Checkpoint. Started out sunny & bright with blue skies, started clouding up by 90 minutes in and was completely cloudy for the last 45 minutes or so, cold temps varied from 24 to 29 degrees, NE winds @ 10 mph with gusts up to 17 mph. No other cyclists out but there were a few clusters of hikers here and there. I saw a large fluffy Coyote near the turnaround point in Alsip. Of note is the Imperial Oak Brewing Co. right near the parking. It was open as I finished the ride. Started the ride at FP parking for John Husar I&M Canal Trail in Willow Springs. Overall the trail was fully paved and in excellent condition - very well built. Rode under and over several bridges along the Sanitary Canal and the Calumet-Saganashkee Canal, very scenic in some spots. Just North of the Cal-Sag Canal channel is the lower portion of Palos Canal trail. It will be worth it to come back as it leaf's out in the Spring. This would be fine for a road bike except the spots where you cross over on bridges in two spots, as there is a lot of debris and trash that is never cleaned apparently. Stopped for a bowl of chili and a couple of cider pops at the Geneva Ale House on the way home.