Indiana: Dunes in Michigan City

 Day 71: August 2, 2021

Bike and Hike and lots of sand (LOTS of sand)

When Dave Felt’s college professor retired, he wanted to return with Cyndy and kids to Valparaiso University for the festivities. I got to tag along with them and babysit for Chad and Christy when Dave and Cindy had things to do on campus. It was a big trip for me—I must’ve been 14 or so at the time and I still remember seeing the Indiana Dunes, the “Touchdown Jesus” on the campus of Notre Dame, and the little gift shop where Cyndy bought me a pewter candlestick. Fond memories. 

So, I was excited to return! 

Bike

A few scenes from the Little Calumet River Trail. With a high of 76F, it was a perfect day to end on and it was great to be outside.

We came to see the Dunes; that is a sand dune there behind Dan

Wild flowers at the Visitor Center

1933 Chicago World’s Fair Century of Progress Home. These homes were built for the 1933 World’s Fair to demonstrate new architectural materials, modern design, and new technologies such as central air conditioning and dishwashers! This is the Rostone House, a pre-fab home built to showcase Rostone, a revolutionary new material that was purported to never need care or repair. But, after the home was moved to the bank above Lake Michigan, the effects of nearby industry, including steel mills and refineries, along with lake-effect snows, rains, and winds, along with big temperature swings, it was too much for Rostone. The house was covered with Perma-stone, a concrete stucco, in 1950. In 1935, all of the Homes of Tomorrow were moved by barge and truck to the Beverly Shores area, managed now by the National Parks Service

The Armco-Ferro House was designed by Cleveland architect Robert Smith, Jr. It’s an ode to the virtues of porcelain, enamel, and steel. This home was built to demonstrate a home that could be mass produced and was affordable for an American family of modest means. It’s the first house that was made using frameless steel construction with an exterior made of vitreous enamel. It cost $4500 to build in the 1930s and took only five days to be erected from pre-fab panels. 😮

This on just screams FLORIDA, right?!? It’s the Florida Tropical House (“Home, Cruise Ship, and More”), commissioned by the State of Florida to lure tourists to the “Sunshine State”. This was the most expensive of the Century of Progress Homes, made for people of means who lived in style. The architect was Robert Law Weed of Miami.

This bright pink home has served as a navigational aid for boaters on Lake Michigan! (Check out that beautiful blue and green water today!) These homes were a wonderful bonus for our 12 mile bike ride this morning.

Hike

After lunch, we headed over to West Beach for the Dune Succession Trail. Lots of sand. 

A short trail becomes a challenging trail when it’s all on squishy sand. The “Wrightnour Conversion” is 1 mile on sand = 3 miles on solid surface. This trail had lots of stairs both up and down, over the dunes, and lots of sand leading to it, and along the beach. And, that sand was HOT. 

And so we begin…

Juniper

From the top of the first dune stairs, a look back towards the parking lot

Shade

A view to Lake Michigan

Oregon grape holly—the first time I’d ever seen such a thing!

To the beach. One of us kept our shoes on. The sand was challenging to walk on and I could feel my calf muscles after we were finished! 

Seagulls playing in the breeze.

Pond on the way to the parking lot from the beach

Tomorrow we head home. What a trip. A touchstone in our lives. It might take me a couple of days to wrap up the stats and post our final post. (Just going through the mail pile might take a whole day!)  Stay tuned!