Back to Tilden Park

" I'm back in the saddle again.
Out where a friend is a friend.
Where the long-horn cattle feed
On the lonely jimson weed
Back in the saddle again
I'm riding the range once more
Totin' my old 44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again."



Haven't been hiking for a couple of weeks, so it was great to get back on the trail with Yanni. Yanni is funny, has good perspective, and is very smart. The local college gives me three credits for just hanging around him.

Yanni is very happy. This is because
A) He is glad to be hiking again?
B) He got a new hat?
C) The cheerleaders just walked by?
D) All the above





Now, we are in Tilden Regional Park on this specific hike. (Photos and description are within.) For our 6.3 miles, we hit Jewell Lake after a mile or two and stop to check out the wildlife. Surprisingly, this little "lake" gets an abundance of various animals, fish, and birds. I have some shots of the egrets and herons in a previous blog on Tilden.

We're cruising along and see these - get this - "Red-Eared Slider Turtles." (Remember them as pets?) They are about 8 - 10 inches across and can live to 30 years in the wild. There's a few sliders on the log in the previous pic.

Kids were playing in the water trying to catch these guys.

Although most find discussions of wildflowers akin to watching paint dry, I was thrilled to find three that I had not seen before.

Check out the Wood Rose. On all the hikes we've been on, we had not seen one. Very exciting.

And of course the Teasel. Despite the bum rap this plant gets, I think it looks cool and like a pineapple. This one has a flower skirt and reminds me of Hawaii!

No one likes Teasel and this is always written:
Effects Upon Natural Areas:
Teasel is an aggressive exotic species that has the capacity to take over prairies and savannas if it is allowed to become established. Lack of natural enemies allows teasel to proliferate. If left unchecked, teasel quickly can form large monocultures excluding all native vegetation. Cut-leaved teasel is more aggressive than common teasel and has severely threatened several northern and central Illinois natural areas.

We hiked past this cool flower and upon looking at it, immediately stopped talking about Sports, Guns, and Chicks. We loved it's soft pedals and pretty color. It is a Chaparral Pea.

I should point out that this is a very strenuous hike with a 1,000 foot elevation gain. Only the fittest hikers could make it through this difficult trail.

Yanni likes to keep hiking even after we've reached our destination. In this case it's the top of the hill to the Rotary Club's Peace Grove.

Good views abound, but it was hazy on our day.

Bull Thistles are everywhere and every single one is required to have a bumblebee on it. And every photo of a Bull Thistle must include the bee. It's the law.

We work our way back through the 95 degree heat for our ultimate destination.

Great to be hiking again and to get out among real nature with exotic and rare creatures.