No JMT this year – just cancelled our permits. With more time for local trails, we can check out our forests, today it was fungi everywhere along 8 km (slow) walk in Palos Forest Preserve.
Illinois forest
Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes is our frequent destination for weekend walks, biking or cross-country skiing. Part of the dune ecosystem became National Park in 2019, others remain state  and local parks.  Industrial/post-industrial character of the area is quite obvious, but there are many nice trails across the dunes just along the lake and wetlands further away from the beach. This time we decided to follow the  Douglas Trail from Visitor Center to Marquette Beach, 9 km return. Easy walk, nice weather, few people in sight. One can only hope the parks expand adding more restored land. A week later we walked  Cowles Bog Trail to the beach (bottom three pictures), 7.5 km loop/return.
Indiana Dunes trail maps
☞ Douglas Trail
☞ Cowles Bog Trail
☞ Beaches and trails
Chicago, Winter 2019/2020
Lyric Opera at Millennium Park
Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park ( in Jay Pritzker Pavilion by Frank Gehry)
Weekend at Kettle Moraine, Wisconsin
We spent long weekend at ☞ Kettle Moraine State Forest (Northern Unit), camped at Mauthe Lake campground (very nice, spacious and clean). Spent most of daylight hiking, 40 km on different trails. And kayaked 7.5 km around Mauthe Lake and upstream East Branch Milwaukee River.
Kettle Moraine State Forest (Northern Unit)
☞ Our 3 trails in Kettle Moraine State Forest
☞ Mauthe Lake and East Branch Milwaukee River kayaking
We also visited Long Lake and Dundee Kame viewpoint. Weather was 50/50, with rain one night and heavy downpour followed by several hours of rain, sometimes heavy – the last two days. We were prepared, our stuff did not get wet, and we had campfire every night. Surprisingly mosquito activity was only low to moderate. Our friends joined us for a day. There was a lot of damage/downed trees after 17 storms and tornados, and high water levels after heavy rains in this part of Wisconsin on August 28.
