What the heck??

Along the trail to Wildcat Canyon, we see a snow-covered, fallen log with this tail atop it. Jon said it was the left-behind tail of a raccoon that something had eaten for dinner. Who put that there???

I said he should pull on the tail and see if a really angry raccoon popped out of the snow!

He declined. Go figure . . .



Julie asked about the history of the name Starved Rock. Direct from the Illinois DNR web site:

"Starved Rock State Park derives its name from a Native American legend of injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe upriver from here, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his killing, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name “Starved Rock.”

A little ironic, to read this history, and find all that is left of a raccoon is his tail....hmmmmmm.