My Golden Birthday Gift: Cache River-Park One

May 27, 2008

Travelers: My parents, younger brother and sister, and Z.

1-Cache River State Natural Area
Belknap, IL

I bought that shirt to be funny for an interesting history professor with a good sense of humor.
"Pretending to be Interested"-I've never worn it when it fit the situation.

Finally Going Places

            7:13 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, 2008

            After little more than two hours of sleep, three hours of tossing and turning, and one hour of preparation and packing the car we are on our way.  We have a six hour road trip ahead of us with stops only at Denny’s and rest areas.

            We three ‘children’ have our headphones playing different tunes and excited smiles on our faces . . . well my sis and I are smiling.  My parents are still running down the “unplugged curling iron” list and my little brother sits quietly in the back seat.  Suburbans are bad for gas but great for safety and space.  Currently I am most grateful for the latter.

            The fields on either side of the car switch between brown and lightly green.  After a warm early spring it has stayed relatively cool, hindering plant growth.  Only the occasional winter wheat fields are full of anything but weeds.

            We pass the brick house that has a large tree displayed behind its two story bay windows at Christmas time.  It is a sight that I remember fondly from four years ago on our first day’s journey to Disney World.

            We pass the place my brother hopes to work at over the summer, then cut through the town where my three-year-old nephew lives.  I could see myself teaching in this town one day.

            While my ears are listening to my original mixed CD my eyes take in a green and yellow painted car with a racing number painted on the side.  A log house slides past my window and I turn to look out the left side of the car and see a flagpole with a Chicago Cubs flag right below the stars and stripes.  I spot a yellow, flowery parquetry block design on a barn door.  That is something I haven’t seen before.  It reminds me of one of my favorite television shows, when a design was burned into the side of a barn.

            Last night I did my nails for the fist time since senior prom, to ensure my nails’ survival through the trip.  The pungent smell of the polish seems to hover below my nose.

            A small stand of trees looks like the entryway to an enchanted forest depicted in children’s books.  Patches of one-way roads and construction have slowed our way to breakfast. [We'll be eating at Denny's in Tuscola, another memory from our last Disney vacation.

            After breakfast, we continue south and pass the giant cross in Effingham around 11 a.m.  Since there's not much else to see on the highway for a while, I decide to let breakfast draw me into food-induced sleep.]

            I wake up after a short, uncomfortable nap and notice that we have entered the Shawnee National Forest.  The trees line the roads so thickly it’s impossible to see through them.  The land rolls more noticeably and in one particular spot we can see for miles and it’s mostly trees.  An unusual brown bird with white wingtips flies onto a fence post and I stare until it’s out of sight.  The red-winged blackbirds are still around but these new birds are far more interesting to me. 

            As the trees fly past I am glued to my window trying to find strange brown formations among the branches.  It doesn’t take me long to relate them to the infestations of tent worms I’ve seen in trees at home.  But these are different.  Rather than appearing like a holey mess of brown spider webs these look solid.  I can imagine squishing one might feel a little crunchy like hollow freeze-dried food.

            A road sign indicating the Ferne Clyffe exit catches my eye and I know we’re getting close.  I keep my eyes peeled for a brown “Cache River” marker seeing the Illinois map in my mind’s eye.  It must be close.

            Mom and Dad are discussing directions again looking for our exit.  We leave I-24 to get onto 45.  After a few minutes we find ourselves in neighborhoods that Jeff Foxworthy would be very proud of.  A town sign indicates that we found Belknap and my sis comments that she thought it would be fun to be able to say that she lived in Belknap as it is a letter combination we don’t often hear. 

            Dad steers the car up a narrow Sunflower Lane as we search for the park office in hopes of finding a bathroom and map.  The gravel road is steep and as we near the top a truck comes from the opposite direction.  Dad pulls over to let the man past and he smiles and waves us a silent “thank you.”

            After passing a man and his son out mowing who also wave at us, we find our way to the office.  The place feels rather foreboding and the gloomy skies overhead do nothing to improve the ambiance.  We let Dad enter the office as we survey our surroundings.  A house occupies the land to our left, to our right is a small open field before trees.  There are signs on the edge of the road, one is a map of the area.  Beyond the signs appears to be a mechanic shed.

            My curiosity along with the desire to stretch my legs urges me out of the car and to the signs.  My siblings follow suit.  One of the signs warns us not to kill snakes.  My brother suggests we say nothing about that sign because it will only confirm Mom’s fear about the prevalence of snakes in the area.

