17-21 August 2022
17 August 2022, Wednesday
We’ve been meaning to get to Indiana Dunes for several years now, but somehow it just never fit into our driving schedule. In the years we’ve been considering this visit, Indiana Dunes has been promoted from a National Lakeshore to a National Park. Our drive from Minnesota goes smoothly, except for horrendous traffic around Chicago. This is especially jarring after the open roads of eastern Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. But – eventually we arrive. Dunewood Campground is very nice. The sites are well-spaced and well-shaded.
And there are showers! That’s unusual for a National Park. Alas, my hopes for fewer mosquitoes are dashed this evening. It’s exceedingly difficult to practice fiddle when you are being attacked by mosquitoes. Our permethrin “lamp” decreases their number, but they still make their presence known.
18 August 2022, Thursday
After breakfast, O, Lucy and I drive to the Visitor Center. I go inside for information while O stays outside with Lucy. I find a brochure explaining that dogs are allowed almost everywhere in the park except for the lifeguarded area of one beach and Pinhook Bog, which is only accessible via a ranger guided tour. From the park brochure I learn that Stephen Mather, the first head of the National Park Service, tried to protect the dunes from development, but was thwarted by WWI. There was subsequently an ongoing battle between industrialists who wanted to develop the area and conservationists who wanted to protect it. Finally, in 1963, JFK proposed both a national lakeshore and a port. In 1966, Congress finally created the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and in 2019 the National Lakeshore became a National Park. This park has an amazing diversity of plant and bird life. It’s a sort of ecological crossroads between east and west and north and south.
O and I hike the Cowles Bog Trail today, a 4.3 mile loop through woods, bog (actually a fen) and onto the shore of Lake Michigan. By the time our hike begins the day is warm and sunny. The walk through the woods is pleasant and shaded, but once we approach the beach we are in full sunshine on a steep sandy slope. At the water’s edge we see the beautiful blue of Lake Michigan directly ahead of us, but to the south is dredging, to the north are the cooling towers of a power plant, and in the brown haze across the southern end of the lake are the skyscrapers of Chicago. At least 15,000 beautiful acres have been preserved.
As we start back up the sandy slope poor Lucy starts prancing in the sand and finally lies down whimpering. I realize the sand is too hot for her feet. O and I take turns carrying her up the steep slope, from one tiny patch of shade to the next. It’s quite a workout! We finally reach the top of the ridge and the shade of the woods. From here, Lucy can walk on her own.
After our hiking adventure O and I head to the Shoreline Brewery and Restaurant for a late lunch. Once we are seated at our table, Lucy agrees that this is an excellent idea. The waiters bring her a dog bowl filled with ice water, and ply her with biscuits. She finally dozes off in the shade of O’s chair while we enjoy our beers, pizzas and salads. We are stuffed!
Dunewood Campground is rather deserted by the time we get back 4 pm. O and I take advantage of the situation and shower. Then Lucy accompanies us on a walk around the campground. Since the mosquitoes are not quite as thick in the afternoon I actually get to play my fiddle a bit. I’ll do some reading before bedtime. It’s much easier to swat mosquitoes while reading than while fiddling.
19 August 2022, Friday
Today is hot, humid, and quite sunny. Neither of us wants to do anything out in the bright sun, so after our raisin pancake breakfast we drive over to the Little Calumet River. There are many options for hiking here. O and I choose to amble through the shady woods. There are maple, oak, walnut, beech, sassafras, hickory and other trees here, in addition to many wildflowers. We wander over to the Bailly Homestead. Joseph Bailly arrived here in 1822 and established a trading post. This was an excellent location since the Little Calumet River was here. The National Park Service is in the process of restoring the Bailly Cabins and houses. A bit further up the trail there is a handicap access ramp to the river, complete with a system of handrails and rollers which enable disabled people to get their kayaks in and out of the river. A short way beyond this ramp, the trail exits the shady woods and goes out onto prairie. Here O and I turn around and head back to our starting point.
