INDIAN CAVES

Natural Cave, maybe 20 feet deep into the rocks

Yesterday I had an appointment to sell fabric at a store in Bourbonnais, Illinois (approximately 50 miles from Chicago)  During my visit I let my customer know that I planned to take hike somewhere nearby before darkness set in)  My customer recommended that I visit the Indian Caves. I parked at Perry Farm Park and set out to see the caves.  I found only one small cave.  I believe that the other cave(s) were accessed by climbing down from the ravine that led to the creek. I did some exploring and after my feet broke through ice and got completely soaked, I lost some of my adventuresome spirit. I did see one cave that was visible from the trail and took a bunch of photos. The temperature seemed warm compared to my 3 mile hike on Sunday morning when it was -2F. Yesterday the temperature was a relative balmy 28°F.  It was plenty cold, and I was wearing 6 layers of clothing and brought better gloves with me. The hike was completed when I had travelled 6 miles.

Recommended parking is located at the Cavalier de LaSalle Park to the North, but is also available at the main parking area for the Perry Farm just off of Kennedy Dr. (Rt. 45) or at Lavesseur Park to the South. 



from geocaching.com

Before this area was settled by pioneers, Native Americans resided here for many centuries along the banks of what is now known as the Kankakee River. The Potawatomi Indians who called this place home actually called the River the "Theatiki", which only through a series of mispronunciations and misspellings became known by the settlers as the "Kankakee" River.

The Bourbonnais Geologic area, locally known as the Indian Caves, is located within the Perry Farm Park along the Kankakee River. The geological area includes the Bourbonnais Creek and ravine and covers approximately 30 acres of land. This area features a dolomite cliff and cave community, rare in the State of Illinois. On September 16, 1996, Governor Jim Edgar authorized the dedication of the Bourbonnais Geologic Area as an Illinois Nature Preserve in an attempt to protect it against vandalism and other destructive activities. It is open year round and its public use is limited to walking, exploring, and observing nature. Please remember to take care when exploring the cliff and creek areas and to take care of this rare natural resource.

The Indian Caves at this site are small, narrow caves that are readily accessible for exploration only to the most daring adventurers. The deepest of the caves is only about 20 feet deep, and requires entry through a very narrow crevice in the rock. Access to the caves can most easily be obtained by venturing back to the trail from the posted coordinates, walking North across the bridge spanning the creek, and following the dirt trail up and over the cliffs to the East. From there it will be evident how to get down into the ravine and ultimately to the caves. You can also follow the trail to the ENE of the posted coordinates, but the trail is not quite as defined and the climb may be a bit steeper..

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This is from inside a small cave that was easy to find.

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Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese, 3 eggs	425	0	21	28	650	2
Essential Everyday - Butter Flavored Grits	500	105	5	10	1,700	5
Quest bar - cinnamon	170	23	7	20	200	1
	1,095	128	33	58	2,550	8
L U N C H
Ham, Turkey, & Cheese on Honey Wheat Bread	620	68	22	44	2,900	16
Fit Crunch - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar	380	27	16	30	320	6
	1,000	95	38	74	3,220	22
D I N N E R
Taco Bell - Hard Shell Taco	850	60	50	40	1,550	5
	850	60	50	40	1,550	5
S N A C K S
DARK COCOA MELTING WAFERS	660	72	39	9	135	63
	660	72	39	9	135	63
Totals	3,605	355	160	181	7,455	98
Your Daily Goal	2,840	355	94	143	2,300	106
Remaining	-765	0	-66	-38	-5,155	8
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g

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Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Bourbonnais Six Mile Hike	102	910
Elliptical Trainer	97	921
Daily Total / Goal	200 / 30	1,532 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	340 / 210	3,557 / 4,130

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I found this on wikipedia regarding the pronunciation of Bourbonnais.

Pronunciation

The original French pronunciation of Bourbonnais came to be Anglicized over time to /bɜːrˈboʊnᵻs/ bər-boh-nəs. In 1974 a state representative from Bourbonnais introduced a resolution "correcting" the pronunciation of the town's name to /bɜːrbəˈneɪ/ burr-bə-nay, closer to the French.

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Although it was cold hiking through the ice and snow on the trails, I kept warm as I was wearing six different layers of clothing.

