Birds of a feather

Today I went with the Photography club down to the Illinois Canal, Lock 14 in LaSalle. It was so cold when we arrived early this morning!

As I drove into the parking lot I saw the pond covered with birds. I barely said hi to the rest of the group as I got out of my car and took off running back to the pond. Only a few flew away when they heard me approach. I had to wait for the rest of the flock to settle down.

I could have gone home after this shot. But I decided to stay and hiked nearly 12 miles round trip. We walked down the canal, explored the abandoned mines, walked around to the train tunnel that is no longer used, then all the way back.

The last 2 miles were brutal. My feet were screaming. The sun was bright and the temperature had risen considerably. I was still dressed for the cold, lugging 20 lbs of gear and necessities in my backpack, and carrying my tripod.

I wanted to stick my feet in a bucket of ice cubes when we were done. Made me appreciate the birds and their wings just that much more. :)