Lisa and I went cross country skiing today. Very fun. We drove only about thirty minutes south of Chicago down I-55 to a forest preserve called Arie Crown - was beautiful and about the right length, took us about 45 minutes to do the yellow loop. We got a great workout, Lisa a big ball of sweat at the end. We found it on the Internet. Rented Gear at a great place called Viking Ski Shop at 3422 West Fullerton in Logan Square. Got great stuff for only $30 a person. The snow was terrific. Halfway through I saw a herd of six full-grown deer bounding through the forest, beautiful sight.
Deer in the winter (I didn't take this pic)
At the end we found a small lake with a handful of ice huts with people ice-fishing – we skiied out onto the lake, fun stuff. Highly recommended. There are lots of other forest preserves – there may be better, Arie Crown did have a section along a busy road and a bit amongst some homes and apartment complexes.
Arie Crown Forest Preserve Trail Map
