Fullersburg is probably my favorite forest preserve ever. I've been there so many times I know the place intimately. So intimately that I know about a place that is fairly secret there, where they have a second waterfall. Everyone knows about the one by the Graue Mill, but very few know about that other one. I remember when I first found it I knew I'd been the only one to set foot there since the early 'Nineties. I found empty Pepsi cans with the old design from back then. That's how I know. If someone else had been down there, I feel certain that shit would have gotten cleaned up.
It sucks because now I can't get to the place. I can see the waterfall, but not the area I found nearby. For that you have to jump across the stream, and that involves jumping to a sturdy branch that overhangs said stream. You need two good feet for this, and I've got none. You know about my bad foot. My "better" foot is down a couple of toes. Possibly I'll be down another toe soon. I have a hole in the one next to the two stumps, so . . .
But that's not what I'm talking about tonight. See that bridge up there? It's closed off now. Has been for a few years. I'm not entirely sure why. The last time I had a close look it seemed to be intact and safe enough to cross. I'm irritated because I loved crossing that bridge and exploring the island there. There is one path, and it circles the small island, and there is one rest area with benches, tables, etc. I remember many years ago there had been a flood, and when I found the rest area, which is encircled by a stone wall that you have to step down into, there were fish stuck there. The flood had to have carried them in and stranded them when the waters subsided.
Maybe the flood is the reason they blocked off the bridge. I don't know. I miss that place. It was also good for watching deer because not a lot of people went over to the island. Not that there is a lack of deer in the woods, but they're more likely to stick around when viewed on the island instead of loping off into the wilderness.
It was also a good place to find frogs and turtles, and in the spring you could easily see armies of tadpoles swimming in the shallows.
Every year I hope they'll take down the barriers, and every year I'm disappointed. Here's to hoping for spring 2023 . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment