At some point we see on the map the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore about an hour east of Chicago, just off I-90, so we went to check it out. Very interesting! The park is a patchwork of National Park and State Park along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, encompassing 15,000 acres. There are beaches, trails, bike trials, a marina, a jetty and more.
Efforts to save the dunes go all the way back to 1916 when Stephen Mather, the NP Service first director, warned that they were in danger from industrial development. World Wars interupted the efforts and during WWII steel mills were built all around the area.Congress created the National Lakeshore in 1966. The Visitor Center is very new. In it you'll find a replica of the glider used by one of the Wright Brothers' collaborators.
We explored an area called "The Riverwalk" which used to be a toxic landfill from US Steel next door. It has a nice beach and a walk out to the breakwater. The Chicago skyline can be seen in the distance. Amazing what can be done!
We struggled with rush hour traffic getting through Chicago and on up to Evanston. We didn't know what to expect from our hotel - Margarita European Inn. Its part of the Choice group, which we found odd. Anyway, its gorgeous! Its an old dormatory for Catholic girls dating back to the 1920s. Don't know when it was converted to a European style hotel. Its located on tree lined Oak Street in the heart of downtown Evanston, home to Northwestern University and, of course, Rotary International just two blocks away. Evanston is pretty upscale with beautiful old homes, just a few blocks off the shore of Lake Michigan. Interestingly, the entire shore of Lake Michigan is public land, there are no highrises on the water front.
We hope to get a tour of Rotary headquarters tomorrow, although we just found out from the website that you are supposed to sign up three days in advance. Sean Allan hadn't said anything about that had told me to call another person in his office who wasn't there either! We'll see what happens! We also want to visit my cousin Dave Ream who lives in an assisted living place in town. I left a phone message; we'll show up after our Rotary visit.
We paid lots of tolls today - the Ohio Turnpike and the Indiana Toll Road, Lost track but it must have been 15 bucks anyway!
Dinner at a pizza place over on Davis Street. Heading north tomorrow, thankfully back out into the "wilderness"!
(Sorry, photos are out of order!)
 |
| Riverwalk pavilion |
 |
| Visitor Center |
No comments:
Post a Comment