Enjoyment and thoughtful use

I fell in love with Pool 13 of the Mississippi River as soon as I saw it. Now I know how other people feel when they first see Lake Michigan from the shores of Illinois Beach State Park or the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. There's much to be said about miles of undeveloped shoreline along huge bodies of water and the abundant wildlife and plant life that they can support. But it's all been said before, so I'll just post all my pictures from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge here instead. As usual, they hardly do justice to the area and the experience of biking through it, so you'll just have to trek along the Great River Trail and see it for yourself sometime.

That white speck in the middle is a bird; I think someone said it was a crane.

There's a white speck in this picture that might also have been a bird, but I can't remember.

The closest I got to seeing a bald eagle was this display at the Ingersoll Wetlands Learning Center, of which there's a nice picture here.

[Nugget of activism: The Great River Trail is still incomplete! There's a short but dangerous stretch just north of the visitor center here where the route follows (and crosses, if you're heading north) Route 84, which has heavy (and fast) vehicular traffic in this neck of the woods. According to the DNR folks (if I remember/understand correctly), everything is all set to build the final trail connection between Savanna and Thomson--except the funding. Allegedly (so I heard) they were good to go on the funding, too, until someone in Springfield dropped the ball. So if you're the type who loves to pester Illinois elected officials about bike-related issues (I know there are more of you out there!), consider adding this to your list of things to bug them about. Let's show demand for a safe route along a completed Great River Trail in Illinois!]

Another foreground tree; I need to stop doing that.

Uh oh, I hope that flowery stuff isn't garlic mustard! I didn't get a close look when I was there.

As posted previously:
This is what the Great River Trail looks like once you get off Route 84. As you can see, this section is actually a trail, which is very nice.

Also posted previously:
Such a lovely day!

I remember seeing some exposed bluffs on the Iowa side of the river from this vantage point, but you can't see them anywhere in this picture. I always get a huge kick out of seeing cliffs and bluffs, and I'm always absolutely thrilled to see hills, probably because I've spent my life in an area that's so darned flat. So I just about died of excitement on the GITAP, as well as just about dying of exhaustion. But anyway, that's my excuse for taking this rather blah picture.