Grand Illinois Trail - Frankfort To Chicago Heights

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=50 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="03c788e1dvldtc.jpg"> <div> <B>Grand Illinois Trail - Frankfort To Chicago Heights</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=20% BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="bicycle_trips21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Larry and Mary Lynns Grand Illinois Trai"><U><B>Larry and Mary Lynn's Grand Illinois Trail Adventure</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899cccc00.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Grand Illinois Trail - Frankfort To Chicago Heights</B></div> <div> <A HREF="grand_illinois_trail__chicago_heights_to_lansing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Chicago Heights To"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Chicago Heights To Lansing</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="frankfort_to_joliet.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Frankfort to Jolie"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Frankfort to Joliet</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="i_m_canal__joliet__morris.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail IM Canal, Joliet t"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - I&M Canal, Joliet to Morris</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="buffalo_rock_to_gebhard_woods.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail IM Canal, Buffalo "><U>Grand Illinois Trail - I&M Canal, Buffalo Rock to  Gebhard Woods</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hennepin_canal_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Hennepin Canal Vis"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Hennepin Canal Visitor Center, Sheffield  (Local) </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hennepin_canal_bureau_to_visitor_center.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Hennepin Canal, B"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Hennepin Canal,  Bureau Junction, to the  Visitor Center</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hennepin_canal___visitor_center_to_geneseo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Hennepin Canal, Vi"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Hennepin Canal, Visitor Center to Geneseo</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hennepin_canal_colona_to_geneseo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Hennepin Canal, Co"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Hennepin Canal, Colona to Geneseo</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="eggers_woods_to_lansing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Eggers Woods, Chic"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Eggers Woods, Chicago to Lansing</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="colona_to_albany_mounds.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Colona to Albany M"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Colona to Albany Mounds</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="albany_mounds_to_thomson.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Albany Mounds to T"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Albany Mounds to Thomson</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hanover_to_palisades.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Hanover to Mississ"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Hanover to Mississippi Palisades</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="palisades_to_thomson.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Mississippi Palisa"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Mississippi Palisades to Thomson</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="eggers_woods_to_navy_pier.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Eggers Woods to Na"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Eggers Woods to Navy Pier</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="seatonville_to_buffalo_rock.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Seatonville to Buf"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Seatonville to Buffalo Rock</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wauconda_to_glencoe.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Wauconda to Glenco"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Wauconda to Glencoe</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wauconda_to_richmond.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Wauconda to Richmo"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Wauconda to Richmond</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="glencoe_to_navy_pier.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Glencoe to Navy Pi"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Glencoe to Navy Pier</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="capron_to_richmond.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Capron to Richmond"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Capron to Richmond</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="capron_to_rockford.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Capron to Rockford"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Capron to Rockford </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="lake_le_aqua_na_to_apple_river_canyon.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Lake LeAquaNa to A"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Lake Le-Aqua-Na to Apple River Canyon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hanover_to_9_mi_east_of_galena.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Hanover to 9 mi Ea"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Hanover to 9 mi East of Galena </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="galena_to_apple_river_canyon.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail 9 miles East of Ga"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - 9 miles East of Galena to Apple River Canyon SP</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="lake_le_aqua_na_to_freeport_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Lake LeAquaNa to F"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Lake Le-Aqua-Na to Freeport </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="freeport_to_pecatonica_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Freeport to Pecato"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Freeport to Pecatonica</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="pecatonica_to_rockford.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Pecatonica to Rock"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Pecatonica to Rockford </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="seatonville_to_bureau.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Seatonville to Bur"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Seatonville to Bureau</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="grand_illinois_trail_epilogue.