Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana Dunes National Park.

We pulled into Michigan City Campground on Thursday, 7/2. We’re here for three nights to meet up with Bob and Carole and Ruby and to add Indiana Dunes National Park to our map. We were excited about both the reunion and a new park. During check-in I asked the staff if Bob and Carole had arrived yet and they told me that they had cancelled their reservation. Huh? I had just talked to Carole the evening before and she was also looking forward to meeting up. I asked if they were sure and she checked the computer and said they had cancelled their reservation on May 22nd. I immediately got Carole on the phone and she said they hadn’t cancelled.

Oh no, this was the 4th of July weekend! The campground initially said they were completely full. Then another staff said, wait they’d had a cancellation just thirty minutes ago. I had Carole on the line, so handed my phone to the office staff so they could get them rebooked right away. Whew! That was nearly a disaster! (Mystery solved: Bob later figured out that he'd inadvertently canceled the reservation when he’d intended to cancel one at a different campground with a similar name. Oops!)

Michigan City Campground is a private park close to the north end of the Indiana Dunes National Park. The campground has some really lovely landscaping, several small ponds, a swimming pool, a great playground, and cute cabins. Lots of folks had decorated their spaces for the 4th of July holiday too.

Michigan City Campground.

Indiana Dunes National Park encompasses approximately 15,349 acres and stretches across 15 miles of the southern Lake Michigan shoreline and wraps around the 2,182-acre Indiana Dunes State Park. The park boasts an amazing variety of habitats within a relatively small footprint – lake, beach, dunes, ponds, marsh, oak savanna, prairie, river, and bogs. Each one with unique birds, wildlife, and plants. Unfortunately, between the holiday crowds and the daily afternoon thunderstorms we didn’t get to see as much of the park as we’d have liked.

Pond, wetland, oak trees, and dunes...in just one shot. Lol. 

Early efforts in 1916 to save Indiana Dunes from development were derailed by WWI. A state park was established in 1926 and then in 1966 Congress designated the surrounding area as a National Lakeshore. In 2019, it finally became a National Park. What surprised me most were the beautiful sand beaches. While there’s no tide, there were waves. Standing on the beach of Lake Michigan truly feels like being on the shore of a vast freshwater ocean.

On a clear day you can see the Chicago skyline across Lake Michigan.
It was hazy, but can you see it very faintly in the distance?

On Friday, we drove to the Visitor’s Center to start our exploration. We got great advice from the park staff and started with the West Beach Trail. The trail goes up and over the dunes, past ponds and ends at the very popular West Beach.  

Rog making friends at the Visitor's Center.

Together again!
Happy to be traveling with Bob and Carole and Ruby.

Beach grasses and trees anchor the dunes.

And of course there were stairs! Lol.

Wind scoops out a dune, if the bowl reaches the water table it may fill creating a pond.

The trail ended at the very popular West Beach.

In addition to the incredible nature, there was another interesting part of the park to explore – the 1933 Century of Progress Homes. Real estate developer Robert Bartlett purchased five demonstration houses from the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair and had them moved, four by barge and one by truck, to their current location. He hoped that the five houses – the Cypress Log Cabin, House of Tomorrow, Armco-Ferro, Florida Tropical, and Wiebolt-Rostone – would entice buyers to his new Beverly Shores resort community. I’m not sure if it worked, but today the houses are part of the National Park. The homes are leased to Indiana Landmarks and private funds are being used to restore them to their original condition. Some of them are sublet and occupied as private residences. I certainly wouldn’t want hordes of tourists strolling by and snapping pictures of my house every day. Lol.

The Cypress Log Cabin.

 

The House of Tomorrow (under construction today, lol).

The Armco-Ferro House.

The Florida House.

The Wiebolt-Rostone House.

As we were viewing the Century of Progress Homes we noticed that there were some serious thunderheads forming. As the wind picked up, folks were quickly leaving the beach. We beat feet back to the RV’s to pull in our awnings and check on the pups. Riley likes thunder about as much as he likes fireworks, which means not at all. Lol. And we had some crazy storms roll through with plenty of lightning, thunder, and rain. Then a few hours later it would clear off again. The next day – rinse, repeat. Lol.

Trouble brewing. Hope that paddleboarder made it in before the rains hit. 

On the 4th of July, we tried to visit Indiana Dunes State Park, which is a separate entity but located wholly within the National Park. We took one look at the backup to get in and decided to skip the beaches on the 4th of July. Lol. Instead we went to the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education in the National Park. The Center has lots of excellent displays, including many kid-friendly activities, and we learned a lot there. The Great Lakes are fascinating. Did you know they hold 20% of the world’s surface fresh water? To give that some perspective, if you emptied Lake Superior alone it would fill a pool the size of the entire continental United States to a depth of nearly five feet! That is mindboggling. However, the highlight was a tiny fawn just outside the window. He waited patiently for mom to reappear and then happily dived under her for lunch.

