Lost in Thought in Delnor Woods (Illinois)

So today, I didn't know where I was. Temporarily. I wasn't exactly LOST; I could still hear the park district mowers at Delnor Woods Park, where I'd taken off on a trail through the trees. I had my camera with me, and was studying the way the sunlight and shadows were playing against the fallen logs, trees, and rich, green foliage that surrounded the pond.

The well-worn path made me take comfort that many others had been this way, so I confidently strode deeper into the woods. At some point, the "well-worn" part abruptly ended, and new grass had filled in along the path. No one had hiked here for a very long time. 

Some movement on the path caught my eye, and I noticed a young bird who was having obvious problems. 

He fell a few times, and hopped along the path, flying short distances to get past the obstacles in his way. He always stayed directly ahead of me, and I knew I was upsetting him as I certainly gave the appearance of giving chase, but we both just happened to be going in the same direction. Eventually, I scurried past him while he was taking a rest, and apologized for having troubled him.

While crossing a footbridge, I heard the most unusual sound, and it startled me at first. It sounded like a very large rubber band being plucked, reverberating a loud twanging sound. 

(In asking friends later if they could suggest what kind of bird it might be based on my vague description, they weren't sure, but Chuck had this to say, "If it was a dueling banjo kind of twang, then I would suggest running." That Chuck.) 

It was very unsettling in that the sound seemed to be way across the pond, and then very near the bridge under my feet. I left quickly. I'm going to assume it was a bird or frog, and leave it at that.

I trudged on, climbing over great fallen logs, making my way over and under limbs across the path. It almost looked like someone had placed barriers along the old path to stop hikers from continuing. And that may have been the case. 

Eventually, I ended up in someone's expansive, well-manicured lawn. I could just imagine the family sitting down to breakfast, only to see some strange woman, obviously lost with her camera around her neck, and her cell phone in her hand, wandering around their beautiful backyard, uninvited. 

I really don't like to make bad first impressions, so I scurried along the border of the yard, and ducked under some low limbs along the perimeter of their property, and headed out to what I thought was a road, but alas, it was a nice seating area under the trees in front of another beautiful home's asphalt driveway. I had to get out of there somehow, so I strode across the footbridge between the two properties, and walked briskly to the top of the driveway that had stately rock columns at its entrance with a sign that said PRIVATE DRIVE.

My apologies to the homeowners. Your grounds are lovely, and your property well-maintained. Excuse me for getting lost in the woods beyond your house. I mean, temporarily, lost in thought. I may have wandered beyond where I should have, but I eventually found my way back to where I began my adventure.  

The plants' reflection in the water is almost more clear than the actual plants.

Getting lost in the woods in thought is an invigorating way to start the day. I'm hoping to revisit there tomorrow. I'm kind of curious about the sound I heard in the pond by the footbridge. Until then, you might want to GET LOST yourself! It's kind of fun.