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On the 4th of July, instead of doing the traditional fireworks / picnic thing, my family drove an hour south down to Starved Rock State Park. Its such a beautiful but humble park – the trails being easy for the weak (me) but also challenging enough for the adventurous (my mom). We’ve been here countless times in the past to the point where the nearby restaurants and motels look eerily familiar. Luckily though, each time comes with a new, unrivaled experience.
Apologies for the super-edited photos, I have this bad habit where I can’t leave a photo untouched 😦 While we were hiking, we came across a forested land that was flooded by the recent rainfall. Photography-wise, I live for reflections in nature – they are so unexpected and hidden-from-the-eye.
Streams of colored water = woww!
We took a two hour hike in the morning, stopped for a picnic potluck styled lunch (sesame noodles, chicken kabobs, watermelon), and then finished our trip with another two hour hike. It was a great exercise escaping the hungry mosquitoes, maneuvering around high rocks, while trying to get a good shot here and there.
Waterfalls everywhere! It makes the hike a lot easier just knowing there’s a beautiful destination waiting ahead. Overall a wonderful day with time well spent with the family. The routes are suitable for the entire family though the steep stairs are a bit overwhelming, you can still take those step by step. They have nice picnic grounds, so I recommend bring some sandwiches and fruit and definitely (definitely!!) bottled water for the hike.
soymilk on a sunday 
Sounds amazing! I will have to go there someday!
Ooh, yes you definitely should! It makes a inexpensive but well spent vacation 🙂
Also, thank you for reading dear!