TheRoadScholar » Photos

Dam Good Kayaking on Skokie Lagoons

TheRoadScholar — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:56:14 +0000

Glencoe, IL–What a treat! Record rainfall covered the Skokie Lagoons dams, making it easy to access all ponds without portaging. I paddled from the Tower Road boat launch down to the Willow Road dam first. Cormorants fished in their usual spot at the far south pond. A great blue heron eyed me from his perch atop a bat box, uncertain about my red boat approaching. Paddling back north, I tried to go against the flow of the main dam at Tower Road. Rather than push it, I went around the eastern ponds where a couple of green herons were fishing. It was an easy glide over the northeast dam and to a small set of ponds there. They closely connect to the western ponds, and I slipped out of the kayak and back in on the western side, closest to the bike trail. Magnificent! This water trail leads right up into the Chicago Botanic Garden, just past Willow Road. There you can slip right next to flowering plants and alone with nature. I spied a huge 1-foot diameter turtle sunning himself on a log on my return trip–the first turtle I’ve seen all summer. At one point a red-tailed hawk etched circles over me. Blue and green herons, terns, hawks, cardinals, sparrows, turtles–dam good.

Beautiful Day at Lake Michigan Beach

TheRoadScholar — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:04:23 +0000

Highwood/Highland Park, IL–Beautiful days bring out families, dogs, and outdoors lovers to Lake Michigan beaches. Poke in the sand, check out the crawfish that have been washed up, let your dog get a sip of the cold water. Find your own stretch of beach, your own way to relax.

More Maple Sugar Hikes at Ryerson Woods

TheRoadScholar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:01:26 +0000

: Exhibit inside Welcome Center. Photo by Laurie Borman

Deerfield, IL–Just had to slip in a few more photos of yesterday’s maple sugar hike at Ryerson Woods. Tap 35 trees for 5 gallons of syrup. That’s the pioneer spirit.

Indianapolis vs. New Orleans: It’s Not As Big Easy As You Think

TheRoadScholar — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:29:22 +0000

It’s Super Bowl weekend when the Indianapolis Colts face the New Orleans Saints in Miami. I don’t know much about football, so I was wondering, “What if the game were decided on which city was a better destination to visit?” Now that’s a topic I’m well versed in! And it’s not as Big Easy as you think. Here’s the lineup:

Eiteljorg Museum. Photo by Laurie Borman

Joint Chiefs of Jazz. Photo by Laurie Borman

New Orleans has:

1. Charming architecture. The French Quarter looks quite respectible, given its age and numerous calamities that have befallen the city. There are even walking tours of the quarter, pointing out wrought-iron balcony details. The streetcar runs through the Garden District, a lovely, tree-lined neighborhood that’s home to Tulane University.

2. Amazing food. Katrina dealt a blow to the restaurant business here, but it’s snapped back in shape. This is where Bananas Foster was invented (Brennan’s) and it’s good form to order a Brandy Alexander with your breakfast. Gotta love ‘em.

3. Edgy tours. Join a tour of the above-ground graves in New Orleans’ cemeteries. Since the city is below sea level, bodies would never stay buried if they did it the traditional way. Fascinating stuff. Second lines form at funerals, as people dance and jazz their way to the gravesite.

4. Abundant Jazz. Music is what this city thrives on, almost as much as the food. Just stroll a city street and you’ll hear jazz floating out the doors of bars or catch a street performance. Jean Lafitte National Historic Park, right by Cafe Du Monde (get a tasty beignet but skip the chickory coffee) offers free performances on a regular basis.

5. Mardi Gras. This could be a pro or a con, depending on how you like to party. One of our Chicago suburbs just banned throwing candy from parade floats, so that kind of wild abandon is frowed upon up here. Who doesn’t like a good parade, though? You’ll find glittery plastic throws still handing on trees in the Garden District months after Mardi Gras is over.

And of course, New Orleans continues to rebuild the city that Katrina tore through. You have to love their spirit.

Gondola ride in Indy. Photo by Laurie Borman

Indianapolis

boasts:

1. Clean, pristine, and surprisingly vibrant downtown. Ride a gondola boat in the White River State Park canal, go ice skating where Olympic champions train at Pan Am Plaza, dine on fine steak at St. Elmo’s.

2. Compelling Museums. Oogle the T-Rex and ride an indoor carousel at the world’s largest Children’s Museum, check out native American arts at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, or stroll the lush lawn and admire pieces such as Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE sculpture at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Just outside the city, Conner Prairie Interactive History Park takes visitors back to the early 1800s in a recreated historic settlement.

3. Bike paths galore. Indy’s got greenways. It’s easy to rent a bike and ride the Monon Trail to the neighborhood of Broad Ripple for eclectic art, brew pubs, and local restaurants. Downtown, there are several bike path spokes that head out to other neighborhoods: Massachusetts Avenue Arts District; Fountain Square with duck pin bowling and antique; the University complex. It’s an relaxed ride into history and trails are well marked.

