Hiking the Dunes - Part I

Last Wednesday we left Abigail with my sister in Indianapolis and headed up to northwest Indiana for a couple day vacation.  We were staying at a bed and breakfast and check-in wasn't until the evening, but we wanted to see some sights before we arrived so we stopped by Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore hugs 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national lakeshore's 15,000 acres will continually enchant you.  Hikers will enjoy 45 miles of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers, and peaceful forests.

--Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore website

I always like to visit National Park sites whenever we're nearby, especially since we get a pass each year, so once I knew we'd be near the dunes I knew it would be a perfect place to visit.  The park was established almost fifty years ago and surrounds an earlier state park (which has the largest dunes in the area in its boundaries).  We first visited the visitor center.

We ate lunch outside--the weather was beautiful if a tad windy.

Inside the visitor center space had a few small exhibits and shared space with the state park and local tourist bureau.

Since we didn't have too much time we decided upon a short hike at the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm.

There were plenty of longer hikes, but we just took the shortest full-circle route to see the homestead and circle back around through the farm.

Sadly the ranger station was closed--which seemed strange for July, which should be in the busy season.  But according to the website it is only open during special events, which is a shame since there is apparently a passport cancellation stamp there.

The walk was shaded most of the way, which combined with the cooler temperatures (in the 70s) made for a great hike.

It was fun to just have the two of us out to explore.

I snapped a few pictures of interesting sights.

The trail was obviously not too remote as evidenced by the trash can.

After a short while we came upon an open area that we realized was the Bailly Homestead.

Joseph Bailly, one of the first settlers in northwest Indiana, arrived here with his family in 1822.  He chose this site to establish his trading post becasue it was on the Little Calumet River.
--site signage

I found these orange flowers and managed to get a clear shot with a log structure in the background.  This is one of my favorite shots from the day.

Although Indiana became a state in 1816, northwestern Indiana was essentially a wilderness when Joseph Bailly arrived in 1822 from Michigan with his wife Marie and their children to build their homestead....  During the fur trading years the homestead consisted of six log structures which served as living quarters, kitchen, storehouse and warehouses for the trade goods.  material from the original buildings is being preserved in the log structures you see today.

--site signage

Beaver felt hats, the fashion style in Europe and the eastern United States created a demand for beaver pelts.  This demand and the Potawatomi Indians' desire for trade items such as blankets, knives, metal hatchets, fabric and clothing enabled Joseph Bailly to operate a modest fur trading business in the 1820s.  Potawatomis brought the beaver pelts to Bailly in the spring of the year; he shipped them to Mackinac.  From there they traveled to Montreal and eventually to Europe. 

By 1830 Bailly's fur trading business had nearly ended.  Overtrapping had nearly depleted the beaver population in the area and the beaver felt hat had gone out of style.  In the early 1830s Joseph Bailly opened a tavern northwest of the homestead on the Fort Dearborn to Detroit Road (present day U.S. Hwy 12) to supplement his income.  The fur trading era in northwestern Indiana had come to an end.

--site signage

Change is the best way to describe the Bailly Homestead since 1822.  In the 1820s when the Potawatomi Indians brought their beaver pelts by canoe to trade with Joseph Bailly, the main house was yet to be built.  Made of white oak logs with weatherboard siding, it was under construction in 1835 when Joseph Bailly died.  The structure was completed after his death and has been altered on a number of occasions by the Bailly heirs.  The exterior of the house has been restored to look as it did in 1917, the earliest year for which an accurate appearance could be documented.

--site signage

The brick house, built for Bailly's grandaughter, Rose Howe, was constructed in the late 1870s.

--site signage

We especially liked the back porch on the main house.

Next time I'll talk about the rest of the hike and the farm that we saw.

~Matt

A Taste of the Lakeshore

We visited the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore yesterday. I hope to blog more when we get home, but this is a sample of some of the sights we experienced on our short hike.

We also visited the beach (it was very windy) and I got some good pictures at the waterfront.

~Matt

Trip to Chicago, pt II [Dec 2007]

This is a continuation of a very old post from December 2007.  I took a bus to Chicago to see an exhibit at the Field Museum.  I wrote several entries describing my days, but I never got around to typing them all up.  A while ago I found the papers again and have had a hankering to finally get them typed up and posted.  I hope they're enjoyable even if a bit old.

Sadly I do not have any pictures of the trip that I can post right now.  They're all on a hard-drive that I can't access.  I need to send it off to a repair place to see if any files can be recovered or if they're all irreparably lost.  These days I back up my pictures on two different drives.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Indiana
Megabus, 09:40 

I just looked up and noticed that we were passing the Higher Ground conference center.  This was where AiG had a Family Camp this past summer.  I've not seen any mention of another one next summer, :(.  That will be too bad since I enjoyed going to hear the the speakers.  There is a conference at Branson with some other speakers, but nothing else I know of.
Now back to Evanescence and the Codex Alera.  There is more snow on the ground and it is beautiful.     09:45

Indianapolis
Megabus, 10:58 

We just reached the stop in Indy.  This must be part of the way they keep fares so cheap, no bus stations.  Their pickup spots (save in Chicago?) are just at municipal bus stops.  A guy just rode past on a bike wearing shorts--I'm not that crazy.  I think I'd have been fine with just one shirt (I have a long and a short sleeve T-shirt on) but my feet have been cold most of the trip.  At least I haven't had to share the seat next to me yet.  I don't mind if I have to, but as I know nobody here I prefer to enjoy the empty space to store my coat and my book when I'm not reading. 

