Joliet Lift Bridge

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Joliet Lift Bridge

This vertical lift bridge was built in 1902 to span the Des Plaines River in Joliet. The movable span is 361 feet, and has been in the raised position since 1980 when it was abandoned by CSX.

View from the Top

Of course, I had to climb up the tender's stairway to see what was up there. I managed to get to the first landing (about as high as the raised span) and came across some rusted through handrails, so I figured it may be worse toward the top so I turned back. I'm disappointed now, so I'll have to venture back soon to make it to the top.

Looking Down

The working parts of this bridge are incredible. The eight sets of balance chains seen here, balanced out the weight of the lifting cables that hauled the span up and down.

Joe, Denise and Chris by the balance chains


Balance Chains Running Toward the Top

Even today, this lift bridge is an incredible feat of engineering, and a great site to explore.

Abandoned Jolilet

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Abandoned Jolilet

From this angle, one might think that most of Joliet, IL lay in ruin. I guess that's not the case, but even one of the casinos burned down!

The historic Joliet prison was completed in 1858 for a total sum of $75,000 (and convict labor). Designed by William Boyington, the same architect who designed the Chicago Water Tower (you'll note the similarity), the prison is built of limestone quarried directly from the site.

The nearby Joliet Ironworks, in the foreground, was abandoned in the 1930's. Overgrown and forgotten until recent years when it was turned into a park along side of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.

There are lots of fun ruins to explore at the ironworks, and some you need to stay away from due to loose bricks. The underground tunnels are interesting, leading from one blast furnace to another.

Lock 3 of the Illinois and Michigan Canal

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Joe by Lock 3

Locks 3 and 4 of the Illinois and Michigan Canal are located in Joliet, Illinois, and are only a few hundred feet from each other. The drop in the terrain here was over 10, so it required two locks to safely negotiate the elevation change.

This extreme drop creates a waterfall at lock 3, where the lock gates used to be.

First Flowers of 2009

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Bee on Winter Aconite

Well, at least in the nearby woods!

This little pollinator is busy gathering nectar from the first flowers to bloom in these Illinois woods. The flower is called Winter Aconite, and is an early spring wildflower. Each year I find these flowers in the woods around the same date - March 19 or 20.

Like Another World

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Ice Chunks

These chunks of ice - most larger than basketballs - were tossed ashore by the high waves of Lake Michigan. The shelf ice seen between the sand and the water, was around 100 feet wide, so imagine the wave action that moved these pieces of ice all the way onto the sand.

Inside the Ice Cave

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More From Inside the Ice Cave

With the weather the way it has been, you'd think all of the ice would have melted by March 15th. Not so along the Indiana shore of Lake Michigan. The cool air temperatures, cold water and abundant shade provided the perfect place for some remaining shelf ice. Exploring what was left, I came upon a two foot opening in the ice and peered inside.

I found an ice cave about 10 feet long with thousands of sharp icicles hanging from the inside. The cave was illuminated by a small window at the top, through which the nearby woods could be seen.

From this cave, it's easy to see why shelf ice is so dangerous. What appeared to be a solid, 10 foot tall, by several hundred foot long block of ice, was actually hollow inside. Walking on such a thing, even in extremely cold temperatures could prove fatal. The ceiling of this ice cave was only an inch thick in places; the weight of a person would easily have broken it. Falling in at this time of year would have caused injury to the person who fell through, but if it was out over the frigid lake, the fall would be directly into the ice cold water. Even if you survived the shock of immersion in the freezing water, the unforgiving, icy walls would make the climb out impossible.

Colorful Illinois Canyon in Winter

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Colorful Illinois Canyon in Winter

After a long, muddy walk through the woods and across three streams, I arrived at this point in Illinois Canyon. I was disappointed that I couldn't get any further (without getting very wet and cold), because I wanted to see what was inside that part of the canyon. I could hear falling water, so I expect there was another waterfall.

I'll have to wait for spring to explore this more.

Dellwood Park West

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Dellwood Park West Mesa

In the midst of junkyards, railroad tracks and old dumping grounds, just west of the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal lies a newly created park - Dellwood Park West. This 175 acre park was formed by the Lockport Park District a little while ago, and it is helping the area return to a natural state. Formerly a dumping area for an old steel mill, this area has some bike/ walking trails, a few ponds for fishing, old building skeletons, and some limestone mesas.

The woodlands and limestone savanna are slowly making a come back from the decades of misuse. Situated right next to the Illinois and Michigan Canal towpath, this park can be visited on foot after a half mile or so walk from Dellwood Park in Lockport.

Rough Water at Lock 2

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Rough Water at Lock 2

Been under the weather for a while now, but I managed to snag a shot of Lock 2 between rains storms yesterday after work. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was carrying a lot more water due to the recent rains, causing some whitewater near the historic locks in Lockport, IL where the canal narrows.

Ottawa Canyon Falls

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Ottawa Canyon Falls

Ottawa Canyon is one of the many canyons in Illinois' Starved Rock State Park. Last weekend, while it was still cold around here, I ventured out to a few of the canyons on the east side of the park to capture the frozen waterfalls. This time of year, crowds aren't a problem. On my entire four hour hike, I came across one other person - 6 canyons and one person!

This waterfall is approximately 30 feet tall, and if you look closely, you'll see blurred water falling from the ice on the left.

