We hiked and hiked and hiked some more

A couple of Mondays ago I drove up to Michigan City to visit my son. I've been there before but hadn't ventured much farther than the house he lives in. When he visits me and I ask him what he has been up to, he almost always answers with stories of hiking. I don't think of Indiana as a hiking Mecca, but he has several lovely areas to choose from.

Michigan City is almost right on Lake Michigan, so of course we had to see the Indiana Dunes.

Several (13?) years ago I took a business trip to the Denver area. Each day when I stepped out of my east-facing hotel, I would look to the left and be shocked to see mountains. It looked like a postcard. Seeing the lake was not much different. Do people who live in postcards ever get tired of the view?

Unfortunately, the Dunes are bracketed by power plants.

Of more interest were the Century of Progress 1933 World's Fair Homes. These were built to showcase new building materials and construction techniques, and featured wild and crazy innovations like dishwashers and central air conditioning. A developer moved them to the Dunes in an effort to jump start a resort community. Now they are privately owned and undergoing renovation.

Besides the Dunes, we hiked the adjacent marsh where a great variety of birds may be seen. Less likely is this photographer's ability to actually take any photos of these birds, as I had only my cell phone. And we hiked through woods. And we drove to the Red Mill County Park and hiked some more. By the time we were done, my Fitbit had registered over 18,000 steps. Although I'm sure I limited his speed, I kept up with my son and admit to feeling a bit smug about that. As we shall see in a subsequent segment, pride goeth before a fall.