Post 2 Great Lakes Adventure: Ohio , Michigan and Indiana

 July 30-Aug 6

Week 2 began with us checking into Punderson State Park in Ohio for 3 nights.

Our first day, rain had moved in overnight, so we drove into Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We were sad there was no senior discount, but then realized that 90% of the patrons are over 60!  Everyone would be getting a discount!  We strolled through the history of Rock and Roll from its early beginnings in jazz, blues and country to current artists.  There was a great exhibit celebrating 50 years of music on Saturday Night Live.  We had forgotten how many famous artists had appeared on SNL both as musicians and in some of their skits.  It was a blast from the past for us, so we left with good vibrations. A fun day!

Of course, before we left Cleveland, we just had to find a local brewery. The Noble Beast was perfect. We enjoyed a couple of pints with a yummy pretzel and then headed back to camp.

Back at camp, the rain was slowly letting up. The tarp over our van was beginning to dry out, so we adjusted it for optimal drying and prepared dinner. We have been planning meals a few days ahead, so we had shopped for the day before and that night’s dinner the previous day. A big salad with grilled chicken hit the spot. For the next night’s dinner we will stop and pick up a nice piece of salmon.

The weather on our second day in Ohio was perfect with temperatures in the 70’s. We went to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park visitor center. The park is celebrating it’s 50^th anniversary. The visitor center was beautiful and seemed well staffed. CVNP is centered around the corridor of the Erie/Ohio canal and railroad system. It took the work of two congressmen to begin the preservation of the lands surrounding the canals and beyond. One congressman even helped to set aside land in Alaska. We hiked the Ledges Trail and were amazed at the rock formations. The trail had a spur to the Lookout that we eventually found. It was a bust. If we had maybe been 6 feet tall and on tiptoes, we might have seen the view, but the trees have grown a lot……. Oh, well. We also hiked to a waterfall, which was beautiful, but, sadly, nothing like Niagra Falls.

From Ohio we traveled on to Michigan to spend some time with our friends, John and George.  We met them on our trip to Ecuador in January and couldn’t wait to spend some more time with them.  They live on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan near Saugatuck. 

Saugatuck is a charming waterfront town, often called the Provincetown of the Midwest.  We strolled the streets and shops, cruised on the Star of Saugatuck paddle boat down the Kalamazoo River out to Lake Michigan and sampled a flight at the Saugatuck Brewery. George told us about The Little Store where we could get a yummy ice cream cone. Cindy was missing Rota Spring’s ice cream.

The air quality was terrible due to the Canadian wildfires, but gave us an amazing beachfront sunset at Oval Beach.

After we left John and George’s great hospitality, it was on to Indiana Dunes National Park. We traveled the coastal route of the Blue Star highway instead of the freeway. It was a nice leisurely drive. After a few stops, that included a brewery, we checked into our hotel. Yes, we decided not to camp while in Indiana – campground spaces were scarce. The AC was definitely worth it!

Similar to Cuyahoga Valley NP, Indiana Dunes NP extends through a corridor of combined parcels of land. It is only a few miles across and extends about 20 miles along the southern coast of Lake Michigan. We spent 2 days walking, hiking, beach sitting and even enjoyed bird watching with Cookie, a NP birder. This new NP (2019) is one of the most biodiverse regions in the US. Minus the salt water, you might think you were on Cape Cod. Miles of fragile, white sand dunes, beach grass, beaches, marshes, bike paths and great National Park programming all added up to a great experience.

And we learned something new at the beach!  New England beach goers...are you bothered by seagulls getting into your picnic basket or even stealing food right out of your child's hands.  Well, here in Indiana they've found the solution.  Take along your Canada Goose decoy and plant him on your blanket!  Keeps those pesky gulls at bay! (see picture below).  The woman said she bought him as a joke and found he works so well she takes him on all her beach outings!