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.
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