NP# 61 - Indiana Dunes

 Our 61st National Park visit - July 18, 2019

Ranger Steve Rossi (center) presented us our "official" 61st National Park visit certificates. Steve, a historian, gave us a thorough rundown as to the history regarding the creation of this park. Steve Mather, the National Park Service’s first Director was in favor of getting the area into the park system in 1916. But WWI broke out. Then came the Depression. The next calamity was WWII. Finally Indiana Dunes became an official National Park on Feb 25, 2019.

 Deemed the Everglades of the North, part of Indiana Dunes National Park was once part of and expansive swamp known as the Grand Kankakee Marsh. This marsh once saturated nearly a million acres in Northern Indiana and a portion of Illinois.

 Swamp Trekkers enjoying #61!

 Steve suggested we check out the West Beach Trails and Ogend Dunes....so we did!

 Ogden Dunes and the beginning (or end)  of the Dunes Succession Trail.

 Terry trekking through the sandy trail leading up to the staircase to the top of Ogden Dune. 

 Climbing up and down this dune is relatively easy...if you don't mind climbing wooden stairs.

 You can see Chi-Town in the distance from the top of Ogden Dune's staircase.

 Staricase descending the Dunes Succession Trail down to the beach. 

 A look at the dunes landscape and a pond that formed when winds created a bowl so deep it reached the water table. 

Steve also recommended we visit the tallest dune in the park - Mt. Baldy. Sadly, Baldy is off limits to trekkers as its undergoing a restoration.

 However, there is a trail down to Mt. Baldy Beach. Lake Michigan was calm today. Water temperature around 72

 As I walked the beach, I happend to spot something that reminded me of Chernobyl!

 As it turns out, the power plant isn't fueled by uranium. It's a coal-burning power plant located in Michigan City, IN.

The sign basically says "Keep off the Dunes." Go figure?

Our good friend Gary Willson, former National Park Service employee suggested we take a look at the Pinhook Bog while visiting Park #61. Unfortunately, the Bog is accessible only via a Ranger-led tour, which is held on Saturdays! We headed for home on Friday!

Locked gateway to the Bog trail. I suppose we could have ignored the sign like those who ignored the Mt. Baldy "Keep off the Dunes" sign and just moseyed on down to the Bog unattended. But that's just not our style.

Happy Trails people and enjoy these treasures while you can.

NP #60 - Gateway Arch

 Gateway Arch - July 16, 2016    (1)

 Our 60th Park Visit  (2)

 The 630-foot tall Stainless Steel Structure   (3)

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 There are 16 viewing windows on each side of the Arch   (6)

 Eastward view of the Mississippi River from the top of the Arch.   (7) 

 Westward view of Old Courthouse from the top of the Arch  (8)

Newly constructed Museum. This panel represents all those involved in the design, engineering and construction of the Arch.   (9)

 St.  Louis was a bustling city and the "gateway" to the westward expansion of the nation.   (10)

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Johnny "Trekker" standing on the starting point of Lewis and Clark's exploration...and the starting point for our tabletop board game Trekking the National Parks!

Visiting #60

In 2009, Terry and I crafted a Life Plan that included visiting all of our country's major National Parks. When we originally set out to accomplish our Plan, there were 58 major Parks. In 2013, Pinnacles National Monument in California was upgraded to full Park status; hence our goal would change to include number 59.

On September 17, 2017,  we visited our 59th park with our journey to the National Park of American Samoa. Life Plan Goal accomplished! We'd done what we'd set out to do. Eight years. Thousands of miles. Millions of smiles! On to the next Life Plan objectives - stay at all 16 of the Great Lodges of the National Parks!

Much to our surprise, on February 22, 2018, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial became Gateway Arch National Park - the 60th and smallest park in the system!  Many people...including Terry and I questioned the validity of this site being worthy of major Park status. What...a manmade structure a National Park? 

Our understanding is that in order to qualify as a major National Park, the site must meet certain criteria: It must be a unique natural, cultural or recreational resource. It must be in need of protection. And no other organization other than the National Park Service would be able to adequately protect it. 

As for being a "recreational resource"...the Pod ride to the top of the Arch seems to fall far short of that criteria! The manmade structure certainly isn't "natural!" As for being a "cultural" resource, I suppose the new museum that was completed in 2018 would qualify. 

In general, the park was created to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase and the subsequent expansion westward; the first civil government west of the Mississippi River, and the debate regarding slavery raised by the Dred Scott legal case. 

Just prior to venturing out to visit the park, the weather was atrocious! A giant black cloud loomed over the Arch and dumped a good inch of rain. Nevertheless, with an umbrella in hand, we made our way from the Hampton Inn to the park. After taking the obligatory "selfie" (2), we entered the building and bought tickets for the Ride to the Top and the Movie. 

It took about 30 minutes of standing in line and listening to a narrative to make the 4-minute "ride to the top." To get to the top, you enter one of  8 separate "pods" that are located on each side of the Arch. Each pod holds a maximum of 5 people. 

Once at the top, you exit the Pod and fight for a spot at one of the 16 tiny windows (6) that face either east - a view of the Mississippi River (7) or west - a view of the city, courthouse and baseball field (8).  You are permitted to spend as much time as you'd like on the Observation Deck. We spent about 5 minutes up there. 

After our Pod Ride, we made our way to the Tucker Theater to watch Monument to a Dream - a 28-minute film about the construction of the Arch. A fascinating story about the design, engineering, and construction of the Arch.  

At the conclusion of the movie, we visited the many displays throughout the Museum depicting the “expansion” of America westward. The Museum covers over 200 years of American history and focuses on the role St. Louis had on the westward expansion of the country.  

I couldn’t help but chuckle at one of the maps of North America that showed the boundaries between Mexico and the USA in the early 1800s. Mexico stretched from Oregon to the north and to Texas to the east. With the completion of the Louisiana purchase, the USA now butted up next to Mexico.  Wouldn’t it have been ironic if the Mexicans and Indians during that era had banded together to build a wall to keep out the white "immigrants"  from invading their territory!

But that didn't happen. Instead, the idea of "Manifest Destiny" had swept the nation thus justifying the imperialistic landgrab that ousted Native Americans and Mexicans from the lands they previously occupied. By 1848, Thomas Jefferson's vision of America stretching from coast-to-coast was finally realized. 

Arch Facts:
The Gateway Arch is the tallest human-built monument in the USA standing 630 feet tall and 630 feet from base to base. 

Although we met a couple of kids who swore the arch swayed "20 feet during the windstorm," it was designed to sway no more than 18 inches!

With ideal conditions, you would be able to see 30 miles from the Observation Deck. It was a bit hazy when we peered out the windows. I'd say we could see maybe 10 miles. 

The Arch cost $13 million to build. Construction began on February 12, 1963, and was finished on October 28, 1965. It opened for the public on June 9, 1967.

The Arch is a combination of a stainless steel outer skin, carbon steel skeleton on the inside and tons of concrete to hold it all in place.