The Busse Woods Trail

August 1, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

The Ned Brown Nature Preserve, more commonly known as Busse Woods, is home to a small herd of elk that roam a 17-acre enclosed pasture of ancient upland forest in Elk Grove Township, IL. The size of the herd has fluctuated since the original herd delivery from Yellowstone National Park in 1925, but a veterinary […]

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Helmet

July 28, 2022.Reading time 10 minutes.

It seemed like a great afternoon for a bike ride. The weather was overcast and cloudy with a cooler 80 degrees compared to some of the really hot July temperatures we have been having lately. We were eager to ride one of our favorite local bike paths just 30 minutes away on the Oak Savannah […]

The North Judson Erie Trail

July 5, 2022.Reading time 10 minutes.

The old Tippecanoe Railroad/JK Line (TIPP) served the Buckeye Feed and Supply until the mid 1980’s into the little country town of North Judson, Indiana. The history of this rail line is commemorated at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum just off of Main Street where the wooden rail ties and spikes have been converted to […]

The Calumet-Saganashkee Trail

July 4, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

In Chicagoland’s South Side there is a marathon trail at just over 26 miles that follows the Calumet-Sag channel connecting the Sag Quarries in Lemont to Freedom Park in Alsip, Illinois. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the Jagers set off on another adventure to explore a new trail with our bikes. We started our journey […]

The Chicago Botanic Garden

February 24, 2022.Reading time 14 minutes.

The summer of 2020 marked the beginning of our gardening journey when Derek and I grew plants from seed packets on the windowsill of our apartment for the community garden plot. Over the course of the next several months, we learned how to grow organic vegetables, fruits, and lots of sunflowers. So when given the […]

The Oak Savannah Trail

April 11, 2021.Reading time 8 minutes.

When I was a kid, I used to bike all around my neighborhood. Pedaling as fast as I could with the wind rushing through me, I accelerated down the big hill without brakes like an adrenaline junkie while a blur of tiger lilies and cattails surrounding Shipshewana Lake blanketed my peripheral vision. It felt like […]

The Erie Lackawanna Trail

April 8, 2021.Reading time 8 minutes.

It seems as though the season has finally turned to springtime with days of fresh rain and sunshine. With the warmer weather on our faces, we commenced our goal to bike the network of trails weaving through the Lakeshore area. We obtained a copy of the Northwest Indiana Greenways and Blueways map from our local […]

Two Dudes and a Dudette

August 27, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Together we are stronger than on our own. As a team of triathletes, the “Two Dudes and a Dudette” were each able to compete at our best in the sport we were most qualified to perform on race day. Ed had been clocking laps in the swimming pool throughout the year in preparation for tri-season […]