Starved Rock State Park

Yesterday, Zoe and I visited Starved Rock State Park with my friend G. I hadn't seen her in YEARS and it was really great to reconnect and catch up with her. Especially in such a great park!

We met at the park as it's about half-way between Chicago and Bloomington (a little closer for me). We decided to meet in the morning to take advantage of the smaller crowds and cooler weather at that time. It turned out to be a smart move 'cause it was a gorgeous weekend day and by the time we left it was significantly more crowded.

The legend of Starved Rock isn't too pretty: Starved Rock State Park derives its name from a Native American legend of injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe upriver, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his killing, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name “Starved Rock.” Seems strange to build a park around THAT, but . . . it's a beautiful place . . .

Anyway, we hiked along the trails at a leisurely pace (I was hurting badly after my 14 mile run Saturday) enjoying the Illinois River views, canyons, and overlooks (okay, so after getting to the top of Starved Rock via a massive staircase, we opted to miss MOST of the overlooks). I was glad we took our time, not only because I was sore but also because G has an amazing eye for detail and would often stop and point out a stunning spider web, or pretty leaf (the picture at top is one she took), or a butterfly wing. If it had just been the me and the dog, I would have missed EVERYTHING she pointed out.

Zoe was also on her BEST behaviour. Even I was impressed - lol. I let her off-leash quite a bit . . . G and I had a signal for noticing groups of people (kind of like a gobble sound - very silly but certainly unmistakable) so I could call Zoe back and leash her. She obeyed every time! I even overheard some folks commenting on what a good dog she was! And because she was so good, she got to swim (she even enjoyed a short game of fetch in the water) and take the lead on the hike.

The hike took nearly four hours and then we rested and ate some snacks. We enjoyed some nuts, power bars, apples, tomatoes, and watermelon. G even spoiled Zoe with some Turkey (lucky dog!). Then we took off to investigate the canoe rentals. Sadly, the guy wasn't keen on letting Zoe in the boat so we weren't able to spend time on the river. But in the end, we were pretty beat and decided heading home wasn't a bad thing. We even opted against visiting the two local wineries for a tasting (okay, G isn't a wine gal so really it was just ME passing it up - and that's saying something).

As soon as we got in the car, Zoe CRASHED. And as soon as we got home, I crashed on the couch (and G confessed she did the same). In fact, it took every ounce of energy I could muster to fix myself some dinner!

So it was a good, relaxing, fun trip and I hope to get back there. I do want to get into a canoe (I think Zoe would be a good boat dog) and I would like to hit those wineries. So a return trip is on my list.

It won't be this week, however! I am realizing I need to REST my leg so it heals completely. I took an easy walk with Zoe this morning and am looking forward to getting my bike back from the shop so I can BIKE my workouts. It's not the same, of course, but it will keep me fit and strong until I am pain free and can run the miles risk-free. Coach P did say if I'm going to be injured, this is the time as we are "backing off" our miles the next two weekends until we jump to 16. I missed my maintenance run this morning, but am working hard at keeping my eyes on the prize - October 7th.