Today we drove from our home base in Warsaw, IN, to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan - Warren Dunes State Park, specifically - to enjoy an afternoon of hiking the sand dunes, swimming in the lake, and picnicking. The bacterial warning took care of the swimming, which was unfortunate since the 90 degree heat and high dew points returned today. So rather than cool off with a dip in the lake we trudged through scalding hot sand to the top of this:
Ever heard of the Bataan Death March from WWII? I've now survived the Dune Death March. From bottom to top it was only a ten minute trudge, maybe fifteen, but did I mention the heat? And the complete lack of breeze? And that every step felt like plunging my foot into burning coals? And that by halfway up I was soaked with sweat, so much so that the sand was forming mud on my legs? There's just no way around it - this climb was an awful experience.
But when we all finally staggered to the top this view was waiting for us:
Fortunately it waited very patiently so we could catch our breath and get the sweat to stop pouring into our eyes so we could see clearly. But yeah, it was a nice view of the lake....and there was a coolish breeze at the top! And just about the time we recovered from the ascension, we headed back down. No, it wasn't much easier - the sand was still burning our feet, and instead of working hard to go up we had to work hard not to fall over in the shifting sands of each step. Instead of getting to the bottom and swishing off in the lake we got to the bottom and stood in the hundred degree parking lot.
It would have been really tough to top the incredible experience we had in Chicago yesterday, so it was kind of like today was doomed for failure no matter what. But all was not lost - we got to drive county roads most of the time in Michigan rather than an interstate highway, so we got a good look at authentic Michigan landscapes.....that, once again, looked pretty much like Minnesota. Not being able to swim opened up some time in our day, as did trying to picnic in stifling heat, so we stopped and bought some Michigan fruit (that I'm mostly convinced came from the shelves at Walmart) and stopped again for ice cream and snacks. AND when we got back to Warsaw we spent a couple of hours shopping at specialty shops and a clothing store. That's how bad the Michigan trip was - the highlight of the day was shopping.
Tomorrow we drive home. We've had an absolute blast for the last four-plus days, so much so my girls are begging for one extra day. But "leave 'em wanting more" is the rule I'm following; as much fun as we've had my gut tells me one more day would be one day too many. It's time. Time to gather up our dirty clothes, our new purchases, and, most importantly, our memories and return to the place in this world we belong right now. This trip has been everything I'd hoped it would be and more, but we can put life on hold only for so long. So my next post will be brief (we've got at least eleven hours of driving tomorrow, maybe more) but it will be from my usual couch or kitchen table spot. I still need to give a better description of how much we loved Chicago, and a summation of what this trip has meant to us. Tomorrow night will probably be just a "hey, we're home" kind of message.
And with that, I sign off from Indiana one final time.
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