Wow! That's not in a forest. That's in a suburban neighborhood, in South Barrington.

Finding the fall colors

It took a while for the fall colors to show, but Morton Arboretum experts say they really weren't so late. Yet plenty of people argue they were muted this year, at least in the forest preserves. Who knew that the trees and bushes right by our homes would provide the best scenery as November came around? It all really started in September with fantastic yellows in the prairies. Here's what I found where.​

Getting through in Barrington

I had an appointment in downtown Barrington, so I took a walk to check out the massive Route 14 underpass project. It involved building a "temporary" Route 14 (Northwest Highway) so the real one could be dug up. It's an awfully nice temporary road! It comes with a side path that's wide enough for multiple uses near the library and OK enough across the tracks through to Route 59. Here's a peek at it all.

Bike clubs and other volunteers make it happen

When it gets too cold and dark to keep riding, some bike clubs find ways to keep their members active. Some organize volunteer work, some go skiing, some ride and feed the hungry at the same time, and some just meet and hang out ("zero mile rides"). Ralph Banasiak's notes on cold-weather activity now top my list of bike clubs.​

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Ralph also wrote about a few people and local bike commissions (commissioned by municipal leaders or not) that promote bicycling in their communities and advocate for better infrastructure, among other things. Read about the folks behind the scenes.​

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ALWAYS ON THE WEBSITE

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E-bike law round-up: Naperville is looking to add a minimum age for e-bike riders, while the Des Plaines city council debated broad use. See the latest in the compilation.

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Trail round-up: The trails are crunchy with leaves about now. See where to go.​

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Road and trail construction: Updates on the Salt Creek and Old Plank Road trails — see what's been happening this year.​

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In the 60s on Friday and Saturday? Time to go outside, no mittens needed! — Neil

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THANK YOU to donors Alan White, John Heer, Terry Witt, Mitchell C. Jones, T L Szensy, Douglas H. Hoffman, James Krause, Melynda Findlay Shamie, Eric Slagter and Jeffery Norman. They're helping support my website and work. You can, too.
​Buy me a cup of coffee, as they say?

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At top, don't mind me while I once again use South Barrington for its quiet streets and peaceful scenery.

​Read old newsletters. And please forward this to anyone interested.