License Plate Art

 Q: What to do with old Illinois license plates? 

A: License plate art. 

I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Hockey Stick Bench

Q: What to do with 12 old hockey sticks and a bench nobody sits on??  

A: Combine them into a "hockey stick bench!" (Julie's idea)

Here are the old hockey sticks...

...and here is the bench:

I removed the wood from the bench.

I cut the 12 hockey sticks to length:

I filed the ends of the sticks:

And here is the final product: 

The bench's final resting place: 

Resurrecting Uncle Jim's table

For this project I attempted to bring some life to a table my Uncle Jim made in 1977.  Follow the pictures below...

Here is the table in its original state.  

Inscription by Jim from 1977...

The one major flaw of the table was that the sides came down too low to sit on a stool comfortably.  I cut out openings on all 4 sides to accommodate stool height. 

Per my mentor's (Al) instructions, I sanded with 150 grit sandpaper and applied 4 coats of Spar Marine Varnish.

2 coats of varnish on....

Here is the table after 4 coats of varnish...

Final table assembled: 

Channahon State Park - Starved Rock State Park bike loop

Monday August 3: Channahon State Park to Starved Rock State Park. 53.64 miles

The route: 

The bike loaded up and ready to go...

Starting off point:

First rest stop was at Aux Sable Aqueduct, Lock and Locktender's House

This is the aqueduct (bridge carrying water over another river)

View of the aqueduct from the side

Looking down Aux Sable Creek, which runs under the aqueduct pictured above. 

The lock. A few guys were fishing here.  

Dresden mule barn.  When the I&M Canal was in use, mules would walk the path I rode while towing boats down the canal.  This barn is a mule barn from circa 1850.  The mules would rest here and be swapped out with fresh ones. 

The front of the mule barn (had to cross the canal and backtrack). 

The mule barn is now part of this family farm. 

The farm has some cool playhouses. 

Along the Canal nearing Morris some houses had stairs and piers down to the canal.  I doubt they get in the water??

If you look closely under this deck I see a hockey net.  Does the canal freeze in winter? 

Messages at an underpass.  (No idea what any of this means). 

Typical view of the I&M Canal trail. 

Seneca, IL is along the trail and home to the oldest surviving grain elevator, the M.J. Hogan Grain Elevator. 

Entering Marseilles, IL with a dated trail sign. You can see the canal is dry in the background. 

This sign was interesting.  You can see the I&M trail that the man in yellow is on.  Do semi trucks really follow their GPS and go down that?!?!

Ottawa, IL has several historical sites.  This is the "toll house" where boat captains on the canal stopped to pay a toll and rest. 

There is a replica boat outside the toll house. 

Ottawa, IL is also home to the Reddick Mansion.  It was built in the 1850s by William Reddick: sheriff, state senator and founder of local glass industry. 

During the 1858 U.S. Senate race, Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen A. Douglas in Ottawa, IL. Pawnee style (Parks and Rec)  mural to commemorate that debate. 

In Ottawa, I crossed to the south side of the Illinois River.  There was a cool park with some metal sculptures.  View from the bridge over the Illinois River.

Getting close to the campground...

Mileage for the day.

Grilled cheese dinner.

Camp set up. 

Tuesday August 4:  Starved Rock State Park to Channahon State Park. 54.49 miles

The route: 

Monday afternoon I was too tired to explore the park, so I did so Tuesday morning.  

I was early to the park (7:30am).  I didn't take too many pictures due to the sun/glare.  But below is my best attempt to capture the "Starved Rock." It just out on the right (there is more too it I just couldn't get there with my bike).

Here is a Google/stock photo of it.

Did you know there are Buffalo in Illinois??? They are at Buffalo Rock State Park. 

This park is somewhat sad in my opinion. 3 buffalo (mom, dad, baby?) are penned in by two rickety chain link fences.  Not quite Yellowstone...

Sign on the bathroom door at Buffalo Rock State Park.  Seems like a very specific and odd problem. 

Coming back through Ottawa, IL.  The canal is dry here.  I noticed some signs in town for a fundraiser to "fill the canal?"  They are doing some work on the dry canal. 

Stairway to heaven?  Stairway to nowhere? 

Cool building along the canal in Marseilles, IL. 

Gatorade stop at Casey's in Seneca, IL. 

Seneca, IL is home of the Fighting Irish (not my Fighting Irish). 

Got stuck by a freight train.  There were many tracks crossing the trail with no lights, warnings or gates.  This train surprised me. 

Old theater, new church in Morris, IL. 

Canal east of Morris, IL looking a bit stagnant. 

Mileage for the day. 

Back where I started, 30 hours and 110 miles later.