Today's Adventures

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today we went up to visit Dad.

We got lunch from Captain D's.  It's a favorite seafood place.  Breaded shrimp. okra chunks, and French fries.  <3

On the way up, I spotted an eagle nest.  It wasn't occupied, but they're pretty distinctive -- a massive pile of branches high up in a tree, further corroborated by its location next to a creek.  A bald eagle nest typically starts out around 5-6 feet wide and can get twice as big over time.  So, they're at least trying to reproduce.  This is the first nest I've seen, though.  :D

I packed up a bag of Mom's clothes to give away.  This time I think we'll drop it at Goodwill since I got an armload of clothes from there.  The gift must move.

We picked up donuts on the way home.  We also stopped at Dollar General where I found a 3-wick candle and two large self-watering pots.  There were also huge pots really cheap, which I didn't pick up, because I wasn't sure where they'd fit.  I should've grabbed a couple and then  figured out where to put them.  Eh, we can check a store closer to home for some.

Not a very exciting day, but we got some stuff done.

Comments

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Central Illinois, United States of America.

Re: Yes ...

[catlin36]

You are so lucky to get to see stuff like that.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Totally. Bald eagles were extirpated from here years ago. In the last few years they have been returning. Now I often see them more than once a year -- I've already seen a pair. :D It's very exciting.

I suspect that our 1000+ acre nature reserve near the local lake is playing a role, because the eagles started reappearing around the time it got really big and contiguous. (Grand Prairie Friends has been accruing patches of land in at least two counties for over 10 years, I think.) It's the kind of territory they like. This isn't the only place I've seen them. There's a big marsh park up near Dad's house that would also make excellent eagle territory.

Re: Yes ...

[catlin36]

Is there a map online somewhere that shows where the nature reserve is? My hubby and I take a yearly trip, would be cool to see areas like that.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Here is the page with all our reserves:
https://www.grandprairiefriends.org/places-we-protect

This is the big one:
https://www.grandprairiefriends.org/Preserves/warbler-ridge-conservation-area

Area map of Warbler Ridges and other natural sites:
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0db104_0aa427c062c549b6bcb3beb4b1202403~mv2.jpeg

Trail map of Warbler Ridges:
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0db104_73f543a3ada941be9359b460f51b5a2e~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_626,h_713,al_c,lg_1,q_90/0db104_73f543a3ada941be9359b460f51b5a2e~mv2.png

Hike app and its supporting materials:
https://www.grandprairiefriends.org/hike-app

https://www.grandprairiefriends.org/_files/ugd/0db104_eb6de6b30c524af3ae970ad2b238bdb1.pdf

https://www.grandprairiefriends.org/_files/ugd/0db104_17deabc2b2e041d6b03ed81325a0ab3c.pdf


There are lots of other nature-viewing sites in the area, like Lake Charleston (which has a path across it you can walk) and Fox Ridge (which you can drive through if the weather sucks). There's also Lincoln Log Cabin if you're into historic sites.

These are pictures from our last trip to the lake:
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14320486.html

I don't recommend Douglas-Hart in Mattoon anymore, last time we were there the trees screeched at us and threw things at our heads. 0_o People have cut too many gaps in the forest for activity areas, and well, to the trees all two-legs look alike.

Also in the last several years, a number of local farmers have put in prairie patches, ranging from half an acre to one that's probably 10+ acres. We've seen them driving around in summer when the power and/or air conditioning was out. Late spring through summer will have different types of wildflowers blooming. Fall has decent leaf color most years. Hiking is typically good in spring and fall. Much of summer is too hot for us, YMMV.

If you get a hotel room in Coles County or nearabouts, you'll be within easy driving distance of many natural and cultural attractions for a fun trip. And it's nowhere near as expensive as some of the busy, crowded places can get. Stuff here tends to be quiet and picturesque.

Re: Yes ...

[catlin36]

Thanks for all the info. Which ones would you recommend for someone who uses a walker and/or cane?

Lincoln is my favorite President. Is there a link for his log cabin?

I don’t blame the trees at all for being upset, that sort of thing is happening everywhere. It’s sad, we need the trees, so do wildlife.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Thanks for all the info. Which ones would you recommend for someone who uses a walker and/or cane? <<

The lake for sure. You can pull into the parking lot and walk on pavement past the butterfly gardens to the path over the water, which is a great view. There are sidewalks upslope to the playground and stuff. When you get to the fork in the path, the gravel one to the left is not what I'd call stable, it's the straight-ahead paved one you want.

