Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI

Little more than 30 miles away we visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The 132 acre combination of wetlands, woodlanes, meadows and gardens are truly enjoyable. This summer they are having an exhibit of Dale Chihuly's glasswork. It is amazing how his art reflects the surroundings with each piece. I only have 100 more photos.

There is also a sculpture park and both large and small are scattered throughout.

Several glass enclosed buildings had collections of carnivorous plants, tropical plants, etc. I especially liked the carnivorous ones.

Did I mention Chihuly?

And some plants are even real.

A 45 minute narrated tram tour took us around the sculpture garden. This is the biggest horse I have ever seen!

Water was everywhere: marshes, ponds, waterfalls.

So who woke this guy up!?

There was also a farm with sculpture animals and a child's area with ponds that were a replica of the great lakes. The kids could start a boat at the top and watch it float down through all of the lakes. The gardens were built 15 years ago and it is a first class operation. We were pleased to use our reciprocal agreement from Garvan Gardens to get in free!

Holland State Park, MI

Almost as soon as we arrived in Holland, Michigan we made use of our Michigan state parks pass and went out to look at Holland State Park. It was the end of a busy weekend and the crowds were still enjoying the beach.

Even Leon got in on the action. We waded along the shore and made our feet happy!

The lighthouse was nicknamed Big Red after the coast guard painted it several years ago.

On the opposite side of the dune is the campground. Picture eight lanes of a Walmart parking lot. Now pull RV's in side by side creating four lanes of rv's facing each other. Put a picnic table and electric outlet behind each rv and sprinkle lots of sand. No thanks! At the Elk's lodge in Holland we have the entire parking lot to ourselves. No sand .. no electricity .. but we do have a bartender, a cook, picnic tables, wooded surroundings full of birds, and wifi.

As we left the park we noticed many gawkers sitting along the passageway from Lake Michigan to the marina on Lake Macatawa which continues east through the town of Holland.

St. Joseph, MI

We knew our chances for camping spots would improve on Sunday so it was time to head further north. Having heard what a cute city St. Joseph is was the only excuse we needed to stop for lunch and a tour. Now where is the rest of this chair? On the other side of the building!

This is the way a tourist town should look.

And of course we took a ride on the free horse drawn trolley.

And there were decorated dogs everywhere.

Then we spotted Tim's Too!

What a wok! We had a most delicious stirfry lunch after we chose our own ingredients salad bar style.

A stroll along the bluff led us past the old beach that has been brought back to life as an entertainment spot. It was an entertainment area as early as 1871 and had closed in 1971.  The water fountains were a big hit and we should have gone down the steps to see the carousel. I guess our feet were still tired from Chicago.

Did I mention there were dogs all over town? I think this lifesaver is my favorite.

A corn dog...get it?  And of course there was K9CPO

And this was indeed a welcome sight.

The best part of a glorious day was meeting Al and Sue. We sat on their front porch and visited while we looked across Lake Michigan. They are friends my sister met in Florida last winter. What a delightful couple! And we got lots of tips on what to see as we continued north.

Chicago, IL

The south shore commuter train to Chicago stops only 1/4 mile from Dunes Campground so for $3.40 why would we not take a train ride into Chicago?!

We were entertained by policemen throughout the day zipping around on their scooters.

We headed north on Michigan Avenue and shopped along the magnificent mile.

We stopped at the Chicago River for pictures but did not realize at the time that the second building from the right was where my niece and nephew lived.

We learned along the avenue that there was an airshow that could be seen from Oak Street Beach, which became our destination.

Soon after we arrived among the show began.

It was magnificent with corkscrews, stalls,  a mile high heart, upside down loops, and much more. We would liked to have stayed longer but there was more to see and do.

We strolled among the crowds. I was surprised at how many people were on the streets.

We passed several street entertainers.

Finally we arrived back at Millenium Park where I spotted some refreshing water.

The kidney bean soon got our attention. Nothing like taking pictures of ourselves. Can you find us?

After having lunch in the park our tired feet managed to get us back to the Milennium Station for a ride back to Indiana. A fun day indeed!

Warren Dunes State Park, MI

We drove into Michigan one afternoon to visit Warren Dunes State Park. The park was loaded with people enjoying the water and beach during the heat wave.

Many were running up and down the dunes nearby. Their campground was full but I still prefer the more secluded spot we had in the national lakeshore even if they did have electricity!

Century of Progress Homes

Along Lake Front Drive in Beverly Shores, located within the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, we found the Century of Progress Homes. They were built for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair to demonstrate modern architecutural design and new technologies such as central air conditioning and dishwashers. A real estate developer brought the houses to the dunes by barge in 1935. They are  Tleased to private individuals. Public tours are offered once a year. What a shame the progress isn't further along!

Kelly, these are for you. Sorry I did not get better photos. Bad time of day with the sun in the wrong place!!! I think there was one more, perhaps of logs, but I could not locate it.