Yesterday's cycling adventure: I&M Canal trail outside Joliet, IL (photos)

[prolesunited]

I enjoyed a 50-mile scenic trip along the I&M Canal trail yesterday. The weather was gorgeous and the path is nice in that it's very lightly traveled. The trail runs 61-miles end to end, but I just had time to do a small portion.

Unfortunately, I let myself wander a bit too much and forgot how much shorter the days are getting. I just barely made it off the trail before dark and had to pedal like a maniac at the end.

Here's some photos from my trip.



















More here:
http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/Through_My_Eyes/PhotoAlbum89.html

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Now that's

a weekend worth having.

[prolesunited]

9. That was just Sunday

It's my only day off, so I try to plan something special. Housework and yard work be damned. Life and summer are too short. I'll catch up one of these days.

[XNASA]

2. Ah............provincial Illinois.

Is there any thing more......provincial??

Nice pics. I did a little hiking out there a few years ago and a couple of those places look familiar.

Nice day, yesterday.

[prolesunited]

10. Lots of great hiking out that way

I think Buffalo Rock State Park and Starved Rock State Park are among the nicest.

http://www.nps.gov/ilmi/PlanYourVisit/popular_places_pages/parks.htm

[ProfessorGAC]

3. I Live About 10 Miles From There

Sniff! You didn't even shout to the south to let me know!

Hope you had fun.
The Professor

[XNASA]

4. You may live 10 miles from there.......

But you're still 100 miles from nowhere.

LOL!!!!!!!!! :evilgrin:

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Actually, It's Only 94 Miles from Nowhere!

I checked!
The Professor

[prolesunited]

11. I didn't realize that.

It's a very scenic area and I enjoyed it very much. I've done other parts of the trail, closer to Utica and Ottawa. This time I started at Channahan.

[pmbryant]

6. Looks like a very peaceful ride

And is that a great blue heron? Very majestic birds.

So is that lovely trail as uncrowded as it appears?

Peter

[prolesunited]

13. It certainly looks like one

I liked the way the bird's image is reflected in the water below.

The trail is very uncrowded, which made it all the more enjoyable. I saw maybe 20 people on the trail during the whole time I was riding. It goes through towns and park areas, so there were more there, but few on the trail. Quite a few people fishing.

It was so unpopulated, a question about my safety riding alone did enter my mind. I always carry my cell, though, and they would have to catch me first. ;-)

[DonP]

7. Does the I&M connect with other trails?

That looks really beautiful and yesterday was a perfect day for riding.

I live right off the Plank Road Trail in Frankfort and at one point they were going to connect with the I&M, I'm not sure if they ever linked them up though..

Is there a web site with the trails outlined that anyone knows of?

[prolesunited]

15. Yesterday was, indeed, a gorgeous day for riding.

I looked it up. There is not a direct connection, but at the bottom of the page, there are detailed instructions for using streets to navigate the 5 to 6 miles it takes to connect.

I try to avoid riding in the road, but that doesn't seem too bad for a great day trip. I'll probably be back in the fall. I'm sure it will be even nicer. It's about an hour's drive each way, depending on traffic.

http://www.oprt.org/maps/westcon.html

[BiggJawn]

8. Nice! I'm riding the Kal-Haven trail next week....

And I'll remember to take my camera...

No lights?

Oh, didja see my post on my "fun" yesterday with hill intervals?
(I still hurt)

[prolesunited]

17. That sounds nice

I haven't done that one yet. Maybe this fall. Are you going for just the day or is it an overnighter?

I like my hybrid on the limestone trails. I know they're packed good enough for smaller tires, but I feel more stable on the hybrid. Plus, the upright position is better for soaking it all in. On those kinds of jaunts, it's not about speed.

Must have missed your post. Are you having hill trouble? They can be brutal. I use my heart monitor as a gauge. If you push it too hard on one, you're too wiped to do the next. Rather than going anaerobic and building up too much lactic acid, it's better to gear down and keep a fast cadence to let your heart rate go back down.

Here's some good tips:
http://www.cptips.com/climb.htm
http://www.jbst.com/ce_climb.html
http://www.roadcycling.com/news/article558.shtml

Looking forward to your trip report. Have fun!

[BiggJawn]

19. Gonna be there a WEEK!

A whole week away from lawnmowers and VCR repairs and IT departments, and....:-)

I haven't decided what I'm taking with me. Obviously, a road bike, probably the Raleigh, But I don't know if I'll take the MTB or the Fuji. Kal-Haven is a "Rails to Trails" project, so I won't need a super-low gear, but the Fuji has cargo capacity (front and rear).

Here's the thread I was talking about. went to Page Seven w/o a sniff....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=1507645&mesg_id=1507645

I went anaerobic from the spin. 100 RPM, kept up for 3-4 minutes hurts as much as stomping a gear at 40 RPM...And you're right, after the first one that I fried myself on, that was it. Took me an hour to recover to the point I could take another hill. almost called for the truck...
Thanks for the linx, I'll check 'em out!

[Guy_Montag]

12. Just been looking at your webpage.

Your photos are outstanding. :yourock:

[prolesunited]

14. Thanks!

I really have a passion for it. I post them here because people seem to enjoy them. Perhaps one day I'll even try to do something with it.

My two favorites are:
San Diego sunrises/sunsets
http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/Through_My_Eyes/PhotoAlbum64.html

Butterflies
http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/Through_My_Eyes/PhotoAlbum26.html

[Guy_Montag]

16. Can I be a camera bore...

and ask what camera etc. that you use?

[prolesunited]

18. Haha!

Not a bore at all. You'll just probably laugh at me because I'm not using anything special. That's what I mean about getting serious. I would be drummed out of photographer circles.

I shot the trail ones with a Sony Cybershot 3.2 mp and some of the other ones were taken with that and a Cannon G2.

I think I have a knack for seeing good composition. Just think how dangerous I would be if I were using real equipment. :-)