http://www.tedvillaire.com Outdoor Pursuits in the Chicago Area and Beyond Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:58:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_1643" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="Tunnel Hill Trail in Southern Illinois"][/caption] Anyone who's passed within 100 feet of me during the past year knows that I have four new guidebooks that will be released this coming spring. Three of the books—Best Illinois Rail Trails, Illinois Road Biking, and Camping Illinois—required many months of ... http://www.tedvillaire.com/new-guidebooks/ My friend Kari Lydersen recently interviewed me for a short piece for the Great Lakes Town Hall, a website where she served as a guest writer. She wanted to learn more about a trip I took in August bicycling the west coast of Michigan. As I explain below, for much ... http://www.tedvillaire.com/biking-paddling-coast-lake-michigan/ [caption id="attachment_1403" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="The spring at Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area; photo by John Tarzynski"][/caption] During the past week, I've had the pleasure of crossing paths with several people who have committed themselves working their way through the hikes in my book, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago. ... http://www.tedvillaire.com/nature-family-solitude-plain-fun/ During June and July when ticks are most active in Illinois, be sure to check your exposed skin frequently while out hiking. At this time of year, I find ticks most frequently appear inside the top edge of my ankle-length socks. I've also found them, ahem, inside the waistband of ... http://www.tedvillaire.com/tick-season-northern-illinois/ [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Wetlands and ponds cover much of the landscape at Moraine Hills State Park"][/caption] In observance of National Trails Day on June 6, the trail system at Moraine Hills State Park in McHenry County was designated a National Recreation Trail. The Moraine Hills trail system is one of only ... http://www.tedvillaire.com/moraine-hills-trails-national-attention/