Now we walk the trail in a counter-clockwise direction, remaining in the shade of the woods and stopping to inspect the maple sugaring exhibit. There are sugaring demonstrations here during the appropriate season. We walk an abbreviated loop through the woods and return past the Chellberg Farm. O is very interested in the portable lumber mill on exhibit here. Lucy is very interested in the chickens.
By now we’ve walked 4 hot miles and we are ready to return to Shoreline Brewery. Lucy orders biscuits and ice cold water. O and I share a small poutine plate and some grilled tuna sliders. All is delicious. I sip a Kolsch and O has a brew called “Don’t Panic,” a pale ale that is not too hoppy. After our leisurely dinner we stop at Mount Baldy, an unruly dune that has taken over a portion of the parking area and buried several tall trees. We walk the sandy and shaded trail to the top of a ridge where we can see the dune and Lake Michigan. None of us are interested in the steep walk down to the beach, so we take in the view and then return to camp.
The weather report calls for rain towards morning and thunderstorms tomorrow. Our tarp is now deployed over our picnic table. Once again I have time to play my fiddle. Some little girls call out that they like my music as they walk by. So do the mosquitoes. I am looking forward to an air-conditioned, mosquito-less place to play!
20 August 2022, Saturday
It rained overnight, and it’s rather damp and occasionally drizzly this morning. We have a delightfully leisurely start to the day: snoozing in, showers, walk Lucy, slow cooking of breakfast as we allow our fried potatoes lots of time to get brown outside and soft inside. We enjoy the potatoes with a tofu – vegan bacon scramble enhanced with Penzey’s spices. By the time we are done with dishes it is almost noon.
O and I head off to LaPort, Indiana where there is a laundromat, then back to camp where we have time to read a bit before an early dinner of left-over pizza from the brew pub. I had been hoping the rain would cool things off and lower the humidity, but it’s as humid as ever, maybe more-so. My hair hasn’t been this curly since we lived in Delaware!
All in all, a pleasant day of rest. We are expecting more rain and possible thunderstorms tonight followed by gradual clearing during the day tomorrow. Our tarp hang is doing an excellent job keeping our picnic table dry.
21 August 2022, Sunday
After breakfast we drive to West Beach, about 13 miles from our campground. Last night was quite humid, but we had only a sprinkling of rain. We heard lots of owls (barred) but no thunder. When we leave camp everything feels soggy. West Beach, however, has a pleasant, cool breeze coming in off the lake. As we walk towards the pavilion at the entrance to the beach a hawk soars overhead. It’s wings are black-edged and its tail is striped. Wings and tail are beautifully translucent in the sun. We think it is a broad-winged hawk.
Lucy trots along with us on the paved road and through the cool pavilion (with its concession stand, showers and picnic tables.) She’s a bit hesitant when we get to the sand, but seems content enough when we sit down in the shade of a tree. We go no further. Dogs are not allowed in the life-guarded area of the beach, although there are no lifeguards on duty today. There is a dune walk here, but this is not the time to attempt that. We enjoy blue sky, sand, sun and blue water. Then it is time to move on. Lucy is very eager to get off the beach. I’m sure she’s worrying about scorching her paws again.
From West Beach we drive north and arrive at Portage Lakefront and River Walk. There aren’t any parking spaces large enough for Vincent near the Lakefront building so we drive back up the road and park near the start of the Riverwalk. Here steps lead down to a boardwalk that’s actually over the river. We see a great blue heron and many ducks. Directly across the river is a large steel mill. The Riverwalk is closed at the end of the boardwalk where the path continues onto the land. It has been badly damaged by high water.
O and I are ready now to return to camp. We are pleasantly surprised by how cool it has gotten under the trees. The humidity has dropped noticeably. Our tarp and tent are dry. We pack up the tarp, but we will sleep in the tent tonight. After dinner we pre-cook a cheesy potato cake for tomorrow’s breakfast in hopes of getting an early start on our drive to Ohio. I’m hoping for another owl concert tonight.