4. Growing restaurant/dining/nightlife options. Indy’s got its own traditions for dining, if not Brandy Alexander for brunch. In addition to St. Elmo’s (listed above), Indy’s downtown hot spots include Slippery Noodle Inn, where there’s music every night and it claims the title of Indiana’s oldest bar (and a former brothel to boot!). For breakfast, sample Cafe Patachou, with tasty omelettes and bakery specials worth waking up for. My favorite is Shapiro’s, a deli serving mile-high corned beef sandwiches and amazing cheesecake. Yes, there’s a lot of chains populating this city, but there are plenty of local options that make it a worthy dining scene.

5. Indianapolis 500. Parades, Mayor’s breakfast, mini-marathons, qualifications. Indianapolis pulls out all the stops for the entire month of May to celebrate the Indianapolis 500. And you can visit the 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway throughout the year to see racecars and learn the history.

It looks like we’re going to have to toss a coin for this one.

Lake Michigan Winter Waves

TheRoadScholar — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:40:23 +0000

Lake Michigan shore in winter. Photo by Laurie Borman

Highwood, IL–

Snowshoeing along Openlands Lakefront Preserve sounds challenging, but the plowed road makes it almost too easy. It’s like walking in an Ansel Adams photo–everything all black and white, and there is the challenge. I’m no Ansel Adams. The beach is no longer a gradual sandy slope, but an icy shelf.

Icy Lake Michigan waves. Photo by Laurie Borman

Openlands Lakefront. Photo by Laurie Borman

South Dakota’s Crazy Horse Memorial Up Close

TheRoadScholar — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:53:30 +0000

Custer, SD–Mount Rushmore’s almost a patriotic shrine, crowds flocking to see the U.S. presidents revered in a mountain’s stone. Back in 1948, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski had a different idea–to carve a Lakota chief into the mountain. Thus began the work of Crazy Horse Memorial, an ongoing effort that the sculptor’s wife and his children continue to carry on. You can see the work from a distance, the head and outstretched arm and part of the horse’s head all that is complete. If the weather is cooperating, splurge to take the trip up to the head and see for yourself the amazing work.

Oregon’s Big Tree

TheRoadScholar — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:17:52 +0000

Cave Junction, OR–Take a winding, winding, winding road up so many hairpin turns that no one counts them to Oregon Caves National Monument. Then get out and walk, walk, walk to the big tree. It’s more than a 3-mile loop with a 1100 ft. elevation gain, meaning there will be some huffing and puffing. You’ll see big slimy snails along the path–unique to this ecosystem–and lots of flowers. But it’s the big tree, towering over everything in this big landscape that will awe you. The tree is the widest girth of a Douglas fir in the state, in an area of old growth. Amazing! These photos were taken in the summer–I wonder what it’s like today, in the middle of winter.

Wounded Knee, South Dakota: The Power of One Word

TheRoadScholar — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:52:19 +0000

Wounded Knee, SD–One hundred and nineteen years ago today, 146 Lakota men, women, and children were massacred here by 365 U.S. troops of the 7th Cavalry. It’s hard to imagine a more shameful event in U.S. history. Yet on this killing field, only the howling wind and few relics commemorate the site. On top of the nearby hill, a mass grave marks the remains where the dead were buried days after the massacre. A blizzard set in the evening of Dec. 29, 1890, and it was several days before the dead could be collected. A pitted and pitiful government sign, originally labeled “Battle of Wounded Knee” stands testament to the events. The word “battle” has been covered over with the word “massacre”. Maybe it’s best that a new sign wasn’t made to replace the offending “battle”. I see how the power of one word can change one’s view of history.

Mass grave at St. Joseph's Church. Photo by Laurie Borman

Joe Whiting, Lakota guide, at Wounded Knee. Photo by Laurie Borman

Biggest Bougainvillea You’ve Ever Seen

TheRoadScholar — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:07:57 +0000

Ft. Myers, FL–While visiting the Edison & Ford Winter Estates recently, I checked out the biggest darn bougainvillea ever. Edison gravitated to the property because of the bamboo trees, a cheap source of filaments for his lightbulbs. But he was experimenting with plants and growing all kinds of wonderful things, including bougainvillea. And now that shrub is like, 80-feet tall. It nearly tops the Royal Palms! I couldn’t even get it all into the photo frame, but it is gorgeous when blooming, isn’t it?

The Most Gorgeous Sky and Tree

TheRoadScholar — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:18:50 +0000

Sanibel Island, FL–My kids call me a tree lover, and it’s true. I can’t get enough of trees and sky. So here’s a favorite of mine, taken at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. December is going to be devoted to a weekly tree photo. Enjoy.