99 / Starved Rock

Hi all! Today I woke up to find I am verrry close to 100 readers, wahooo!! Thank you all so much for visiting, reading, and supporting my blog the past few months. My blog is still so new but I am glad that people are starting to find it :] So thank you all for checking my blog out and all of the lovely comments you leave, it really means a lot.

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As I told you all Monday, I visited Starved Rock last Saturday with the fam. My mom, sweetpea, and I woke up extra early and hit the road in search of bald eagles. Here are some shots from that day. I had hoped to take some Wardrobe Wednesday shots, but in the end wasn't in the mood to get dolled up that early in the morning.



For those of you unfamiliar with Starved Rock, it is a beautiful national park located in Utica, Illinois. The 2,360 acre land is full of many canyons, waterfalls, and trees to explore. You can hike, fish, and camp here and is listed as one of Illinois's "Seven Wonders". According to native legend, a group of Illini Indians had come under attack by a war party of Ottawa and Potawatomi Indians and suffered starvation when trapped on the butte without food or water. The butte later became known as Starved Rock.



For optimal eagle viewing us ladies trekked to the top of Starved Rock in order to get a better view of the surrounding area.



The little princess, pea, couldn't make it up all of the stairs with her little legs so she was carried the majority of the way. Once we were at the top she was able to run about. Yes, she is wearing my brothers undershirt - we forgot her sweater and it was a pretty brisk day. Pea didn't seem to mind her new look one bit.



Don't worry, I didn't forget the eagles! Starved Rock is home to the bald eagle. Winter time is the best time to spot eagles because they migrate south to the open waters of Starved Rock created by it's locks and dams. This year there were significantly less eagles due to the unusually warmer weather. Thankfully, we spotted four on our trip. I was able to sneak up under the last one and get a good shot (I don't have a telephoto lens so it was the best shot I could get).



On the ride home we drove through the cute town of Utica where they were gearing up for Mardi Gras.

Starved Rock is such a beautiful place, if you ever get the chance you should check it out. Have a lovely Friday everyone :]

Eeep! I forgot to add Abe in!! Thankfully he is everywhere here in Illinois. Had to rub his nose for good luck (100 blog followers - i'll take it!!)