Grand Illinois Trail - Chicago Heights To Lansing

<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 - Chicago Heights To Lansing</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> <div> <A HREF="grand_illinois_trail___frankfort.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Frankfort To Chica"><U>Grand Illinois Trail - Frankfort To Chicago Heights</U></A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899cccc00.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Grand Illinois Trail - Chicago Heights To Lansing</B></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 2 - 3/26/2006</div> <bR> <div> Chicago Heights, IL to Lansing,  IL via <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/huffmun/Bike_Maps.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.geocities.com/huffmun/Bike_Ma"><U>Thorn Creek North Trail</U></A> and local roads.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=94530" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=94530"><U><IMG SRC="114bfe40.jpg" border=0 width="703" 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:  12.0 Miles   (2nd day,   24.7 miles to date)</div> <bR> <div> Sunny, 45F, quartering headwinds at  15 to 20 m/h  </div> <bR> <div> Seen On theTrail:</div> <div> Not a lot of wildlife on the trails today.  We only saw a few birds ... Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Sea Gulls, and 2 Robins.  </div> <div> Only 3 or 4 groups of bicyclists.</div> <div> Four  friendly dogs and dog owners.  One dog was way too friendly.</div> <bR> <div> One of our daughters lives a few blocks off the GIT in Lansing, IL.    This segment will be from our home to her place.</div> <bR> <div> I put panniers on the bike for the first time today.  They were stuffed with what I estimate to be a typical week long trip load of  25 lbs.  The only noticeable difference in bike handling was that it was a little harder to climb hills.   </div> <bR> <div> We got off to a late start on another windy, cold day.   But it was exhilarating to be riding again, even on another short trip.</div> <bR> <div> Food Spot: Skyline Restaurant is at the corner of 10th Street and Dixie Highway in Chicago Heights (approx. mile 0.25).   It's a family restaurant open from 7am to 2pm, and is a favorite with the locals.  There are no bike racks, but you can chain up to some handy light poles.</div> <bR> <div> Right across the street from Skyline is the main building of Bloom High School.   It is a unique art deco structure built between 1931 and 1934. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="10b2cd30.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="467" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Bloom Main Bldg.</div> <div> (approx. mile  0.25)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="10df4650.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="357" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Two art deco limestone sculptures decorate the main entrance.  </div> <div> (approx. mile  0.25)</div> <bR> <div> At mile 1.5 we switched from residential streets to a segment of the <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/huffmun/Bike_Maps.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.geocities.com/huffmun/Bike_Ma"><U>Thorn Creek</U></A> bike trail.   This section runs from Joe Orr Road in Chicago Heights to  Main Street in Glenwood.  Ride it before 7:30am and you almost have to shoo the deer off the path to get by.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="105f4650.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="357" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Bike trail bridge over Thorn Creek  near Joe Orr Road in Chicago Heights</div> <div> (approx. mile  1.7)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> In a couple of places there were small shards of glass spread across the trail, as if someone tried to clean up broken bottles by kicking the larger pieces off the trail.  </div> <bR> <div> About half way through the rail trail section we passed a guy with 3 kids and a large Labrador Retriever.   The dog tried to break away to get to us.   It didn't wag it's tail nor make a sound, but strained against the leash with it's front feet off the ground.  The owner had a hard time holding it back.  Let me tell you, the bike trail seemed awfully narrow just then.  In retrospect, the dog was just being friendly rather than trying to do harm.  But still, even a friendly dog can cause a bad bike crash. I decided to get a signal horn and pepper spray for the next section of the trip.</div> <bR> <div> There was heavy traffic on Main Street in Glenwood  (approx. mile 4.0) today, so we opted to take parallel streets.</div> <bR> <div> Food Spot: Gabe's at the corner of Main Street and State Street  in Glenwood is another family restaurant with great food  (approx. mile 4.6).   It's a favorite morning ride for us.  Gabe's  also has hours from 7am to 2pm.  Unfortunately,  it was 4:00 pm as we passed by, so we couldn't make a snack stop.</div> <bR> <div> We picked up the Thorn Creek North bike trail at approx. mile 5.6 and rode it for  the next several miles through both woods and prairie.</div> <bR> <div> The trail crosses over Ill 394 at route mile 6.4, and I could notice the weight of the panniers climbing over the overpass.   The extra 25 pounds  do make a difference.   I'll have to run some more hills with loaded panniers to see if the weight calls for installing a lower granny gear on my bike.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="109f4670.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="359" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A wooded section of the Thorn Creek Trail North</div> <div>  (approx. mile 6.7)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="107f4650.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="357" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Refueling at  the north end of the Thorn Creek North Trail, 186th and Escanaba in Lansing.</div> <div> (approx. mile   9.1)</div> <bR> <bR> <div> From the Thorn Creek North trail, the GIT continues 0.3  miles east  along 186th Street to Chicago Ave.   186th St. is a busy, narrow, two lane road.  Just before Chicago Ave, railroad tracks cross the road at a 45 degree angle.  There are large gaps between the crossing boards, there is *no* shoulder, and there is an 12 inch drop from the edge of the road to the track bed.  We took it slow over the RR tracks.</div> <bR> <div> At Chicago Ave and 177th St. (approx. mile 10.6) we crossed The Lansing Greenway, a new bike trail under construction. When complete, it will connect the Thorn Creek trails with the Burnham Greenway, (part of the GIT route) and with the Erie Lackawanna and Pennsy rail trails in Indiana.   </div> <bR> <div> The GIT route continues on Chicago Ave to 175th St. where it turns left (west) and crosses under I80/90/94.   But major construction on I80/90/94 has blocked the underpass. We headed east on 175th to Burnham to get around the closed roads.</div> <bR> <div> From 175th and Burnham we rode a few blocks off trail to our daughter's house where we topped of the day visiting her and our grand kids, and enjoying a cup of exquisite hot chocolate.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="frankfort_to_joliet.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Frankfort to Jolie"><U>[Next]</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=34 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="grand_illinois_trail___frankfort.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Frankfort To Chica"><U><B><IMG SRC="03816180.gif" border=0 width="22" height="24" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="frankfort_to_joliet.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grand Illinois Trail Frankfort to Jolie"><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>