Staying On Our Toes

Bunny here at the keyboard to share our Sunday hike. 

I was worried we weren't going to get to go hiking this weekend.  Saturday was bitter cold and Mom and Dad cancelled the family hike we were supposed to do with our cousins, which was disappointing, but when we saw Lilac's pee freeze before it hit the ground in the turn out pen, we were willing to forgive Mom and Dad.

Sunday the weather was a lot nicer, so Mom and Dad got bundled up and packed up our gear and we headed off.  This time we hiked to Illinois Canyon in Starved Rock State Park.  The canyon is known for its beautiful waterfalls and we were hoping to catch some more pretty pictures.

There were actually a lot of small waterfalls all along the trail.  They made for some really interesting ice formations in some places.  We saw one spot where the leaves looked like they'd been turned to crystal.

Most of the trail was pretty easy walking, but we did have to brave walking across the frozen creek several times.  I'm proud to say that my first attempts at ice skating were quite successful and I didn't fall once.  Morgan made it across every time, as well.

We saw several other people and dogs while we were out on the trail, too.  Sadly, not all of them had as much respect for the surroundings that we did.  We were glad we got some of these cool waterfall pictures on our way out because on the way back a man was letting his kids break the icicles off.  I guess they didn't think anybody else would want to appreciate them.

When we finally arrived at the Illinois Canyon, we were a little disappointed.  The waterfall wasn't nearly as impressive as the one in the St. Louis Canyon last weekend.  It was still pretty, though, and the sound of the water burbling under the ice was fun to listen to.

On the way back, Morgan and I practiced our rock climbing.  I think I might have gotten just a teeny bit higher than she did, but I'm not sure.  It sure was a great view from way up there.

If you followed our hikes last summer, you might remember that almost every one that we went to had a wedding happening.  Well, would you believe that there was a bridal fair at the lodge this weekend?  I guess they're all planning to have their weddings at our hiking spots again this year.  I can't say that I blame them.  We've hiked in some of the most beautiful spots in our area and I can see why people would want to start their new lives together in those places. 

Our hike was definitely a great break from the Winter doldrums.  What do all of you like to do to relax and enjoy Winter?  Also, Morgan has started her own blog.  I think she plans on mostly writing about our hikes.

I'd also like to say how very sad we are that The Luke is no longer with us.  He was a special boy with a golden heart.  We send our very heartfelt condolences to his mom and The Bleu.  Hug your hounds and cats -- you never know how short or long your time together might be! 

Frozen Waterfalls

Bunny here at the keyboard sharing our first adventure of the new year.

Some of you may remember that Morgan and I really wanted to hike back into Saint Louis Canyon in Starved Rock State Park this winter to see the frozen waterfall.  It was one of our big goals for hiking this year.  We'd planned to go on New Year's Day, but Mom and Dad were both sick, so we went on Sunday instead. 

I have to say that we chose our timing perfectly.  We had our third snowiest December in history here.  We've had more than seventeen inches of snow total for the month.  Then, on Thursday and Friday it warmed up.  As a matter of fact, Friday it was almost sixty degrees and we had crazy thunderstorms, although we were spared the tornados that they had to the South of us.  All that rain washed the snow right away.  Then on Saturday and Sunday, it got cold and freezing again.

Hiking through the canyon was more treacherous than usual.  Lots of places were solid ice.  Combine that with a cliff off to the side and it did make us proceed with quite a bit of caution.  As a matter of fact, Dad even fell once.  Sorry, no photos of that this time, but one of these days soon, I'll get one.

We were surprised that lots of people decided to hike down the canyon with dogs.  We saw more dogs there than I think we ever have before.  It was pretty cool to see so many people enjoying nature with their pups in the New Year.  Morgan would like it to be known that she was the only dog on the trails with no coat on. 

After we hiked and skated our way down the trail, we finally got to the waterfall.  Let me tell you, it was worth all that slipping and sliding!  I am so glad we made it down there.  It was like seeing something from a magical realm. 

We even shot a short movie so you could hear what it sounds like as the water falls down the ice.  It's still hard to believe that any sort of violence could happen in such a pristine place.  We really felt like it was a good sign that 2011 will bring all sorts of wonderful and magical experiences.

Dad was so impressed that he thought about taking off work on Monday and going back.  It was just that cool, no pun intended!  So, who else is accomplishing their goals for the new year?

Return To Starved Rock

Bunny here at the keyboard to share our Saturday hike.

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and headed back to Starved Rock State Park.  This time, we went to a different part of the park to see the spectacular canyons on the other side from where we were before.  There weren't as many people there as we saw before, but still quite a few.  Wouldn't you know it, there was a wedding there again, too!  Dad laughed about that, because we can't remember the last weekend we went out and didn't see a wedding.  I can't say that I blamed whoever was tying the knot of matrimony, though, because it sure is a beautiful place.

