Summer of 18-#13-Indiana Dunes State Park walk to the beach

May 24th, 2018

After yesterday's busy day, we took it a bit easier today.  We will be leaving this park tomorrow though, and I wanted to have a walk down to the beach.

There are trails leading from the campground so we took one of those.  It went through a very nice shaded forest.

and there was a creek going through there

There's a duck in this picture, it's the whitish blob under the tree in the middle, on the creek. Ha!!Ha!!

and some pretty wild flowers

You couldn't walk up the dunes as they were roped off and we were quite content to just stay on the boardwalk anyway, much easier!!!

We saw this sign about Le Petit Fort, a battle that was fought here in 1780. This LINK will tell you more about it.

The Pavilion & Bathhouse was just getting ready to open for Memorial Day weekend and the summer.

Pavilion & Bathhouse

The beach was quite crowded, in contrast to yesterday's beach at the lighthouse.

The dunes were behind these trees but we didn't walk to see them.  It was getting quite hot by now.

 There was very little shade here and we sat on a wall that was semi shaded for a few minutes before starting the walk back, along the same trail.

 The sign above explains that this creek used to run under a parking lot and a decision was made to "daylight" it.  It certainly is better than being hidden under concrete.

                            

Along the boardwalk, a local Scout troop had put benches as part of an Eagle Scout project.

We took advantage of the ones in the shade.

We walked back along the shaded path

                           

 and into the campground, past this playground for the kids.

and back to Lily.  The sites were really nice and not to close together, which we liked.

These flowers were under the tree next to us.

Today was Kathy's funeral, a friend of our family in England.    The florist whose name Kathy's daughter gave me was a family friend.  I communicated with him back and forth by e-mail and told him what I wanted.  He was extremely helpful and listened to me. Ha!!Ha!! Must be a first.  Michelle very kindly sent me a picture of the wreath that we sent. I think it is beautiful, just like Kathy. RIP

Tomorrow we will travel into Michigan.

Summer of 18-#12-Indiana Dunes State Park, Michigan City Lighthouses, and Disasters

May 22nd, 2018

Today was a travel day.  We needed to fill up with gas(petrol) and I had found a Pilot service station in Gilman, Illinois, with dedicated gas RV lanes.  These are so much easier for Bryan to get in and out of but are few and far between unfortunately.  Thanks Pilot!!!

We carried on and crossed into Indiana.  Yippee, another sticker on our map.

We arrived at Indiana Dunes State Park, which had this lovely entrance.

The view from our site and Bryan taking the bikes off of the back of the car.

We got everything, including the satellite connected with no problems.

May 23rd, 2018

We had our day planned and off we went to Michigan City, Indiana to see lighthouses.  We saw this as we were approaching the lighthouses.  Our first thoughts were it was a nuclear plant!!!  When we went to the lighthouse museum, a lady there told us it was a cooling tower for the power plant.  Thank goodness for that.

We parked the car by the museum and walked down through the harbor and docks to Michigan City East Pier Lighthouse, Indiana.

The harbor

Our first peek of the pier lighthouse

Canadian Goose coming in to land

and landed!!!

 Looking toward the drawbridge into the park and docks, with the bridge down.

On the way back we saw the bridge up to let boat traffic through.  

 We had a sit down for a few minutes and I went live on Facebook.

It was so very peaceful here and I was thinking of my Auntie Hilda whose funeral it was today, and our friend Kathy, whose funeral it will be tomorrow.  They had both been at mums funeral and I remembered us all reminiscing after the service, and I had been helped by their recollection of memories they had. Wished I could have been there with them, but thankfully Ray will go.  Thanks Ray. This was a perfect place to think of them.  Rest in peace.
                            

We started our walk along the pier to the lighthouse.

The iron walkway overhead was a means for the lighthouse keeper to reach the lighthouse in stormy weather, when the waves often came above the walkway we were on. Sooner him than me!!!!!

Bryan with the harbor light behind him, which is the other indicator to guide boats into the harbor channel.

and his picture of me from his standpoint.

Fisherman perched on the rocks fishing!!!

 and my picture of Bryan getting ready to take the picture above.

Looking back to shore

We could see this tower in the distance and found out it was an observation tower in Washington Park Zoo. This is what the zoo website says about it. "The observation tower sits on top of a sand dune east of the Zoo and overlooks Lake Michigan.  This tower was the creation of a steel railroad tower faced with limestone and the roof is topped with a spherical ornament reported to be a compression chamber from the city's first fire engine."

We started the walk back, there were a few more people around but really not that many.

View of the harbor through the dunes/walkway

We then went to the Old Michigan City Lighthouse, Indiana.  It has been lovingly restored,it looks wonderful inside and out.  The ladies there were very informative and helpful and we had a lovely tour.

The memorial stone below tells about the S S Eastland, an excursion ship that was chartered on July 24th, 1915 by Western Electric Company of Chicago.  There were 2,501 of their employees and their families on board, headed for Michigan City for a picnic.  844 of them died.  There are many reasons that are thought to have contributed, or caused this to happen, please read this story HERE.  It is very sad and I hadn't heard of it before.

                            

The anchor chain, in the picture below,  has 844 individual links.  Each link represents one of the 844 victims of the disaster.  It is 265 feet long, which is the equivalent of the length of the S.S. Eastland.  

It is incomprehensible to me how so many died while this ship was still boarding, and it was still in port. Design faults and the addition of extra lifeboats after the Titanic disaster seem to have contributed. 

This memorial was very well thought out and an amazing recognition of the deceased who were heading to the park here for a picnic.

This display board was made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this disaster.

and a picture of the disaster

Here are more pictures from the exhibits inside the old lighthouse.

In this picture the guide took out one of the lens and had me hold it up to my eyes and asked Bryan if he could see 4 eyes instead of 2.  He said yes, but the picture doesn't reflect that. So, who knows!!! Ha!!Ha!!

I liked this picture that was on display.

An old stove

The guide played this for us after she had pumped it up!!

The stairwell 

There were a lot of exhibits that didn't relate to the lighthouse or this area but were historically interesting.

This is purported to be a piece of the flag bunting that was on Lincoln's box at the Ford Theater the night he was assassinated.  It is said to have caught in John Wilkes boot spur as he was escaping.  This LINK is about John Wilkes Booth, the assassination and the story behind this bunting.

I learnt from this that Ulysses S Grant had been invited to the theater that night but declined at his wife's insistence.  So, it's possible his life could have been shortened by 20 years if not for his wife.  

Th next part was going up into the lightroom and then further up to the light.

The entrance into the Lightroom

The steps up to the light

Looking up 

Going up!!!

Looking down

Bryan taking pictures from the top

Picture from the top showing park,river, drawbridge and condos

Picture looking out at harbor and Lake Michigan from top

After we finished visiting the lighthouse and museum we walked around the small garden there.

Hutchinson Fountain 

Heslar Naval Armory, the future of which seems to be unknown.

Through the trees you can see where the fire department were testing their hoses/fire hydrants.

Pictures of the "Old Lighthouse" from different angles.

There was a memorial to Police Officers and Firefighters, their prayers and those who had fallen in the line of duty.

 

                               

                                        Police Officers Prayer & those who've died in the line of duty.

Firefighters Prayer & those who've died in the line of duty

Picture of the bridge and a landscaper planting flowers from the memorial.

Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument in Washington park

The memorial chain, monument and bridge

Going home, about to cross the bridge.  Let's hope it doesn't open!!  Ha!!Ha!!

Well, we learned a lot today.  Another great day!!