Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn Bikes, Hikes, Drives Great Lakes Circle Tour

Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn biked, hiked and drove the 63-mile Illinois leg of the Great Lakes Circle Tour, a 6,500-mile international scenic road system encircling the Great Lakes to promote clean beaches and nature-based tourism.

 

Quinn began his all-day trek at the Illinois-Indiana state line, and finished at the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. 

 

 "Summer is a great time to discover the gems in our own backyard and the Great Lakes Circle Tour is a wonderful way to enjoy America's ‘Third Coast'," said Quinn, who chairs the Illinois Delegation to the Great Lakes Commission.  The Great Lakes Circle Tour was designated in the 1980s by the Great Lakes Commission, a bi-national public agency that promotes clean water in the Great Lakes basin.

 

            Quinn addressed different topics at five different stops along his Great Lakes Circle Tour.

 

Visiting the William Powers Conservation Area at 122^nd and Avenue O in Chicago, Quinn met with local environmentalists and local officials to discuss the Calumet region's industrial history, eco-tourism, bicycling, bird watching, and the importance of improving wildlife habitat. "The Calumet region with its steel mills, international ports and immigrant heritage, helped to forge one of the greatest cities in the nation," Quinn said, standing at the shore of Wolf Lake. "Thanks to the efforts of countless individuals and resilience of nature, here we can enjoy a unique urban wilderness that offers prime opportunities for bicycling, bird watching and fishing."

 

 At Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, Quinn talked with school children about the institution's role as Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center and community resource. Visiting Wilmette, Waukegan and Winthrop Harbor, Quinn addressed the importance of maintaining clean beaches and the ecological balance of the Great Lakes.  At Wilmette's Gillson Park, he saluted students from Marie Murphy School for adopting Gillson Park Beach through the Alliance of the Great Lakes' Adopt-A-Beach Program.

 

            Quinn biked his way from Wolf Lake to 112^th and Avenue G, and from 18th Street to Shedd Aquarium. He met briefly with cyclists at Buckingham Fountain to commemorate the passage of recent legislation allowing bikes on Metra trains during weekends and off peak hours. The Metra rail system stops at numerous points along the Great Lake Circle Tour. Near the Wisconsin border, Quinn rode his bike with Winthrop Harbor village officials from the Winthrop Harbor Metra station to North Point Marina, the nation's largest contained inland marina.

 

To trace Quinn's Great Lakes Circle Tour 2005 route or learn more about the Calumet region's history, migratory bird flyways, bird-watching tips, cycling routes, clean beaches or the Great Lakes, visit: LtGovernor.il.gov.

 

            "This summer, pack the kids in the car, grab a roadmap and follow the Circle Tour signs," Quinn urged.  "You can drive from sunrise to sunset in a single day on the road hugging Illinois' 63-mile shoreline or take a month to circle the whole Great Lakes system.  You'll experience the stunning beaches, sand dunes, wildlife, history, great cities and museums that sit on the shores of the world's largest source of fresh water."

 

            During Quinn's Great Lakes Circle Tour 2005, he visited the Chicago neighborhoods of Hegewisch, Calumet Park, South Chicago, South Shore, Woodlawn, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, Bronzeville, the Gap, South Loop, the Loop, Streeterville, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wrigleyville, Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park, and the communities of Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, North Chicago, Waukegan, Beach Park, Zion and Winthrop Harbor.