We went to the canyons this time because they are harder to hike.  This was all part of Mom and Dad's nefarious plot against Morgan.  You see, in our village, the trick or treat hours were set for Saturday night and Mom and Dad put a lot of faith in the saying that "a tired Shepherd is a good Shepherd."  So, the plan was to give us a good work out so that Morgan wouldn't make some little kid pee their pants on our front porch. 

Finally, we saw a rock!  We've been looking for a good one for a couple of weeks now, just to give it a try.  We can't top K and R or The Thundering Herd, but we did give it our best shot in Saint Louis Canyon.

Saint Louis Canyon is an interesting place.  Many years ago, when Grandpa was a little boy, there was a shocking murder committed in the canyon in March of 1960.  Three women from a Chicago suburb were found killed and a young man, Chester Weger, was convicted of the crimes. 

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding the case from the time it was committed up until the present day.  Anyroo, one of mom's relatives was one of the jurors, so she's heard many tales about it as she grew up.  It's hard to believe something so awful could have happened in such a beautiful place.  There are rumors that the canyon is haunted, but we didn't see any signs of any ghosts while we were there, fortunately.

I will tell you all one thing.  We definitely came back from that hike feeling tired.  It was definitely worth it to see the beautiful canyons, though! 

Not Your Ordinary Greyhound Tackles Starved Rock State Park

During the long holiday weekend, we were blessed with some absolutely beautiful weather.  We did quite a bit of hiking and hopefully we won't bore you with all the hiking pictures and stories.  Saturday we hiked closer to home since Mr. Taleteller and Morgan had class in the morning.  That allowed us to take Blueberry along, since Farmdale Park isn't a difficult place to hike.  Sunday we decided to venture out to Starved Rock State Park.  This time, it was only Morgan and Bunny who went, because neither Mr. Taleteller nor I are up to carrying a seventy pound Greyhound out of those canyons.

I visited Starved Rock often as a kid and I am well familiar with its history.  The park is comprised of eighteen canyons formed by glacial meltwater.  The Illiniweks, actually a subtribe known as the Kaskaskias, were in residence there in 1673 when two French explorers, Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette came and laid claim to the land.  Later, in the winter of 1682-83 Fort Saint Louis was built because it commanded such control over the Illinois River.  However, in the early 1700s raids by the Iroquois forced them to abandon the fort and move south to where Peoria is now located and build Fort Pimitoui.  Fort Saint Louis continued to be used by traders and fur trappers until the late 1720s, but then all but the barest remains of the fort were gone.  The park takes its name from a sad tale of retribution amongst the Illini tribes.  In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe was slain by a member of the Illiniwek tribe while attending a council meeting in southern Illinois.  There were battles fought to avenge his killing.  During one of the battles, a tribe of Illiniwek fled up the sandstone cliffs and were surrounded by the Potowatomi and Ottawa tribes.  There was no way for the Illiniwek to escape, and finally, they all either starved to death or jumped to their deaths in the Illinois River.  It was forever after known as Starved Rock.

As we hiked through the trails, I was extremely impressed by Bunny.  At one point, we were asked by someone about her athletic abilities and if she was as muscular as she is because of her training to race.  Mr. Taleteller informed them that "she's not your ordinary Greyhound" and that many don't like to be as active as she is.  It is now, at this point in her life, that I am extremely glad that I got her at such a young age.  She's been able to be on the go from such a young age that it has helped her a lot, but I think a lot of it is just her personality, too.  Blueberry has never been as excited to go to new places as Bunny has.  Bunny is always willing to go and give it her best shot.  At one point, she was forging ahead of Morgan on the endless stairs that we had to climb up and down.  She never batted an eye about giving things a try, and carried her Wolf Pack the entire way.

Morgan also did extremely well.  Her Wolf Pack isn't here yet, but it's on its way, so she wore another pack today to get used to things.  She was really social with people, which was a relief since the park was packed.  Many people asked to pet her, and Morgan was fine with all of them except one.  There was one man that she just wasn't having any part of letting touch her, and honestly, that's much better than we expected from her.

We were thrilled to see a lot of people there with dogs, too.  We saw everything from a giant black Great Dane to a Chihuahua who was being carried more than he was walking.  A lot of people commented on Bunny, talked to her and petted her.  She loved every minute of it!  I was surprised to note that we met people from Russia, Mexico, Canada, Japan and Germany and they were all charmed by our tiny girl.  She certainly doesn't suffer shyness or lack of ability to make friends.

It was so nice to be able to be out and experience the outdoors with the girls.  We visited French Canyon and felt very small.  The girls both cooled off their feet in the water there, and we took a break to drink some water. 

The girls were impressed to see some local wildlife.  Fortunately, it was a toad and a squirrel this time.  The bears that used to live in this area have moved on.  Morgan and Bunny certainly were ready to help the squirrels relocate, too.

All in all, we hiked over two hours and about six miles, so the girls were real troopers.  That was a lot farther than they've gone before, and the terrain was a lot more strenuous, too.  The best part was that after we had so much fun, we brought home some very tired dogs.  We will definitely be going back soon to admire the Fall colors!