Fox River Trail - Geneva to Aurora Leg

Chuck and I met with Len, and Dave and Patti to add yet another leg of this great trail to our list of "trails ridden". The section today was the last lengthy piece of it that we had not bicycled as of today. We started in Geneva,


So now that we added those 19 miles to our done list, there are only a couple of short 2-3 mile sections that we will do later on when we are in those areas. It was a magnificent day with the temps touching on 73 degrees, sunny and a bit windy. We passed this really nice remodeled windmill




Fortunately, it was a southerly wind so it helped us on our return trip, making the last leg really easy!

We found a spot along the trail where a bridge is being replaced and it is amazing how they build the sections first and then put the top on. This is a really big project and will likely not be done for six months or so.




Lunch was at Paneras and the pictures say it all.....MMMMmmmm

The Des Plaines River Trail

We met with Patti and Dave today and rode along the Des Plaines River Trail. Actually there was an ulterior motive behind our choice. Next weekend we are canoeing for 18 miles on the Des Plaines River and we wanted to get a look at how it is given the enormous amount of rain lately.

The dams are flowing, so traversing them will be a bit tricky. See this one with only one section that is best for canoeing over...the so-called V is the section we will be shooting for. It will be successful or I will be digging for my towel!


We biked from Half Day Preserve to Independence Trail (about 25 miles total, give or take a few)and stopped at Micky "D"s, in Libertyville, for lunch on the way back.




But, not just any ...Micky "D", this one was remodeled to mirror the originals from back in the fifties What fun! The real prices were current, but everything else was straight out of those golden years...even the music

Hikin' the Lake County Horse Trails

Thursday the temps were cool enough to keep us off our bikes and hoofin' it on the horse trails just off the millennium trail. Patti and Dave joined us on Thursday and we enjoyed the trees in full bloom and (surprisingly) the horses!


These two are Sam and Hon...they stopped for a short visit during their outing too!



It was a great day for a walk in the woods.

Fox River Trail - South Elgin Leg

We drove to South Elgin today to bike a section of the Fox River Trail that I have never done before. This one is different in that it tracks along the river and then takes you through the various small towns along the way and then back to the river again. So we had a nice blend of trees, river and nature and several small towns with their own personalities. All in all a great day. This section of the trail was a bit more intense since it had several challenging hills of various length and steepness. Fortunately, I was able to handle them all in the 18.4 miles that we rode. So I must be getting better.




We decided to have lunch in Geneva, at RJ's Deli which turned out to be a Mexican Place and we got way more than we asked for this time. The food was plentiful and very fresh and delicious. We had the good sense to split our meals or we would still be there eating!

Cinco de Mayo

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration of Mexico's Independence Day, but rather a celebration of the Mexican defeat over the French in the Battle of Puebla.

Although the Mexican army was victorious over the French at Puebla, the victory only delayed the French invasion of Mexico City; a year later, the French occupied Mexico. The French occupying forces placed Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico on the throne of Mexico. The French were eventually defeated and expelled in 1867. Maximilian was executed by President Benito Juarez, five years after the Battle of Puebla.

History of observance
According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in California in the 1860s in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. The paper notes that "The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico."

Leave it to us to find yet another day for cause for a PARTY.

"Grillin' in the Rain" and More!

Today, since Chuck is singing in the Spring Concert presented by the Village Singers of Lake Zurich, we decided to have dinner at mid-day. A great decision IF it were not raining. Somehow I managed to turn out yet another great meal...assisted greatly by fantastic steaks from Costco! See for yourself:






The concert was very well done! It was themed in Broadway show tunes and was very enjoyable. What I noticed most (since I was the Official Unofficial photographer) was how everyones eyes just sparkled! I mean REALLY sparkled...I am sure it was an indication of how much fun all the performers were having. My camera did not capture those glows but here are a couple of shots to show how it went.

Here is a group 'N Tune, singing In Whatever Time We Have, written by Stephen Schwartz
This was an attempt to get the entire group, but failed...maybe tomorrow I can get a full group shot since I will be attending the performance a second time.

There is never a performance by this group without at least one funny skit. This was no exception. Below is Chuck Fitz-Hugh, Glynda Kupczak and Eva Larson presenting, Kids from Bye, Bye, Birdie

Another Wal-Mart 'story'

Probably not true...but fun nevertheless!

The next time a wal-mart greeter says hello think of this story...
A very loud, unattractive, mean-acting woman walked into Wal*Mart with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance.
The Wal*Mart greeter said pleasantly, "Good morning, and welcome to Wal*Mart. Nice children you have there. Are they twins?"
The woman stopped yelling long enough to say, "Hello ... no they ain't! The oldest one's 9 and the other one's 7. Why would you think they're twins? Are you blind, or just stupid?"
"I'm neither blind nor stupid, Ma'am," replied the greeter. "I just couldn't believe someone would sleep with you twice. Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Wal*Mart."