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Epilogue"><U>Grand Illinois Trail -  Epilogue</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="grand_illinois_trail_noptes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Route Notes"><U>Grand Illinois Trail -  Route Notes</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=396 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Day 1 - 3/19/2006</div> <bR> <div> Frankfort, IL to Chicago Heights, IL via <A HREF="http://oprt.org/index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://oprt.org/index.html"><U>The Old Plank Road Trail</U></A> and local roads.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=92469" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=92469"><U><IMG SRC="113bce40.gif" border=0 width="700" height="484" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Click on the satellite view to zoom in on route details, pan along the route,  </div> <div> or switch between the satellite view and a map view.  </div> <div> Click on the browser Back button to return to this page.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Stats:  12.7 Miles (1st day, 12.7 miles to date)</div> <bR> <div> Sunny, 40F, quartering headwinds at  10 to 15 m/h  </div> <bR> <div> Seen On theTrail:</div> <div> Lots of Canada Geese, Ducks, Red Wing Black Birds, Mourning Doves, Sea Gulls, Sparrows, Finches,</div> <div> 2 Rabbits, </div> <div> 1 dead mouse.</div> <div> Only 3 or 4 bicyclists.</div> <div> A lot of friendly dogs and dog owners along the OPRT</div> <div> There was one nasty barker along the local road section half a mile from home.  Fortunately he couldn't quite clear the fence.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Start</div> <div> The original plan was to start our GIT adventure on April 1 with a morning ride of about 25 miles from home in Chicago Heights  to Joliet.  But today was just too pretty a day to sit at home, and we were eager to get started. </div> <bR> <div> Because of the chilly (for us) riding temps and the late in the day start, we opted for a shorter trip We also decided it would be easier to haul the bikes to Frankfort and ride back home.  So we are going to ride this segment counterclockwise, west to east.</div> <bR> <div> Frankfort is a delightful little town with a rural 1940s flavor.   The <A HREF="http://oprt.org/index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://oprt.org/index.html"><U>Old Plank Road Trail</U></A> runs right through Breidert's Green, a park in the center of the town's Historic District.   Plank Road Cyclery, where we bought our bikes, is in the old grainery building along the park.  Fast food stores, a pizza place, a convenience store,  and fine dining places are all within a block of  the park.  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="0f1f4640.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="356" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Old Plank Road Trail runs right behind this stage in Breidert's Green in Frankfort's Historic District.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Once outside of the Frankfort city parks, the OPRT turns into a level, tree lined straight-away.   When the trees are in full leaf they do a good job of blocking crosswinds.  They didn't provide much protection today.   </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="363f44d0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> 3.5 mi - Refueling</div> <bR> <div> Cross roads are laid out a mile apart so  you get to ride for a mile before having to stop for traffic.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="0f2f44d0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 3.5  - Typical late winter day on the Old Plank Road Trail </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> There are 17 checkpoints along the GIT route, and there is a certain scavenger hunt quality to some of  them.  Some are easy to miss.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="0f3f44d0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> 6.25 mi - The Old Plank Road Trail Depot in Matteson is one of the GIT checkpoints.  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> The checkpoint description in the DNR directions simply reads "Village of Matteson: Depot <I>Old Plank Road Trail</I>".   There are a number of these gazebos along the OPRT.   This one is on the north side of the trail about 50 yards west of Cicero Ave.  It is 20 feet back from the trail, and is surrounded by trees and bushes.   The Trail Depot sign you see in the photo  is the only marker, and it is visible from the west side of the gazebo only.  It is easy to miss the sign if you're not looking right at it as you pass.   The sign on the south side of the gazebo is missing.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="0f4f4660.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="358" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 7.8 mi - The caboose in Matteson's Caboose Park</div> <bR> <bR> <div> This caboose is visible from the trail in a small park half a block west of the Illinois Central / Metra tracks in Matteson. </div> <bR> <div> For east bounders, the GIT leaves the Old Plank Road Trail at Logan Park, exactly 1/2 mile short of  the east end of the OPRT.   We turned north at Logan Park and rode suburban streets for the last 3 miles home.</div> <bR> <div> We discovered an error in the cue sheet routing through Chicago Heights.  The problem exists on The Grand Illinois Trail User Guide, 2nd Edition, 2004, as well as on materials provided by LIB and the OpenLands Project. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=92334" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=92334"><U>Here is a map of the published route</U></A>.   <A HREF="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=92349" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=92349"><U>Here is a route that avoids the problem.</U></A>    <A HREF="grand_illinois_trail_noptes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Route Notes"><U>D</U></A><A HREF="grand_illinois_trail_noptes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Route Notes"><U>etails and a revised cue sheet are available here</U></A></div> <bR> <div> We made it home feeling a little tired but energized from starting the journey.   </div> <bR> <div> We drove back to Frankfort to pick up our car and were greeted by a rainbow in Cirrus clouds.     </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="grand_illinois_trail__chicago_heights_to_lansing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Chicago Heights To"><U>[Next]</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=34 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="22"><B> </B><A HREF="grand_illinois_trail__chicago_heights_to_lansing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Chicago Heights To"><U><B><IMG SRC="03716180.gif" border=0 width="22" height="24" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>     </B><A HREF="bicycle_trips21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Larry and Mary Lynns Grand Illinois Trai"><U><B><IMG SRC="03616180.gif" border=0 width="22" height="24" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="22"></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>