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.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN

Another less eventful, but long day of driving brought us to the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Who knew they actually had a beach, certainly not I or I would have packed the beach towels and umbrella.

The waitress we had at lunch told us about the area so we added it to our list and stopped for a few days.

The Indiana Dunes National Seashore stretches along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. On the eastern end we visited a shifting sand dune, Mt. Baldy. It has always moved south with the wind and waves, but people climbing on it have caused it to shift at an alarming pace southward, hence the fence!

The park includes many acres of timberland as well as marshes and bogs created by glaciers. Due to an abundance of mosquitos after recent heavy rains, we chose not to hike the bog trail through the woods. The Calumet Bike Trail runs 12 miles through the park but our bikes were not operating at the moment.

At the western end we stopped at some more dunes at West Beach.

We took the Dune Succession Trail that follows a boardwalk up the side of the dune which is much easier than struggling in the sand. 250 steps later we arrived at the top.

The national lakeshore surrounds a state park but we chose not to pay $10 to look at it. There is also a section within the boundaries that is includes a steel mill and boat harbor.

We did enjoy a short hike to the Bailly homestead. Joseph Bailly, a fur trapper, arrived in 1822 with his family and set up a trading post. There are several log buildings on the property where he housed his furs.

The house has been restored to look as it did in 1917.

Less than a mile away is the Chellberg Farm, restored to how it might have looked in the late 1800s.

We spent 3 hot days and nights at the national lakeshore but we knew we might not come this way again. Most of our days were spent in and out of air conditioning. Boy are we spoiled!

The Dunes Campground was full over the weekend and most people were in tents. We felt very fortunate to have fans! We had a really nice spot nestled under the maples, oaks and sassafras.

Rend Lake, IL

We left Hot Springs and headed toward Michigan. We went through Missouri and crossed the mighty Mississip into Illinois. It did not feel any cooler there and just as humid.

Just about ten miles from our destination someone flagged us and told us something about the bikes that were on the back of the 5th wheel. We took the nearby exit only to learn that the bikes were no longer on the rear bumper but in the middle of I 57. We unhooked the 5th wheel in a KFC parking lot and headed south again. It was about 100 in the shade. We were sure hoping there would not be a four car pileup with our bikes underneath, but someone had kindly dragged them to the side of the road. I volunteered to document the event while Leon untangled the bikes, still locked onto the rack. And the bike rack was still attached to the trailer hitch receiver with the no longer welded plate attached! They now ride where we used to eat breakfast.

We eventually found our way to South Sandusky campground on Rend Lake near Benton, Illinois.

This is a nice Corps of Engineers Campground with plenty of camping spots. There were lots of folks there, even in this heat, many of whom were playing in the lake. Thank goodness we didn't have a boat attached to the rear bumper of the 5th wheel as we often see!!!

Too hot for us!

It is beginning to look like Arkansas will pass all previous records for the hottest summer. It is time to go north. Michigan appears to be cooler and we haven't spent much time there .... YET!!