Fri, May 5 2017 - THIRD Cinco de Mayo Hike: Big Trees Forest Preserve (Beginners Welcome) (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Carol, Joyce T. Participants: Joyce T., Carol, Barbara B, Bob R, Gayle M., Teresa B, Jeff, LINDA D, Sunae, Shirley N, Liz P, SusanF, Larry S, Tim

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Five hikes- Five hikers completing all FIVE!!  Congrats to Joyce, Shirley, Bob, Larry and Carol.  Peer pressure can take one a long way as Shirley can attest to!!  We had the Joyce umbrella going strong.  The rains stayed away as we had  only a little misting every now and then.  Started at 8:00 AM - ended at 7:45 PM covering 17 miles with breaks in between and lunch at Tijuana Joe's Cantina.  We started at Riverside getting in a quick 4 miles in an hour and 15 minutes - nice little pace!  Next stop - Vickery Creek - another brisk hike covering 6 miles in 2 hours.  The views of the river were spectacular with the water levels being high.  We then gathered at Big Trees Forest Preserve spending a little under an hour taking in a nice little stroll.  From there, thirteen of us headed over to Tijuana Joe's for a nice lunch.  We had a great discussion over which salsa was the hottest.  The waiter reported that all the salsa came from the same source but our taste buds told us that some of the salsa on the table was definitely on the hotter side:)  After lunch, we headed over to Morgan Falls where we once again  had some great views of the river along with some great hiking.  Last stop, Island Ford where Joyce was totally in her element as she started us off at a nice, brisk pace around the Lollipop Trail, finding some side trails along the way.  We then took off down the road and back into the park where we hiked along some of the lower trails of Island Ford.  We were incredibly lucky with the weather - even saw the sun shining for a couple of minutes at the end of the day!  Thanks to all of you who jumped on and off the hikes with us and thanks to Shirley, Bob and Larry for carrying us throughout the entire day!  So, until next year:) ~ Carol