One of the many reasons for deciding to take this glorified road trip was to see the National Parks, which are on our bucket list. Just the Parks; there are too many Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Historic Sites, Battlefields, etc, for this lifetime; we'll save those for Heaven. And even the Parks will be a challenge; I mean, there's one in Samoa, and John has already said that that's probably not gonna happen.
Oh, well.
But, in July, we knocked two off of our list. The first was Indiana Dunes. Although this park is only about 2 1/2 hours from where I grew up, I had never been there. My grandmother talked about weekend outings there, and she and my mother took our kids there a couple of times, but we had never visited. So, now we have.
Many dogs love to run and play in the water. Molly is fine with rivers and lakes, but waves, not so much. She is panting in this picture, I think, from anxiety, not exertion. In other words, this is her saying, "Nope." (I wish she had said the same a couple days later, when I took her on a ranger-led hike through a bog with "an incredible habitat featuring unique plants." I think the ranger was reluctant to point out that dogs weren't allowed {I did not know this} because of the "incredible habitat," and was not pleased when she decided to jump into the water to cool off)
Artistic driftwood-with-surf shot.
Yes, that is a power plant next to the National Park. It is now closed, and is being redeveloped into a restaurant/tourist area.
Joseph Bailly, a Frenchman from Quebec, was trading furs with the French and Indians in Michigan in the 1790s. His homestead is preserved as part of Indiana history, and US history, not to mention the history of the park. He was an interesting guy, and WAS French culture in the area for a time. He insisted on educating his 6 children (he had upwards of 16 with 3 Indian women) in French, French culture, and the Catholic faith. His post in Indiana was one of only 2 between Detroit and Chicago. This cabin was not lived in, but used for various things. It was just pretty.
None of the buildings on the Bailly homestead site date to his arrival in Indiana. This house was built in 1834, just before he died, and was a home and an inn. Yes, it needs some work.
There is also a farmstead settled by Swedish immigrants, the Chellberg Farm, and a series of 5 homes built for the the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair. It's really a fascinating place, and I wish we had spent more time there.
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