Crystal skies,
Mild breezes,
Leaves lit from within,
Golden, orange, and red.
I’d never walked this trail before, or even noticed the entrance to it, on the far side of the parking lot from the other trail heads.
I only noticed it this time because we parked in the gravel overflow lot, joining what appeared to be the rest of western Illinois on this gorgeous fall afternoon.
It’s a gently sloping trail for most of the way, scrolling between the edges of the highway and and the towering grey river bluffs.
Slowly climbing above the traffic rumble, it overlooks thickly wooded valleys and peek-a-boo views of the river.
The trail emerges at the top of the bluff, joining the other trails at the overlook shelter, the final glows of summer mingling with the brilliance of fall.
Rambling ... 