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Less than 30 minutes from Chicago, Palos Park Woods, a Cook County Forest Preserve, offers a forest adventure! For a 3-mile loop, we hiked a portion of the Sag Valley yellow trail and the purple connector trail. Both trails are rated intermediate. Overall Thoughts: Difficulty (Lower is Easier) ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 5. Amenities ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of 5. Transportation &…

The West Trail Loop in Burnidge Forest Preserve is a 1.47-mile unpaved nature trail that meanders through both woodlands and prairie. Offering gorgeous views of seasonal colors at the low cost of a few small hills. To get to this trail from the parking lot, you need to take the Centrail Trail Loop. Overall Thoughts on Burnidge Forest Preserve West Trail Loop: Difficulty (Lower is…

The Centrail Trail Loop in Burnidge Forest Preserve, part of the Kane County Forest Preserve is a great place to start exploring this dog-friendly park. This .56-mile walk connects the parking lot to the West Trail Loop (1.47 miles) and South Loop Trail (2.23 miles). Although a smaller loop, this trail offers stand-alone or main character energy with a view of both the lake and woods that showed…

Part of Cook County’s North Branch Trail System and wrapping around the Skokie Lagoon, the Black Trail is the perfect trail for an after-work walk. Clocking in a 4.4 miles, this dog-friendly loop connects to neighborhoods in Glencoe and Winnetka, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the Tower Road and Forest Way Grove entrances. Overall Thoughts on the Skokie Lagoon Trail: Difficulty (Lower is…

Just over 5-hours away from Chicago is Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, Iowa. At only .45 miles the Bridal Veil Trail offered beautiful overlooks and the boardwalk led to a waterfall. Overall Thoughts on Bridal Veil Falls Trail: Difficulty (Lower is Easier) ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of 5. Amenities ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5. Transportation & Accessibility: ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of…

The Salt Creek Trail Systems Red Trail is a non-looping path linking local neighborhoods and over 5 Cook County Forest Preserves in the nearwest suburbs. Located roughly 30 to 45 minutes west of the Loop, the trail starts at Brookfield Woods, next to the Brookfield Zoo, and follows Salt Creek for 7.2 miles, terminating in the Bemis Woods Forest Preserve, in Oakbrook. One thing to note is that the…

Moraine Hills State Park in Mchenry, Illinois is only a 1 1/2 drive from the Chicago Loop. The Leatherleaf Bog Blue Trail offers a friendly trail to go catch the fall colors and the chance to see some wildlife. The Moraine Hills State Park Leatherleaf Bog Blue Trail 3.2 miles This one-way bike and walking trail takes you through the woods and offers glimpses of the bog. The 3.2-mile trek is…

Although Dehd played Lollapalooza on the T-Mobile stage, one of the main stages, they still kept their 2:30 set intimate. The Chicago band engaged festival goers into a show that had a comfy basement feel, even if the set was in Grant Park.  Their screen saver inspired background took me back to the early 2000s. The band name, Dehd, bounced around the large screen with clip art of butterflies,…

On our last trip to Wisconsin, we took a detour off the beaten path to see goats! After a way too short trip to Door County Wisconsin with my mom and sister, we took the long way home, ensuring a goat stop at the LaClare Family Creamery. It is an Instagrammers paradise that includes a Cheese Shop, Cafe, & Goat Farm. The LaClare Family Creamery did not just have goats, but they also offered a…

The windshield wipers had been hard at work for most of the drive. They kept our view clear as conditions allowed as we slowly headed home from our weekend trip to Lansing, Michigan. Fortunately, a break in the rain had allowed us to make a pit stop at a curiously named roadside attraction in Kalamazoo, the Air Zoo! We started off at the store, determined to find a patch for our travel quilt. A…

As we wandered by the Bud Light Backyard stage, one of the smaller pop-up stages and areas, the punk rock music caught our attention. It seemed familiar. Could it really be Charlotte Sands?!  We stopped in our tracks and went past the photo ops of the Backyard area, getting close to the stage. It was indeed Charlotte Sands who was rocking out to a smaller group of fans on this very intimate…

We scrambled to find food before Letdown who was playing a 7:30 set. It was, after all, dinner time. Although we were familiar with Summerfest’s grounds, as this was our 3rd day at the fest, we still had yet to find a food place that seemed to be the right fit for us.  Wandering around the fest hungry and aware that the set was coming up was not the brightest idea but at that point it was our…

Summerfest 55 came to a close on July 8, 2023, the only way that made sense, with a dance party. Walk The Moon made sure of it, moving the crowd with their party anthem jams.   I’m unsure if it was the completion of our home project or just the fact that Summerfest was ending but it was one of the sets, I put down my phone, aka my pen and paper, and let the moment be. For me the set was a…

Considering it was a 1:15 set on the last day of Lollapalooza 2023, August 6, UPSAHL really got our day started with some energized dance music.  Her set was on the Bud Light stage and with a little help from voice overs and sound effects, her upbeat music really delivered. Although dance pop usually, at least nowadays, is sometimes reliant on everything but the artist’s vocals, Taylor Upsahl…

It isn’t every day you stumble into the revival and return of a band that you have never heard of before. But when Spitalfield, a punk rock band from Chicago, hit the Warehouse Stage after Spin Doctors that was exactly what I got. The pop-punk verging on emo group, who would easily sound at home alongside bands like Jimmy Eat World, opened their set with a song that sounded like something that…

It began with a 30 second countdown. As the clock ticked down, I rushed to find Jake who had secured us a spot near the equipment fence before Thirty Seconds to Mars began. See, we had previously split up so that I could catch Sabrina Carpenter and he could catch the 502’s and Foals. Anyone who has been to a festival before can attest to how much of a challenge it can be to link up with your…