            Since Dad still has not returned from the office, Mom goes to find him.  We three get a cup of water from the back of the car then get back in the car to start applying sunscreen.  Finally the parents emerge from the office with directions and helpful suggestions of places to visit.  We make our way to the Heron Pond area where Mom is anxious to see a 400-year-old tree.

            Once we’re parked my curiosity is still piqued, but my hopes seem to be dampening as quickly as the humid air.  I don’t see any of the bridges shown in the website’s pictures and I certainly don’t see any of that water that I had imagined the area would be overflowing with.

            As we start down our first trail images from the internet leave my mind and I’m immersed in the woods.

            The trail looks like most parks I’ve seen before with tall trees looming overhead blocking out most of the sun, if there was any sun today, and small plants lining the path.  The air is still and humid but I was too busy trying not to miss a thing that I hardly noticed the sweat already forming a sheen on my skin.  I had my outdoor baseball cap on to keep any sun off my head and ticks out of my hair.  The hat also helped to trap my body heat.

            We pass a wooden sign with a map and information sheets tacked behind glass.  After a very short walk from the car, past the sign, we find a bridge crossing at least fifty feet of swift water.  I watched the weather a few days before our trip so I knew to expect high waters due to the amount of rain this area received the past few days.  Looking overhead I’d guess that the rain still is not over.

            The river is muddy brown and running so fast that foam collects around branches and rocks in the water.  I take a picture looking across the bridge and can’t wait to see if it will look as good on the big screen as it does on the camera’s small screen.  We’ve stopped for a moment as Mom and Dad are discussing, probably trying to figure out where we want to go.  Since the park so far does not look as I expected, I will follow them anywhere.  I just want a good hike.

            I get my wish as the gravel path leads us over streams that are rushing into the river.  Cement blocks sit in a row across the stream with the two-fold purpose of allowing us dry-feet access and preventing erosion of the path.

            The trees are incredibly tall and wide.  Mom tells us that this path takes us to a 400-year-old oak tree.  Most of the trees in my town are new compared with the oak, as most of the old trees were cut to make room for fields.  Any trees that grow in the area were likely planted by people as we arrived in Illinois.

            My sis and I stop at one particularly large tree to scan the branches that appear to reach above its neighbors.  The trunk is what first caught our eyes.  It is easily three times as wide as my sister and I; if we hugged it our arms certainly would not span the circumference. 

            As we move deeper into the woods it is easy to see the effects of the rain.  Several inches of water stand around the tree bases.  I’m not sure, though, if the water is an effect of the rain or if it a permanent puddle, as the trees seem happy to have their roots drowning below the algae and no small plants stick out of most of the water.

            I snap a few more pictures then have to hurry my pace to catch up with my family who leaves me behind.  Thankfully my sister notices that I keep dropping back to snap pictures of flowers or other images that catch my attention.  She drops back to keep me company.

            While I can understand their slight annoyance I keep reminding myself that we are here for me.  Had I not asked for this trip we probably never would have come here.  A plus to my over-watchful eye is that I am the only one to spot the turtle sitting between our path and the river, covered in algae. 

This is actually the second turtle we saw.  His pictures turned out better.

            Now everyone else drops back to take a look.  Naturally a turtle is not a strange thing to see.  I’ve spotted plenty of turtles in and along the Illinois River when my dad and I take our Klepper for a ride.  The difference about this turtle is that it is larger than most we see, just smaller than a football, and it is within reach.

            Making sure to avoid any three-leafed plants, I lean in for a better view.  It’s legs and head are out but surprisingly it does not run from us.  We don’t dare pick it up because you never can tell if you’ll get bitten.  Its claws also make the idea less tempting. [End 2008 Z's words.]

            I notice an odd, pitted, round shape on the ground but I don't recognize it.  All I can assume is that it fell from a tree.  I tend to walk with my eyes to the ground, a habit I probably picked up in 1st and 2nd grade when we were told to stay on the center line when walking from our classroom to art or music.  The good thing about this habit is that it helps me notice small treasures on the ground like turtles, toads, and sometimes even a fallen tuliptree flower.

            The downside is that unless I lift up my head.  I am likely to miss the amazement of a 400 year old cherrybark oak tree.  My mom leads the line as we approach this certificate-winning behemoth.  

            This giant stands 100 feet tall, 22 feet and 6.5 inches around the trunk, a crown spread of 113 feet and 398.75 points!  I wonder if all five of us could reach our arms around it.  Yeah, we should be able to, but my family is already on the move by the time I stop taking pictures.  Only my sister hangs back to get a picture of herself hugging the tree.