HIKING IN AMISH COUNTRY

Monday morning, I left Chicago and headed to Middlebury, Indiana for a very productive appointment selling batiks. After I finished, I continued on to Shipshewana to put myself in place for a one day wholesale show on Tuesday. As soon as I checked in, I wasted no time changing my clothes and set out for a hike in Amish country, Shipshewana, Indiana. Since I was in the western portion of the eastern time zone, I got nearly an extra hour of sunlight than I would have enjoyed in Chicago. I made good use of the light, and was able to complete a twelve mile hike.

It looks like I have time travelled to the 1908 when the Cubs has last won the World Series prior to their victory last week. No, it is just me, in 2016 in the heart of Amish country in Shipshewana, Indiana.

I 'discovered' this plaque near Shipshewana Lake.

In Amish country, one has to make sure that you stay out of the way of approaching horse and buggies approaching.

I am a 'city boy' so I found it particularly interesting to be so up close and personal with these horses.

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Other than the occasional horse and buggy or bicyclist, there was not too much traffic on the Amish roads.

Your Food Diary For:

Monday, November 7, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker Grits Instant Original	300	66	0	6	930	0
Whey Protein Bar Chocolate Chip	360	42	12	20	160	29
	660	108	12	26	1,090	29
L U N C H
Subway Footlong Turkey Breast on Wheat	560	92	17	36	1,890	11
Costco - Cheese Pizza Slice	350	35	14	22	685	4
Quest - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough	190	20	9	21	210	1
	1,100	147	40	79	2,785	16
D I N N E R
Subway - Carved Turkey Sandwich	760	86	10	50	1,800	12
Subway - Sun Chips- Harvest Cheddar	210	27	9	4	320	3
	970	113	19	54	2,120	15
S N A C K S
Costco - Chocolate Cake	500	70	33	7	522	44
	500	70	33	7	522	44
Totals	3,230	438	104	166	6,517	104
Your Daily Goal	3,996	499	133	200	2,300	149
Remaining	766	61	29	34	-4,217	45
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,066 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 203.4 lbs in 5 weeks .


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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Monday, November 7, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
TWELVE MILE HIKE SHIPSHEWANA	166	2,236
Daily Total / Goal	166 / 30	2,236 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	166 / 210	2,236 / 4,130

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Today, November 8, 2016 is Election Day in the United States. It is a confusing race as one opponent is a liar and the other is an egomaniac. The confusion stems from the fact that the egomaniac also lies and the liar is also an egomaniac. Never before in the history of the United States have two wildly flawed and unlikeable candidates run against each other. My overwhelming preference is for Donald Trump, as I prefer capitalism to socialism. I prefer conservatism to liberalism. I prefer traditional American values to European values, as I prefer the values of the right to the values of the left. The candidate that I support, Donald Trump has a narrow path to victory. As I watch the election results this evening, it may be a long night or a short night. It will be a short night if it is clear that Trump has lost key states early. One thing is certain, about half of all Americans are going to be more than a bit depressed tomorrow. Either way, a song from R.E.M. may be somewhat appropriate, although  I am not too certain about the 'AND I FEEL FINE' part of the song title. 

CHEROKEE PARK

My travels took me to LaGrange, Kentucky on Thursday afternoon. Before I headed north back to Indiana, I stopped at Cherokee Park in Louisville.

Cherokee Park is a 409-acre (166 ha) municipal park located in Louisville, Kentucky,United States and is part of the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy. It was designed in 1891 by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture along with 18 of Louisville's 123 parks. Beargrass Creek runs through much of the park, and is crossed by numerous pedestrian and automobile bridges. According to The Trust for Public Land, Cherokee Park has 500,000 visitors annually, making it tied for the 69th most popular municipal park in the United States. The park features a 2.4 mile Scenic Loop through the park's pastoral setting featuring rolling hills, open meadows and woodlands with separate lanes for vehicle traffic (one-way) and recreational users. Cherokee Park opened in 1891, has always been a major draw, and was a key factor in sparking development in nearby parts of town.

Cherokee Park was only the beginning and end of my hike. I probably hiked only 5 miles within the park. My complete hike was fifteen miles.

My fifteen mile hike was still in its first quarter mile when I 'discovered' this dragon. (Christensen Fountain)

This photo was taken as the sun was setting, I was in mile 13 of my fifteen mile hike.

