Tunnel Hill Southern Illinois 10-2-14

On our way back from Georgia we planned it so we could ride another section of the Tunnel Hill Trail, another rails to Trails path. It was a beautiful day for a ride.


Garmin Report and map   https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/604407190

Our starting point the Vienna Community Park a Rail Head for Tunnel Hill

As soon as you start north you come to this old RR Bridge

Soon you come to the 1st bridge over Little Cache Creek with the trees forming a tunnel in the distance.

The next tunnel is at Shelby Road

Nearby is some property for sale

 

This is the next bridge you come to.

Approaching a rock cut, just the other side is a shear drop off and another bridge

Bridge just past Rock Cut

 

 

Having passed over the bridge I stopped and looked back.

This is the next Rock Cut and the next bridge.

The bridge over the deep ravine just past the 2nd Rock Cut

This shot was taken at an earlier date but shows the height of this bridge

The Plateau to the west must run deep and fast with water in the rainy season as the rocks are polished smooth

This is some pretty rugged country.

And all along the trail are these natural rock formations rising up to the west of the trail

And drop offs to the east.

We are back to the I-24 bridge almost back to Vienna, IL

And here we are back to the Community Park

Silver Comet Trail Fall of 2014

On September 30, 2014 we rode on the Silver Comet Trail. we almost rode to Alabama on this ride. Next ride will be into Alabama. Unfortunately we were only able to get one ride in on this trip. The other down side was my camera batteries were dead when we got to the start of our ride, so I used Judy's cell to take a few pictures.

About 4 1/4 miles into our ride we came to this marker, only 19 miles to Alabama. 

At Mile Marker 45 we came to the Don Williams Trail Head, this was our turn around point.

This will be our starting point on our next Silver Comet ride. 

This shot was taken as we approached Hendrix Road  2 tenths of a mile east of The Don Williams Trail Head

A mile and a quarter east of The Don Williams Trail Head we came to this Ranch with its beautiful buildings and its own covered bridge, seen to the left of the picture.

Only 4 miles back to our start point at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex.

This is the down hill we called Mound Hill (named after a steep hill out side of Sterling, IL) because of the steep incline on our way west at the start of our ride. From top to bottom it is about a 100 foot drop.

The boardwalk across a swampy area just west of our starting point  at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex

 So ended this years ride on the Silver Comet Trail!

Sinississippi Trail

Lately we have been riding across the dam to Sterling and getting on the path from the Dillon Home to Woodlawn Park, through Sinissippi Park, they just recently paved it all the way.
The following are picture from these rides.

The Hydro Dam, the starting point in Rock Falls,IL

                                                                Walkway on Dam

Beginning of path at Dillon Home Museum

Retaining Wall along Rail Road Tracks

Switch Back that makes the transition to the lower part of the path

Yesterday after the sever storm that went through here we spent a lot of time pulling limbs off the path, this one was too big, so we broke off the smaller limbs to make it easier to get the bikes across it and keep going.

Indian Mounds in Sinississippi Rark

View of Rock River and Lagoon from near the Indian Mounds.

Pig Tail Bridge in Park, any way that's what we always called it when we were kids

The view from the south side of Sauk Valley College of the Rock River, our turn around point on one of our rides.

Wood Lawn Park

Pumpkin Mushrooms, they are poisonous, this is the first day we saw them.

Pumpkin Mushrooms second day we saw them

Pumpkin Mushrooms third time we saw them.

 Pumpkin Mushrooms close up shot. They are pretty, but are poisonous

Heading back to Rock Falls

Path as it comes up to Dillon Home Museum 

Switch Engine at Dillon Homer Museum,  this engine was one of the last actually used at the Steel Mill and as such one of the last Steam Engines actually used in real work in the USA

Viaduct under the Rail Road Tracks as the path coming back to the dam on the Rock River

View looking west from the Hydro Dam Walkway of the Rock River, Sterling, IL in the background  to the right.

Tampico, Illinois for breakfast

Rode down the canal to Hahnaman Road and then into Tampico for breakfast, then north out of town and back to Rock Falls on paved roads, at 31.66 miles this is our longest ride this year, what a workout.

Garmin Report

This is the only picture I shot, Judy saw this and 

said that is the Barn Quilt I want on the garage.

I need to get a better shot of this barn Quilt and probably a better camera for our rides.

Saturday 8-9-14 on the canal.

Rode over to Sinississippi Park and on to Wood lawn park, then headed east to Stauffer Road and then back into the edge of Sterling and back into Sinississippi Park and back across the Dam to home, what a work out, lots of hills.

After a climb in which I didn't down shift soon enough, we stopped for a breather, I shot this picture from there, I thought it was a neat shot.

 This shot is along the path coming into Woodlawn Park

Garmin Report

8-8-14 on The Hennepin Feeder Canal

We rode down to Buell Road today as there was such as wind out of the east, and the canal for the most part would be sheltered. The IDNR has been out mowing and for the most part is doing a fine job. Some one, I assume the City of Rock Falls is marking sections of the paved path from the dam to Route 40 for spots to be repaired or patched.

  I shot a couple of pictures at Buell Road bridge as it was such a beautiful sky.

View to the West

View to the east