11/10 Portage, IN – It felt weird leaving Sebewaing, MI. We were there for close to 4 weeks and I got to know a lot of people. At the end, the locals were impressed with us and we all went our separate ways. I hung around for the weekend and Lew and I went sightseeing and out to eat a couple of times. I left on Monday and drove the county roads to Muskegon. A long, boring drive… I was just looking for a lighthouse and found a state park near Lake Michigan. There was a short trail and I had a chance to stretch my legs a bit and take some snaps. It was mid afternoon, and I had a long drive ahead of me. Though there were a couple of light houses nearby, backtracking would be necessary, and I decided to move on. Grand Haven had a light house and I drove there to check it out. After a few miles in, I drove a pier next to the light house near the residential area. I swear I was looking at an architecture magazine! WOW the houses were amazing! It was a beautiful day and I spent some time on the pier until it got a little too windy and cold. I finally got in the van to drive to my final destination in Michigan, the Four Winds Casino in Hartford. It was almost dark when I arrived, but it worked out fine. Had a great meal of cheeseburger and fries. I’ve been eating out a lot these last few days and need to tone it down a bit, because I think I am gaining back some of the weight I lost.
This morning I met Lew for breakfast in Elkhart, IN, while he was waiting on repair work on his trailer. Then we went to the RV museum and it was a great experience. I never imagined so many vintage and antique RV’s were still in existence. Most of them were hand crafted, and a few a them belonged to some famous people, like Mae West and Charles Lindberg, the airplane guy.
At this writing I am in the Indiana Dunes State Park and yes, it is still open for camping. It was a little confusing because the National Park Service made part of the Dunes a National Lakeshore Park recently, and the visitor center was open, but were closed to camping for the season. The two institutions manage each park separately. The only sign was for the National Park and then you see the gate for the State Park further in. I’ll be here for 2 nights and then will drive to Chicago. My friend, Katie also joined me here for a night. I met Katie on the way to the beet harvest in Michigan and she joined the caravan part way. We got along very well and will keep in touch.
The weather was in the 70’s but we got some rain. Katie loves storm watching and a big one was coming, so we drove to a parking lot by the beach to watch the lightning. It was fine until a big one struck and we vamoosed out of there just in time to beat the torrential rain. Getting back to the van, the rain on the roof sounded like popcorn in a microwave and I was in the bag. It will get very cold tonight and tomorrow. Might be good for some morning fog snaps.
The next morning I went for a final walk to the beach. It was cold and there was frost on the trees and plants. It was really pretty with the soft sunlight making the grass glow. I really enjoyed this campground and plan to return again.