I can be dense at times.  I didn't bring water because I left my water bottle at work again--that isn't a problem.  But while I brought lunch I forgot a napkin.  I also discovered that I can take pictures in different color modes such as black & white and sepia.  I really need to poke around the menus more.  I love the camera, but there is much I still do not know. I could upgrade to an SLR sometime in the far future, but I think that I must keep a camera with the panorama feature*!     11:18

*This is the feature I miss the most from my old Kodak camera--it could stitch together a panoramic image inside the camera.

Indiana
Megabus, 12:57 

We stopped at a truck stop a few miles back.  I should have stopped by a 5/3 ATM before I left Cincinnati, but I didn't take the time.  Therefore I had to pay a fee, but I used the $20 to buy a Dew & oreos, not so much for their nutritional value, but so I'd also have change I still need to buy a train ticket once I reach Chicago.  I wonder how busy the museum is today.   13:00

Indiana
Megabus, 13:40 CST 

We just passed a toll booth, another reason (besides gas) that I'm glad I didn't drive this trip.  It has certainly been enjoyable to spend the trip reading and listening to music.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy driving but my trips to Nashville have all been solitary and somewhat tiring*.  Even if I didn't talk to those around me (though one woman asked me what I was writing several hours ago--in Indy I think it was) they are there and thereby a comfort.  I can even easily deal with cold feet as they do not need to stay constantly near a gas and brake pedal.
Mom called me around 13:00 CST and I thought we were late as my watch read 14:00.  We may not yet arrive just by two, but the first train I can take leaves at 14:30 or :40 so I won't really complain. 

Right now I can see a control tower on the other side of a river.  A song from Muppet Treasure Island is playing on my eclectic playlist on my PDA and I'm a bit over halfway through "Captain's Fury."  I can hardly wait for the next Dresden Files book to be published next April.     13:48

*Little did I know I'd end up making plenty of long drives to Virginia several years later.

Illinois
3:40 West Line to Elburn; Train #39, 15:32 CST 

I'll be getting off at the West Chicago station, and I hope I know what I'm doing.  When I tried to catch the 2:40 train I entered the wrong station and walked back to Union Station underground.  When I got back on the street a guy came up to me and handed me a paper copy of the Onion, a satirical news outlet.  Then he asked me where I was going.  I answered questions truthfully but vaguely, trying to be polite.  Had I known then what I do now I would have simply politely recused myself.  He showed me to the proper station, explaining something about a large mission with several hundred people.  I felt guilty (as if that would have surprised him) and gave him a few bucks--he didn't want anything less than a twenty.  I declined and he wasn't happy--but I didn't ask for help and didn't want to give that much money for an unsolicited "service." 

Well the train is pulling out now and I'm somewhat regretting sitting on the upper level.  It isn't as spacious as the Metrolink in Southern California, rather narrow up here actually.  I was alone up here at first, but now nearly all the seats are taken.  I hope most are empty when I need to leave (at the third from last stop) because my duffel is large and there isn't really enough room for me to pass right now.  This also means it is too late to change my seat, I can only hope it will work out.'' 

In the meantime I've had to staff a new event at the Museum Center tomorrow night.  Why does this happen when I leave town?  Thankfully I already have staff at an event in the History Museum so I can cope if the two others I've called can't work.   15:48

I got into my aunt's place okay that evening.  They let me borrow a car to drive to the train station each morning where I would catch a train into Chicago itself.  More about the next day later...

~Matt

Trip to Chicago, pt 1

Here is the first of several blog entries from Chicago.  These were all written up before they were posted on-line, several on the bus as I rode to Chicago, then others in Chicago itself.  Enjoy:

Friday, December 7, 2007 [Pearl Harbor Day]
4th & Race St, Cincinnati, OH
Megabus, 09:00 departure

~15 chapters into "The Stand," very enjoyable book--a picture of who the survivors are is starting to emerge, and the final collapse of civilization is fast approaching.  I cannot believe that I left eh book at my sister's house.  I was reading it for just a bit and set it down before I picked up my backpack and luggage to leave the house.  With the exception of "Eyes of the Dragon," which is not typical Stephen King, this is the first King book I've read outside of the Dark Tower.  [another salt truck just drove by on Race, I saw one earlier on Fourth St. as I talked to my mom].  If the book continues to be as good as it has been I'll likely pick up more of his books in the future.

I'm sure I'll get into my new Jim Butcher book, "Captain's Fury," but even though it was the reason I went to Borders I'm no longer so excited to read it.  As I said, I'm really enjoying "The Stand."

The lights just went out as the driver started to pull away from the curb.  The overhead seat lights appear to work like those on planes, but will not activate at the moment.  Thankfully there is enough light outside to manage.

I hope I've packed warm enough.  I'll have long underwear if I need it, and my aunt said they've had snow and may be expecting more.  I have three pairs of gloves--one inner set and two different bigger ones that can go on top of the smaller pair.  I need to remember to tell Grandma that I would like another pair [she remembered and sent them home with my aunt who was just visiting her].  Oh, and I need to get her gift and mail it since I won't see her at Mom & Dad's when I go down for Christmas.

We're still in downtown--I guess when your vehicle is the size of a bus you can only make certain turns, or perhaps it always takes this long.  I avoid driving in downtown Cincinnati.

We're on North 75 and just passed Union Terminal [on the left].  I still want to take Amtrak out of there sometime, but I like the bus departure times better.  Perhaps I'll take the train to D. C. in a few years when I can afford several nights in a motel/hotel.           09:15

And now back to the present.  It is a pleasant 70.2 degrees in the house and a chilly 22.3 outside.  I'll type more later and include pictures where I have them.

~Matt

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero