I managed a couple
hours away, on a brief stay in northern Illinois in early July. Always looking a good
nature spot to explore, I decided to find a place to see Lake Michigan, which
was under wind advisory with high surf. I’ve never made it up that way to see
any of the great lakes.
I looked over the
map I had of the area and picked Illinois Beach State Park, which as it turns
out was the first nature preserve in the U.S., established in 1964. I like the concept of nature preserves; it's tough now days to find a place that hasn't been uprooted by development. I walked a
loop trail that was just under three miles. The first leg was through a wooded
area with an abundance of wildflowers. Not the ones back home in Georgia that are already
wilted, but with vibrant colors and in full swing. Temps were in the mid
seventies and breezy. After turning and heading back along the other side of
the loop, the wind began picking up, and dunes began to appear. Walking a short
trail to the lake and looking out over the expanse, I felt like I would come up
on a shoreline littered with seashells and crabs, but the lake is freshwater.
Lots of smooth, polished rocks dotted the shoreline.
The winds felt
like gale force a few times as I walked along the water’s edge briefly, and
then rejoined the loop trail and continued walking parallel to the lake. Such a
beautiful area, and so well preserved.
I didn't have my DSLR with me, but the point and shoot did okay. Here are a few images-