Speaking of kid friendly activities, the big kids are plotting our route. 

Lake Superior is 1,333 deep!

Just loved this bird egg display. 

Before the dunes were protected, they carted off the largest 200' dune one railcar load at a time to make glass. The mineral composition of the sand created the famous, and collectible, blue glass.

So dang adorable.

Mom is back, lunchtime!

The 3.2-mile Miller Woods Trail trailhead was just outside the Center. The trail meanders through a unique wave-formed geological formation called swell and swale. Formed over 3,000 years ago, the swells are now covered in oak savanna and the swales are wetlands. It’s a beautiful trail, but we took a shortcut back as the afternoon clouds were threatening again!  We rushed home to make sure the awnings were in and the pups had their emotional support people on hand again. Lol. On the upside, the worst of storms tracked around us and we had no hail or damaging winds, so I’ll call it all good.

The trail wound through the oak savannah...

...and along the marshy swales.

A Six-Lined Racerunner. (I think.) 

Beaver dam, the local engineers were also hard at work.

Wildflowers along the ponds...

...and water lilies too.

Finally, we climbed a small dune and...

...made it to the lake.

Where we hung out with the locals for a bit. Lol.

We were hoping for a fun 4th of July BBQ and tried to beat the rain, but Rog had just taken the burgers off the Traeger when it started. We ended up rushing through dinner and scurrying indoors as the rain picked up and came at us sideways under the awning. All was not lost, as I introduced Bob and Carole to “dirty sodas” (Root beer and Maple Crème Liqueur from Vermont). They are now fans too. I’m either a caring, sharing person or a bad influence. Not sure which. Lol.

A new meaning to dine and dash. Lol.

We had wanted to get the pups to the water, but the accessible beaches were too crowded and Riley couldn’t hike to the more remote ones. He’s doing better and the swelling is down, but he’s still favoring that paw. We already have a vet appointment scheduled for when we get home and I’m just hoping we don’t have any more emergencies before then. No puppy pictures this post, but I promise to make up for it in the next one!

Our next stop looks like we’ll have easier water access, especially for the pups. Fingers crossed!

Fabulous Waterfalls and Travel Days (New York to Indiana)

Middle Falls sporting a beautiful rainbow at Letchworth State Park, NY.

We had four nights scheduled at Letchworth State Park in Castile, NY beginning Thursday, 6/25. I had been eagerly anticipating this park because it has several stunning waterfalls. The park was founded by philanthropist William Pryor Letchworth in 1907, when he donated his 1000 acre estate to become a park. Today the park has grown to over 14,500 acres and follows the course of the Genesee River, stretching 17 miles long, but only 1½ miles wide.

The Genesee River flows through the park.

The campground is located near the north end of the park, while most of the waterfalls and other attractions are near the south end. The campground is lovely with lots of tall trees which, again, challenged the Starlink. We’ve gotten spoiled being able to have high-speed internet almost anywhere. I remember the days (and not fondly) when I had to drive to a public library or coffee shop to get wifi. I do not miss that; I like being spoiled! Lol.  

 

Yes, Riley thinks he's a lap dog. Lol.

As you can see, Riley's interest in food has returned, and...

...he feels well enough to resume bathroom security. 
Get a mastiff, never pee alone again. Lol.

Friday was our waterfall day. The drive through the park is very scenic, with lots of viewpoints to stop at. One of our favorites was Wolf Creek, a beautiful area with its own small waterfall. At Tea Table, we saw some of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) handiwork.

Wolf Creek.

 

At Great Bend Overlook the gorge walls rise 550 feet above the river.

Picnic shelters with incredible stone fireplaces.

Check out the stone picnic tables!

The CCC did absolutely amazing stonework throughout the park. They even had a large bronze statue to commemorate the efforts of the more than 3,000 men who served in the CCC at Letchworth State Park between 1933 and 1941.Their work still stands today and has enriched our country immeasurably. You almost cannot find a national or large state park that was not improved by their efforts.

Just some of the stonework done by the CCC. 

Dedicated to 3,000 of the more than 3 million men
who served in the CCC during the Great Depression. 

There are hiking trails throughout the park that we would have loved to explore, but it was just too darn hot. Lol. The park map details 37 trails ranging from the 24-mile Finger Lakes Trail to the half-mile Portage Trail. Many of the trails connect and the park specifies if they are open to hikers, bikers, equestrians, skiers, or snowmobilers. The Gorge Trail followed the river and hit all three of the major waterfalls, but to do the whole trail was seven miles each way. Nope. We opted to drive and just take smaller bites of the trail near the waterfalls. Lol.