Fox Ridge has a bunch of different picnic and camping areas where you can pull over and look around on flat space. Some of the pavilions have sidewalks to them.

Grand Prairie Friends reserves are rustic, critter-first places. When we started there were no trails, just deerpaths. Thanks to some grants, people have been bushwhacking for several years, so now there are trails. Some parts are steep, others more level. There's a river road you can walk along that's not paved but is wide and fairly flat, but it floods out in wet weather. I've seen lynx tracks down there. Most if not all the entry points (that I've visited in this immediate area) have their own little parking lot where you can pull off. Those are great places to sit and nature-watch because they're quiet. By the time we're out of the car, usually the birds are singing, woodpeckers drumming, and squirrels chattering again.

Thing is, we've gotten some grants, so stuff is changing every summer as new features get added. For a current assessment, I suggest using the contact page to ask one of the organizers for details. They should know what's available where with the most recent additions. While you're at it, suggest adding an accessibility page to the website because I couldn't find one and it'd be useful.

>> Lincoln is my favorite President. Is there a link for his log cabin? <<

https://www.lincolnlogcabin.org/
This facility is fairly accessible with a drive-through route and an interpretation center. I haven't gone to an event recently so I can't detail the state of walkways or steps.

There are scads of Lincoln features around here if you're into that. I think Illinois has a whole "Lincoln Trail" thing with sites marked all over the state; they did at one point, don't know if it's current. Check tourist offices or rest stops to see if there's a guide flyer in print. Below are a few site listings I've found.

https://www.charlestonillinois.org/departments/parks___recreation/lincoln_douglas_debate_museum.php

https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/experience/visit-lincoln.html

https://www.lookingforlincoln.org/explore/interactive-map

>> I don’t blame the trees at all for being upset, that sort of thing is happening everywhere. It’s sad, we need the trees, so do wildlife. <<

Exactly. They started out with a nice visitor center and a couple of outdoor classrooms. But they started cutting more and more holes in the forest, so now I'd classify it as a park rather than a nature reserve.

However, it is quite accessible. There are sidewalks near the entry point. The visitor center has a spectacular picture window overlooking a wildlife feeding station with garden pond, where you can sit and watch the activity. The trails are flat because it's basically prairie -- there are a couple of good-sized prairie restoration patches plus the smaller ones around the parking lot. There's even a dock and viewing platform at the little pond. Just ... maybe take an umbrella in case the trees decide to hurl sticks and nuts.

https://www.dhnature.org/
https://www.dhnature.org/naturecenter.html
Huh, they've got a couple other locations I didn't even know about.

Thinking about accessibility reminded me of Rails to Trails. One cuts through town near here. These tend to be wide, often paved multiuse paths with high accessibility. They're often pretty good for wildlife watching because they tend to have trees, brush, wildflowers, cattails, and sometimes a ditch with water in it. Some species use these as connecting corridors between wilder refuges. In some places the state has put in prairie restoration or other native plants, so you can see things like purple echinacea or yellow coneflower a lot.

https://www.railstotrails.org/state/illinois/

https://www.traillink.com/trail/lincoln-prairie-grass-trail/
I think this is the one I'm thinking of.

https://www.railstotrails.org/site/greatamericanrailtrail/content/illinois/
This one's way north of us.

Re: Yes ...

[catlin36]

Thanks. I really appreciate all the links. I appreciate you taking the time to find and share them, most people would just tell me to “google it”.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm happy I could help.

Sure you could google it, but it'd take you ten times as long to find a quarter of the stuff. I already know where a lot of things are, or their names, and I have about a brown belt in google-fu.

However, it's always worthwhile to type in "(favorite topic) in (location)" to see what comes up. Other good options include searching restaurants and hotels, along with "things to do in (location)" and "attractions near (location)." Accessibility is harder to find but some places have lists for that too.

https://delightfultravelnotes.com/best-things-to-do-in-central-illinois/

https://communityconnectionil.com/

https://www.fairsandfestivals.net/states/IL

https://stateparks.com/central_illinois_parks.html

https://www.accessiblenature.info/?page_id=345

https://www.traillink.com/stateactivity/il-wheelchair-accessible-trails/

https://easyaccessspringfield.org/access-info/Attraction-Details/Gardens-and-Wildlife-Sanctuaries/

https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/accessibility.html
Jackpot. :D