Hiking The Path Of The Earth People

After supper this evening John and I decided to check out a new-to-us trail...Path of the Earth People at Prairie State Park. The trail has been there for quite a while, but one of the guys at work got it blazed yesterday, so, we decided, "Why not?" The trail is located across from the main part of the park on the south side of Central. It is two miles long and fairly level. It's not my favorite trail in the park, but it made for a wonderful late evening hike.

We started our hike about 5:30. Most of the area that we would be hiking in was still basking in late afternoon sun with just the far western border of the area in shadow.

One of the bright orange trail blazes laid out on the trail by David yesterday.

Prairie grasses laid before us streaked with sunshine and shadow.

The western sun filtering through the tall grasses gave them an appearance of being lit up from within.

Tall grasses swaying in the gentle breeze. What a beautiful evening!

As we hiked the trail the shadows continuously stretched out long before us. It's like we were chasing the last of the evening's sun rays but we could not catch them. 

The sunlight stayed one step ahead of us and was always just out of reach.

Sunlight highlights the top of this gentle swell of the land.

Sunlight highlights the the prairie just beyond us in golden splendor

The sun slips below the western horizon and suddenly the whole prairie is submerged into shadow.

The last rays of sun bid us farewell as the sun slips below the tree line to the west.

Red prairie grasses against an odd patch of bright green trail.

Here and there were the last bright splashes of brilliant color as the prairie plants prepare for winter's soon arrival. See the tiny thistle in full color right in the middle?

A fiery red flag mid the muted colors of autumn on the prairie.

The bright yellow of a goldenrod plant mid the muted colors of autumn on the prairie. 

The camera on my Ipod apparently picks up more light than the human eye, because, by this point, it was very nearly dark, yet these pictures look as though it's still daylight.

The trail zig-zagging ahead of us.

Here again...these last pictures amaze me! It was quite dark by the time these last pictures were taken, yet it appears to be daylight still. Wow!

A Foggy Morning At Prairie State Park

It was another gorgeous day out on the prairie today, but this morning was super foggy. I hiked the quarter-mile loop before the fog burned off and took several pictures. Thought I'd share a few here.

The sun trying to burn through the fog.

Spider webs strung through tall grass like lines on telephone poles.

Big bluestem and sumac.

A spiderweb delicately strung between tall grasses hangs heavy with morning dew.

A close-up view of the same spiderweb.

More spiderwebs low in the grasses.

Spiderweb among sumac.

Stems of big bluestem stand like sentinels on the prairie patiently awaiting to herald news of winter's first icy blast.

Spiderweb mid big blue and sumac.

Spiderwebs strung and looped through the grasses.

Tiny web of some ground dwelling spider.

This spider web is delicately woven in a half-circle on the lower part of a big blue.

A lone meadowlark flies low across the prairie as the fog retreats, rolls away, and evaporates.

The dried red head of sumac plants stand just above the grasses on this south-facing slope.

The reds and golds of tallgrass prairie in autumn.

Fiery red sumac against a backdrop of gold and bronze.

A close-up of fiery red sumac with asters and what's left of late summer's ashy sunflowers.

The last bit of summer's green against prairie gold.