Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The last few days of summer ... Summer in Chicago is way too short. It rolls in around the end of June, just as you are getting out of the jackets and coats it's July, August is when you start enjoying the long days and sunshine, and before you know it - it's Labor Day - signalling the end of summer!

Evenings have started getting cooler ... In an effort to make the most of summer, I drove down to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Thanks to the heavy Chicago downtown traffic, the short drive was quite a test of patience.

 
Nevertherless - the sight that met my eyes once I got there was well worth the drive. The beach, like most beaches was crowded with people frolicking in the water -and some gulls flapping around.
 
This place has a lot of sand dunes, Most of them are fenced as you can see in the picture. This one was clicked from the beach. This is one of the dunes that is by the lakeside. Notice the trees growing here I was surprised to see large trees in the sand, but this is quite common here.

The largest of these dunes is called Mt. Baldy. The most interesting phenomenon about Mt. Baldy is the fact that it is a moving dune. It is 123 feet tall and is called a "wandering" dune. It moves about 4 inches every year, and is referred to as a "living dune". Infact, the parking lot has a notice to people asking them to tread carefully, since at the current rate - they expect the dune to take over the parking lot in the next 20 years! The picture clicked here is from the top of Mt. Baldy - a mere 0.7 mile hike from the parking lot, but feels like a lot more since you are walking uphill in the sand.


Despite the warm day - there was a cool breeze blowing on Mt. Baldy. This part of the beach was rather deserted compared to the crowded lakeshore swimming area. Further along, I could see traces of the Indiana industrial belt - you can see the evidence of a factory in the picture. Looking back, it was fun to have met this "living" dune!