Chicago part deux

I was surprised by the green that envelopes Illinois, from corn fields to the acres of groomed lawn in the state parks. We went hiking in one of the parks which was full of canyons with little streams running through them:




We walked all afternoon at the Taste of Chicago food festival in 100+ degrees, so this footbath in the middle of a city park felt really good.

Starved Rock State Park, where every trail is either sand or boardwalk. There are miles and miles of both. At first we thought the sand might have been trucked in, but as you look around the forest there seems to be a sand bed just beneath the surface. Sand. In the middle of Illinois. Who would have thought?

My first night in town. We watched fireworks from the banks of a canal running through town, which reflected all the lights beautifully.