer in my backpack. Forgot about the lake effect :). To my surprise, it was much warmer than in Rogers Park, and it was even less windy.

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Fort Sheridan In May

Even in May, you can still see that Fort Sheridan is further to the North than Rogers Park – although everything is green, the prairie flowers are just starting to bloom, and in most cases, I can only guess what is about to bloom in a couple of weeks.

Fall Colors At Fort Sheridan

I went to Fort Sheridan for the second time, and this time, I liked there even more. Yes, it’s not as close to me as Deer Grove was when I lived in Palatine, but when I am there, I feel so good! I am inhaling the feeling of being there, being united with Nature. Yes, I am a city girl, but I miss the forest and the prairie, and as it turned out that time, I miss the prairie the most!

Last time, it was my first exploration, and this time, I ventured into more different paths, and made a bigger loop, and walked and walked! I decided that I was not trying to “make” the next train, and I would stay there as much as I wanted, and if anything, there is always Uber.

Fort Sheridan has some similarities with Deer Grove – the prairie in the middle and the surrounding forest, but the presence of the Lake makes a gigantic difference! Also, I noticed that even though nature restoration is in the initial stage, there are way fewer invasives (I think it’s because there was never a farm! )

And now, I am done with talking and switching to the pictures showing!

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Camping

I spent a weekend in a very non-typical way for me: camping with Anna, the girls, and Anna’s friends in the Harrington Beach National Park. camping is not my kind of activity, but since this weekend was supposed to be girls’ weekend, and since I already cleared it out, and since after twelve days of complete and partial isolations, I was eager to do something outside the house and my comfort zone in general, I went for it.

It was great, although the heavy rain on Saturday night made it challenging, and at some point, we all were unsure whether it was a good idea. Then the rain stopped, and we had a great time by the campfire (and we had a really nice walk before the rain started). there was more rain during the night, but at about 8-30 AM, the sun went out, and life was beautiful again:).

I enjoyed the nature walk and being close to Lake Michigan at yet another point. 🙂

It was close to impossible to pass this apple tree and not to pick even one apple, not even the ones lying on the ground!
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Lion’s Den Forest Preserve

I spent a day in Milwaukee with my girls, and at my request to do some nature, we went to Lion’s Den Forest Preserve. It was amazing! The best thing I could imagine, and the thing which is impossible in Illinois: both the Lake and the Nature preserve in one place! I took tons of pictures, although I fully understand that the pictures don’t convey the true beauty of the bluff. As Anna put it: that’s how Lake Michigan looked before the white people came. Breathtaking views!

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Finding Nature

On Saturday, I did what I had planned to do for a very long time: I took Metra to Chicago Botanic Garden. I love the Botanic Garden, and I often went there when I lived in Palatine, but taking public transport there appeared to be not as easy as I initially thought.
There is a bus from Howard, but it takes a relatively long time and does not run on Sundays. And in any case, I feel extremely dizzy when I ride on a bus for a long time. As for Metra, I knew that I would need to walk fon the station to the Botanic Garden, and I could not decide whether I should take a bike with me or walk, and ended up not going at all.
Finally, I decided to choose a day when I would go, and that day was July 1.
I took a train from Ogilvie after my escorting shift; it was drizzling most of the day, but didn’t pore, so I kept walking.
The most exciting part, however, was that I found the Forest Preserve! While it takes more than twenty minutes to get to the garden entrance, the Forest Preserve is right there, you get off the train, and here you are!

The pleasure of walking the trail in the woods was even more than seeing the familiar sites of the Botanic Garden (although the Garden was great!)

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In Milwaukee With Anna & Family

I spent most of the last weekend with Anna & family in Milwaukee. There was no special occasion, not big plans – we just wanted to get together. 

Also, after a long wait and anticipation, I was finally able to take Amtrak to Milwaukee. It’s tons better than it used to be taking the Van Galder bus to Madison! The ride is about 1.5 hours and very comfortable, with WiFi and electric plugs by every seat 🙂

The thing I enjoyed most was the water quality monitoring. Anna is involved with the Milwaukee Riverkeeper project, and she asked me whether I would like to go with her and Nadia to do the measurements. 

It was so interesting! She has a whole case of scientific instruments and chemical reagents and the instruction book from the program. The monitoring includes measuring the water temperature, transparency, oxygen level, and more. 

I enjoyed this experience on many levels: 1) it is super cool that volunteers can participate in a real scientific project, 2) it is so important for the environment 3) I enjoyed doing something important together with Anna and Nadia 4) I was in a forest preserve, which I really miss!

I need to figure out how to get out to nature even when I am in the city!

For The Last Time…

There were lots of “for the last time” this weekend.

Last time to Palatine Farmer’s Market:

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Deer Grove – For The Last Time

I still hope to make one last work day with Friends of Deer Grove, but one thing for sure – today was the last time I scouted my spring area as a Weed Scout.

I took mom with me, so that she could also see the part of the forest preserve she usually does not see. I l spotted beautiful spring flowers.

And I performed my last act of service to the Forest Preseervee – pulled out a dozen of garlic mustard plants!

Also, I educated several passerbys about invasives and why we are fighting Garlic mustard, which I guess was also an act of service.

I will miss Deer Drove, and all the people with whom I volunteered there for seven years…