            We move on and since we are now away from the swampy looking area, I get into the groove of taking pictures of plants and flowers that I will become very familiar with over the next year, except for the weird slimy, green stuff on the ground that looks a little like smashed brains.  I find a toad and another turtle as we go.  This time they are on the gravel so I can get very close for pictures.  

            I find all sorts of molds and fungi to photograph, more flowers, and a few bugs.  I see a spider in its web but the breeze is blowing strong enough to prevent a clear picture.  I also don't think I used the flash much or at all for these pictures.  A rookie mistake I will hopefully correct before too many more visits.  I have some pictures that would have truly been great with better lighting.  We are now walking alongside railroad tracks that we soon cross.  There should be a fork in the road now, but the fork right is overgrown, and the fork left would only lead us through more 'ordinary' forest.  We decide to turn back and check out the cypress swamp.

            Before we cross the tracks, however, as my parents discuss the dangers of tall grass I chase down the butterflies and large dragonflies I see flitting about and landing on the stones of the path.  I'm lucky and get a few good shots.

            After we turn back, we come across the same turtle again but this time we don't linger (except me for another quick picture or two).  I spot a dead newt, an unusual dragonfly-type bug in a tree, and a snail hiding in a rotten trunk.  It's amazing how we're on the same path but I'm finding new things!

            The trees close in and provide a ceiling for us as we begin hearing distant thunder.  I'm feeling a little nervous, but I try not to let it show because we still haven't seen the best part.  I'm not going to let a little thunder scare me away if I can help it!  I stop very quickly for a picture of a luna moth wing...disembodied, and we make it to Heron Pond!

            This place is amazing!  I have never seen anything like it in real life.  A floating pathway leads far into the cypress trees but there is still so much swamp we can't reach.  If not for the nearing thunder, I could have easily spent at least half an hour just staring and taking it all in.  As it was, we spent a total of 10 minutes walking down and back.  Most of my family prefers the drive by viewing of nature rather than the stop and stare method of enjoyment.  I will have to keep this in mind for future park visits.  These 5 parks will just be at a faster pace, I suppose.

          At the end of the walkway, a surprise is waiting for us, a surprise I know my mom will LOVE.  I'm leaning slightly over the edge of the rail wondering what causes all those strange zigzags in the water when I spot this lovely friend resting on a log within a couple feet of my feet.

            It's a good thing Mom wasn't the one to notice it or she would have run screaming all the way back to the car.  This way I got to warn her that she didn't want to come any nearer.  I think this is the largest wild snake I've ever seen.  I was very pleased.  The only time I usually see snakes, which is still very rare, is dead on the side of the road.  When I was little we had a large one and several small ones visit our yard since our neighborhood was newly built and the snake still hadn't learned the danger of the new locals.  

            I snap a few more quick photos of this paradise and we are on our way.  The thunder is getting closer and it is sprinkling by the time we reach the car.  As we drive to our next location in this park we are hit with a powerful downpour.  It looks like we'll have to get soaked to see the 1000+ year old cypress.  I think that is worth it.  Thankfully though, the rain lets up just a little when we arrive so umbrellas protect us as we venture out for a very brief walk to these two amazing trees.

            If that swamp made me feel out of place, I certainly felt like I'd left the state when I saw these beauties.  How can trees like this exist in Illinois and I not know about it until now?  What else am I missing in this great state of wonders?  I guess I will learn about some of those other amazing things this year, but how many more amazing things will I still miss?  If you know of some amazing Illinois locations I should check-out, please tell me about them in the comments.  As we go on this adventure together you might see that I discover them myself, but just in case I don't, please share!  As long as I live in this state I want to continue exploring the magic of it.

    

The dotted yellow line is where we explored with a mystery path in the middle.

            The weather made up our mind about calling it a night and we headed to McDonald's to pick up dinner before checking into our hotel.  We couldn't eat in the restaurant being covered in sweat, mud, and sunscreen; Mom wouldn't allow us to offend the unsuspecting public that way.  So we ate in the Harrah's hotel in Metropolis, and you didn't hear us complaining.  We took off our shoes, showered, and enjoyed the rain from indoors.

            It is time to sleep and get ready for even more adventures tomorrow!

Rating for Park 1: Definitely visit again if I'm ever in the area.  Maybe plan on being in the area again.