Since we've never truly navigated around all the lakes in the Great Lakes family, when we left Niagara Falls which is, of course, between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie (did you know that the Niagara Falls flow northwards from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario? I always thought the opposite), we proceeded to take the Circular Lake Route towards Indiana.
If you didn't pay attention to your geography classes in school, I've included a map for you to check these lakes out... I know, I called you on it, didn't I !!!! :-)
Right there, on the bottom of Lake Michigan southeast of Chicago, is the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
If you didn't pay attention to your geography classes in school, I've included a map for you to check these lakes out... I know, I called you on it, didn't I !!!! :-)
Right there, on the bottom of Lake Michigan southeast of Chicago, is the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
It was sad to see that the south end of Lake Erie in Ohio and the south end of Lake Michigan in Indiana were so industrialized back in the day that all we saw were carcasses of old rusty industrial buildings along the way. It was not a pretty sight. Maybe that is why they call this area the Rust Belt.
Again, industrialization trumps nature preservation. Again and again we hear that a handful of people were bold enough to fight the system and they fought to preserve these glacial remains and treasures.
Again, industrialization trumps nature preservation. Again and again we hear that a handful of people were bold enough to fight the system and they fought to preserve these glacial remains and treasures.
One person stood out, Dorothy Buell and 19 other women formed 'Save the Dunes Council'. Park opponents dismissed the council as a 'tea club' of 'harmless birdwatchers'. But the council turned to political action and by 1963 the steel industry called the council 'a threat to industrial development'. Luckily for these 'tea-tootling' women that in late 1966 Congress created the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A 15,000 acres dunes and glacial land forms protected forever! Yes, we can!
Unfortunately for us, the roads were so terribly skinny and the tree limbs were overhanging on the road and there were no parking spots large enough for Gertrude, that we were only able to see a small portion of it.
Nevertheless, we came, we saw and we enjoyed!
Unfortunately for us, the roads were so terribly skinny and the tree limbs were overhanging on the road and there were no parking spots large enough for Gertrude, that we were only able to see a small portion of it.
Nevertheless, we came, we saw and we enjoyed!