The ice is probably gone by now, as the temperatures have risen considerably over the last week.

Extinguishing the Fire

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Extinguishing the Fire

A car fire is extinguished by Michigan City, Indiana firefighters. Nobody was injured, and no other property was damaged in the Super Walmart parking lot. See, I told you I took my camera everywhere..........gives me something to do while everyone else is shopping.

Late Afternoon Sun

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Late Afternoon Sun

Looks a bit more like moonlight! I'll have to use this for Halloween.

Fast shutter metered directly on the sun partially hidden by clouds, helped to create this eerie looking sky.

Taken at the Joliet Iron Works.

First Light

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First Light

Nothing beats seeing nature wake up, problem is you have to get up pretty early to capture it. - Get up, get dressed, get the gear together, drive to your destination, get the gear out, hike to a spot and wait. That means 4:30 am this time of year.

Will it be cloudy? Foggy? That's part of the fun, and you never know what you're going to see. Most of the time I set up and discover something else I'd rather capture - like this: the Illinois and Michigan Canal just before sunrise. You often find the best colors just before sunrise or right after sunset.

Sledding

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Happy Sledding

The look on Dan's face says it all! Take a hill, add some snow - instant fun!

This hill is one of the many at Dellwood Park, in Lockport, Illinois. Not much snow left, just enough to make it slippery.

Reflections of the Past

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Reflections of the Past

A calm winter afternoon along the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal about a mile east of Lemont, Illinois. The trails in this area of the National Heritage Corridor run between the canal and several water-filled quarries. It's quite remote here, and you can't help but feel as if you're miles away from civilization.

Several foot bridges (and even a log or two) allow you to cross the canal to walk along the towpath on either side.

Silo Sunset

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Silo Sunset

Driving home one evening, I spotted an abandoned farm I haven't come across yet. I stopped and checked out the farm, and when I turned to leave, I spotted this sky.

Icy Patterns

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Ice Patterns and Frost

A few feet from the base of a waterfall feeding the Illinois and Michigan Canal, I discovered some very interesting patterns below the top layer of ice. I'm guessing the action from the canal current and the waterfall produced these patches of white ice mixed with clear. Then a layer of clear ice formed over the top of both. The patterns remind me a bit of a dry lake bottom. I wonder if the ice began to melt, shrink and pull apart, then it froze again, or if the patterns are frozen foam from the waterfall.

However it happened, I found it quite interesting to view at sunrise.

Hidden Waterfall

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Limestone Waterfall

Along the Illinois and Michigan Canal just east of downtown Lemont, a small stream cascades down the limestone walls cut over a century ago by Irish, German and Swedish immigrants. This portion of the canal needed to be cut through solid limestone rather than just clay and soil, so the stream ended up becoming a waterfall that spills into the I and M Canal.

Most people who walk or bike the National Heritage path along the canal have never even noticed this waterfall. Because the towpath is about 10 feet above the surface of the water at this point, it can be passed right up. While it's not a huge waterfall, it's certainly not minuscule; at approximately 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide, it's impressive and makes quite a bit of noise.

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The Waterfall From Above (looking east)

Viewing the falls from the towpath is pretty easy, though it may be somewhat obscured by trees and shrubs in summer. Getting down the limestone walls of the canal isn't impossible if one is in prepared for a climb. Soil carried over the falls by the stream has created a small island in the center of the canal right in front of the waterfall. This is a great vantage point to see the waterfall as well as the canal from a unique perspective.

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Sunrise, From the Island in the Canal


This was taken early Sunday morning, about 20 minutes before sunrise. It's an HDR image, (High Dynamic Range) created out of three photographs taken at different exposures - one set for the shadows, one for the midtones, and one for the highlights. The images are merged together in Photoshop to create one image that is perfectly (I hope) exposed. A lot of HDR images are very odd looking, it seems that most people overdo it and the photos have a surreal look to them. I prefer an HDR image that is well exposed and not "painted."

Tree Skirts

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Ice Tree Skirts

A walk along the Illinois and Michigan Canal towpath east of Lemont, Illinois, yields some interesting historic and geologic features. Lemont sits directly on a vast limestone deposit, which, throughout it's history, was quarried for building material. Many of the local buildings, as well as the Chicago Water Tower, were made with stone quarried in Lemont. These abandoned quarries can be seen today, but have filled with water from underground springs. The towpath of the I and M Canal takes you right next to these quarries, now a haven for wildlife and fishermen.

A rare geologic feature is also present along the towpath, a limestone fen. A fen is a wetland (which is really common) but a natural limestone fen is rather rare. Mineral rich waters seep up through the limestone creating shallow ponds that support an interesting variety of plants and wildlife.

The image above was taken as the water in the limestone fen near the "Icebox Quarry" froze and began to drop in level. The ice remains attached to the tree, but since it's floating on the water, it drops with the water and creates interesting rings around things it touched.

Tiscornia Park

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Target Sighted

Another visit to the St. Joseph, Michigan lighthouse, this time from Tiscornia park just north of the lighthouse pier and the St. Joseph River. Warmer temperatures made this trip a lot more comfortable than the last.

The snow covered dunes were deceptive. Drifts were over three feet deep in places, and the snow was just firm enough to walk on, but every few steps we'd suddenly drop in past our knees!