Coming from the north end of the park, we came to the 70 feet tall Lower Falls first. Getting a good viewpoint of the Lower Falls required a bit of hike and 127 stairs down on the Gorge Trail to a stone bridge built by the CCC in 1935 at an estimated cost of $695 (Lol!). The bridge spans the Genesee River and gave us a perfect vantage point to see the falls. It was probably only a mile or so, but the heat and humidity made any effort a sweaty challenge.

More amazing stonework by the CCC.

Why is it always stairs?? Lol.

Lower Falls.

Rog on the bridge at the Lower Falls.

Selfie on the bridge.

Our next stop was an overlook called Inspiration Point. We almost passed it by, but hey, with a name like that it seemed like we ought to stop. So glad we did! Inspiration Point affords a view of both the Middle and the Upper Falls framed by the Genesee Arch Bridge in the distance. The Middle Falls are the tallest of the three falls at 107 feet high and 285 feet wide. The Upper Falls are 70 feet high and 300 feet wide forming a deep horseshoe in the river.

The view from Inspiration Point.

We parked next near the Upper Falls Snack Bar (ice cream!) and walked from there to get a closer look at both the Middle Falls and the Upper Falls. The park has huge open grassy areas with lots of benches scattered about to rest (and eat ice cream!). There were lots of things in the park that we didn’t get a chance to do including a Museum and Nature Center and the historic Glen Iris Inn. Maybe next time. (We say that a lot, I know.)

 

Middle Falls, love the rainbow action. :) 

Middle Falls again. Spectacular!

Upper Falls below the Genesee Arch Bridge.

A closer look at the horseshoe shaped Upper Falls.

We spent the remainder of our stay hanging out with the pups and doing chores. Raney got a short hike through the woods near the campground, where we found some of the local black raspberries (a popular ice cream flavor, ask me how I know. Lol.).

Black raspberries. Yum!

Our little girl leaping (ok, scrambling) over obstacles on the trail. Lol.

Riley said, Hike? No thank you.
Let me back inside, I know where my couch is. Lol. 

Campfire and relaxation time.

Pretty girl, and...

...a handsome boy!

We left Letchworth State Park on Monday, 6/29, for a one-night stay at a Harvest Host site, the Van Buren Drive-In in Dunkirk, NY. Since we were there on a weekday, we didn’t get to see a movie. We were bummed about that. The owner/host was working on the property and stopped by to chat. We were his last HH guests. He’d had HH guests come and park and refuse to patronize the business (buy movie tickets/snacks) and even one guest that insisted on having a campfire even though he was told not to. With that kind of experience, I can’t say as I blame him. We rave about the wonderful people we’ve met and have never really had a negative experience as Boondockers Welcome hosts. You have to wonder what people are thinking to feel that entitled. Geesh. (Also, I totally forgot to take any pictures. Ugh. My bad.)

We parked right behind the Moonlight Cafe.
Bummed that we didn't get to watch a movie.

Our next stop on Tuesday, 6/30, was supposed to be another Harvest Host site (ESP Brewery), but with temps in the mid/high 90’s and high humidity we had to cancel and find a place with electricity to keep the pups in air-conditioned comfort. The solution turned out to be the Ohio Turnpike Middle Ridge Service Plaza. For just $20 a night, we got a parking spot away from the semi-trucks and next to a huge grassy area with 50amp electric hookups! I was blown away. There’s a one night stay limit, and not every service plaza offers the RV spaces, but it’s a great option if you can find one. The service plaza also had several restaurants, fueling stations, and other travel amenities. I loved that we were tucked away from the trucks and other traffic, it was really quiet at night.

Ohio Turnpike Middle Ridge Service Plaza

I've stayed in campgrounds that weren't as nice! Lol. 

We usually try not to do too many travel days in a row. But we had one more overnight stay scheduled at Eby’s Pines Campground in Bristol, IN. We arrived Wednesday, 7/1, and agreed that this would have been a nice park to spend a few days at. The owners had planted long rows of different types of pine trees, hence the name. It was beautifully maintained, with a huge off-leash fenced play area for the pups which they loved. Every time I took Raney out for a potty walk, she made a beeline for the off-leash play area. Girlfriend needed to check her PeeMail. Lol.

Eby's Pines was a very nice private campground.

 

Just a minute, Mom, I'm checking my messages. Lol.

Next up is our long-anticipated reunion with Bob and Carole and Ruby! And, drum roll please, a new to us national park – Indiana Dunes. You won’t want to miss it!