Pretty

I didn't post a lot of Autumn shots because in my opinion

the colors this year were kind of Blah...

Now that the leaves are gone (come back, come back!)

I took a second look at some of the pictures and guess what? 

Not too shabby.

Come for a walk with me.

The Lake and Cook County Forest Preserve in Illinois 

have miles and miles of beautiful trails

This cabin is an education center at the head of a really nice trail 

A large part of the forest is in the DesPlaines river valley

but it expands from there to small lakes and slough's and into some hilly areas and glacial moraines.

I've found some pretty cool artifacts and fossils over the years in the creek beds.

These were taken a few weeks ago.

 All from my cell phone.

I generally don't take a clunky camera with me if my intention is walking. 

Sometimes the camera can be distracting. 

I like to hear the sounds and smell the smells.