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Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, August 4, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Essential Butter Flavored Grits	600	126	6	12	2,040	6
Simple Super 8 Cinnamon Roll	310	48	15	4	550	25
Kelloggs - Raisin Bran Cereal	300	73	2	8	332	28
	1,210	247	23	24	2,922	59
L U N C H
Egg Salad Sandwich on Wheat Bread	350	43	10	13	353	3
	350	43	10	13	353	3
D I N N E R
UNSWEETENED BANANA CHIPS	200	19	12	2	6	1
CHUNKS of ENERGY RAW GOJI	200	30	12	4	10	20
Maple Roasted Cashew	200	14	15	5	38	0
CACAO CRUNCH	200	30	9	5	37	13
WHOLE CASHEWS	200	9	16	6	0	2
Garlic Sesame Sticks	200	15	14	4	438	0
	1,200	117	78	26	529	36
S N A C K S
Jack Links - Small Batch Teriyaki	225	8	4	33	1,350	5
Special K - Special K Protein Meal	170	22	5	12	140	14
CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHEWS	600	60	42	6	75	39
	995	90	51	51	1,565	58
Totals	3,755	497	162	114	5,369	156
Your Daily Goal	4,530	566	151	227	2,300	170
Remaining	775	69	-11	113	-3,069	14
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,600 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 206.1 lbs in 5 weeks    

Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	223	2,600
Daily Total / Goal	223 / 30	2,600 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	776 / 210	11,154 / 4,130

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My hike in Cherokee Park made me think about Senator Elizabeth Warren. She is the 'rocket scientist' from Massachusetts that claims to be an American Indian since she thinks that her great, great, great, great, great, Grandfather was an Indian. Yep, she claims to be an American Indian because she claims to be 1/64th American Indian. And 'they' in the media, and the elite universities of this great country said Sarah Palin was stupid! Since I have now hiked in a park called CHEROKEE PARK - does that make me an American Indian? Now that I have given this more careful thought, I have come to the conclusion that Me and Elizabeth Warren have one thing in common - We are both NOT American Indians. Wait, I have given this still more thought.  Maybe we DO have something in common.  Since it is widely believed that the cradle of civilization, emanated from Africa, perhaps me and Elizabeth Warren are both AFRICAN AMERICANS.  Yeah, that's the ticket. (Now you know why Donald Trump derisively calls this phony - Pocahontas)

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This information came from a Louisville government website.

Christensen Fountain, a unique water feature given to the city by Margarethe Christensen in honor of her late mother, Paulina Christensen. As a child, Christensen immigrated to the United States from Denmark with her family and settled in Louisville. The Christensen Fountain, modeled after a Viking ship and emblazoned with the Danish coat of arms, reflects the family's country of origin, and was indeed inspired by the memorial stone piles that were erected during the Viking Age. 

Christensen Fountain was designed to fit into the hillside and blend in with its surrounding landscape. After its unveiling in October of 1901, The Courier-Journal provided readers with a description of the fountain that emphasizes its relationship to its location: "It is constructed of weather-worn and moss-grown, unhewn stone, of shapes selected to form the desired outline. The stone being taken from near the site, the constructed parts, when weather-worn, will be the same color as the natural rock beds now protruding from the hill surrounding the fountain." 

In its own way, Christensen Fountain reinforces Frederick Law Olmsted's (1822-1903) overarching belief that parks should be constructed to appear natural and not overworked by landscape design. It also combines features of other public works in Louisville, including the large basin originally intended to hold water for horses and the nearby benches for tired park visitors. In 2004, the Fountain underwent a restoration project sponsored by the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Louisville Metro.

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Don't try this at home. LaGrange, Kentucky
My purpose of visiting Kentucky was to see a customer in LaGrange. This town is famous for the fact that an active freight train comes right down through downtown on Main Street approximately 25 times per days, morning, afternoon and night. It is unnerving to see a freight train of scores and scores of freight cars traveling right on main street.  While I was with my customer, I rushed out to take this photo and video.

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THE STREETS ARE PAVED WITH GOLD - found another quarter yesterday.
MONEY FOUND WHILE HIKING...The hobby that pays for itself

07122016 ICE AGE TRAIL 25 CENTS
07202016 DAYTON TWO DIMES, TEN PENNIES
07212016 Cincinnati, one penny
08042016 Louisville, Kentucky QUARTER