trip #8

Good morning.
My absence means we've been on another trip.
This one took us back to Indiana Dunes State Park. You'll recognise the name because we've been here 3 times this year.

Here's a pic of me on top of a dune overlooking Lake Michigan.
We've finally had a trip that was safe and incident free!
We arrived Friday afternoon, filled our fresh water tank, unloaded the car and car caddy, and settled into our site. Set up 'camp,' and relaxed and watched the continuous procession of campers that slowly filled the campground for the holiday weekend.
Saturday, after our morning coffee walk, it was off to Chicago, which is less than an hour's drive from the campground. We did our usual shopping, eating and sightseeing, but this trip, no Navy Pier. The temps were barely 68 with a very cold wind. Not a good time to be our on a pier in lake Michigan. We arrived back at the campground, took a bike ride, fired up a nice warm campfire, and relaxed for the evening.
Sunday, after our morning coffee walk it was breakfast.
Now we seldom eat breakfast because we usually have an early lunch. but today was hiking day, and we figured we'd need nourishment to get us through.

Ummm. Bacon and eggs and toast! Yummy!

See, even Craig liked it!
Then it was off to hike the dunes!

In all the years we've come here, we've never taken any of the hiking trails, and today was to finally be the first.

They have trails from 1.75 miles to 5.5 miles. We settled on the 3.75 mile trail that took us through the behind the dunes forest, then over the dunes and along the ridge.
People coming along the ridge, and me on top.

The pic below is called a 'blowout'. The dunes stretch all along lake Michigan, but occasionally a dune will become unstable and collapse. Remember, these are basically mountains of sand, kept in place by grass and trees. If you get a Storm that dumps a huge amount of water, that sand can get washed away and the whole dune can collaspe. What's left is a valley that fills with grasses which will start the slow process of becoming a new dune.

As sand is washed up on the beach, the wind carries it inland, where the grass catches it. That starts the rebuilding. As more sand collects, shrubs and trees start to grow behind it and allows it to grow taller and after hundreds of years we'll have another dune here.

Okay, that's your geography lesson for today.

People way down on the beach. The dunes are pretty tall!

And another pic of me on the dune trail.
It was an exhausting hike! It may have been only 3.75 miles, but you add climbing in the sand and it felt more like 10!

But we made it back to the campground, relaxed with the Sunday paper, and then we went down to the beach to soak up some of the last summer sun and people watch.

Later, it was another campfire, and chicken on the grill with a home made pasta salad.

Monday, it was pacing up and heading home where we arrived safe and sound.

It was a good trip.

And now I'm off to clean the Salon.