The I&M Canal, Lockport

Last Saturday was a good day to take a walk along the Illinois & Michigan Canal in Lockport, so we proceeded from Lincoln's Landing (see Monday) toward Lock No. 1. But we didn't make it that far, despite overcast skies and no rain, and temps in the 60s F., which is ideal walking weather if you're dressed for it. Lilly and her friend parked themselves on a bench only a few hundred feet along the walking path, which parallels the canal a long way, and waited for Ann and I to return, so I thought better of making them wait 45 minutes or an hour on the bench.

No matter. Even a short stretch of the canal has its verdant charms in June, as seen on one bank:

And then the other:

The water itself had no hint of green, but a lot of mud color instead. Though come to think of it, the Earth isn't going to be very green without mud browns. Anyway, it's been rainy in these parts lately, and despite being manmade, the canal is doing its job of taking silt to the Mississippi just as any nature-born stream would.