STARVED ROCK

STARVED ROCK STATE PARK is approximately 90 miles from Chicago.  The park is known for its many canyons within its 2600 acres.  The park is located near the small village of Utica in LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the Illinois River.   The park attracts over two million visitors each year which is tops among the the state parks in Illinois.  This park is a hikers paradise offering over 12 miles of trails.  Yesterday, our family walked 5 miles on the trails (and steps) visiting some of the scenic overlooks which towered 125 feet above the river and we also ventured deeper into the woods to see some of the famous canyons.   We spent the most time at LaSalle Canyon which  is one of two canyons that has at least a trickle of water that flows year round.   It is not too difficult for me to wonder why it never occurred to me to visit this park before - in fact, I am sure that I know the reason.  Men who are 309 pounds don't look for recreational opportunities that involve strenuous hiking.  In fact, men who are 309 pounds don't look for recreational opportunities that involve moving too much at all.   One more reason that I am happy to no longer be a man who weighs 309 pounds.

We left Chicago, promptly at 6:00AM for the nearly two hour drive. Our visit to the park yesterday started at 8:00AM.  We ate breakfast at the Starved Rock Lodge which was built by the CCC in the 1930's. (Civilian Conservation Corps)   At 9:30AM we started our pre-arranged tour which was a 'land and sea' package of sorts.   We took a trolley which first went to the Visitor's Center where we saw a 15 minute film about Starved Rock and its history. We re-boarded the trolley and continued on a tour of Utica (all two blocks of it) and then we visited the visitors center of a lock and dam on the Illinois River before boarding The Belle of the Rock, an authentic Coast Guard licensed paddlewheel tour boat.   After an extremely relaxing 'boat trip' on the Illinois River we returned to the lodge for lunch.   After lunch we set out for the trails.

Father/Daughter standing behind the trickle of waterfall at LaSalle Canyon, Starved Rock State Park

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 Sunday MENU

breakfast   oatmeal, crispbread, granola, goji, figs, apples                 1397 calories
lunch         half pound Angus Burger (Starved Rock) two apples        616 calories
dinner       Fresh Thyme Salad, green peas, Kahuna, mango, wasabi 1001 calories

total calories consumed 3605 calories

calories burned

elliptical machine 92 minutes, manual, level 20              1812 calories

(I did not purposely cut back on my intensity of workout on Saturday, however after two 90 minutes sessions on Saturday, and an all-day long excursion to Starved Rock State Park - I clearly had run out of gas and was running on fumes by the time that I got back on the elliptical machine at 9PM last night)

CALORIES BURNED 1812 CALORIES

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Saturday net calories 1793 calories
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We arrived at the park entrance approximately 8:00AM

Mother/Daughter taking a break at LaSalle Canyon

Eagle Cliff Overlook

My daughter is hiding in plain sight in the middle of this photo

 BELLE OF THE ROCK 

Starved Rock Trolley parked outside the Starved Rock Lodge

There is an 'Indiana Jones' quality to wooden steps in the woods

My wife generally does not disobey 'Don't Walk' traffic signals even if there is no car within sight. Ironically, my wife had no problem leading our expedition of three across a portion of the trail that was closed as the bridge was 'out.'  As you can see, we survived.   My daughter posed for a picture just to insure that I didn't forget this small detail!  

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HOW DID STARVED ROCK GET ITS NAME?

This synopsis of the explanation for how Starved Rock got its name comes directly from starvedrockstatepark.org

The park derives its name from a Native American legend. In the 1760s, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe, was attending a tribal council meeting. At this council of the Illinois and the Pottawatomie, Kinebo, the head chief of the Illinois tribe stabbed Chief Pontiac. Vengeance arose in Pontiac’s followers. A great battle started. The Illinois, fearing death, took refuge on the great rock. After many days, the remaining Illinois died of starvation giving this historic park its name – Starved Rock.

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HOW WAS STARVED ROCK FORMED?

This article is reproduced from mywebtimes.com

Geology is responsible for Starved Rock

by Derek Barichello, derekb@mywebtimes.com  (May 25, 2011)

Geology is pressure over time.  Starved Rock State Park took millions of years for its sandstone to form and thousands to be carved into the waterfalls and box canyons today.  While the legends of the park add lore to the scenery, the canyons, bluffs, overhangs and waterfalls are what continue to bring people to the state park, according to Pam Grivetti, president of the Starved Rock Foundation. There are 18 canyons in the six-mile park. "It's a beautiful park," she said. "Illinois is filled with prairie and farms and all of a sudden right here, you have Starved Rock."The sandstone at Starved Rock was formed during the Ordovician time period in geology when the land was actually south of the equator.The local uplift was brought about by the formation of the La Salle Anticlinorium. Due to the erosion of Devonian and Silurian ages, the time period for the formation of the La Salle Anticlinorium is estimated during the Mississippian period, according to a Northern Illinois University study.The area was then covered in a glacier during the Wisconian glaciation during the Ice Ages. This left most of Illinois flat but thanks to a flood called the Kankakee Torrent, Starved Rock land remained more similar to how it looked before the Ice Ages. This flood caused the Illinois River to swell and caused the park to collect bedrock and glacier deposits. Erosion continues at a much slower pace comparative to what the major floodwaters did. "Field observations indicate that ice and flooding may be the two most powerful erosive forces at work on the canyons," said Davina Wolfe, who has studied Starved Rock at the Department of Geology at Ball State University. "These observations suggest that seepage erosion may be the dominant erosional force in the late winter."You can see the effects water has had on the sandstone by looking at the rocks below you," Wolfe said. "The sandstone displays an uneven surface because some areas are cemented stronger than others."

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