Warren Dunes along the Lake Michigan shoreline is a great day trip from Fort Wayne or Chicago

I get really excited when I am able to swim in Lake Michigan in July or August. Earlier than that, I'm afraid it's just going to be too cold. Why do I like to swim in the Great Lake instead of a pool? Here's what I say - it's a wonderful combo. The water looks sparkling, clean and crisp, unless you go when a storm or something has stirred up the bottom. There are no sharks to think about. There is nothing sharp or dangerous on the bottom on which to step. When I go, I prefer days with enough heat and wind to make waves form. These are usually short waves in which one can glide and even bodysurf. Something about the moving water feels great. People are there with their body boards or short foam rafts. Lots of folks have other beach games, volleyball, frisbee, paddleball or are tossing balls - that sort of thing.

The swimming in the big lake - I describe it as being buffeted, sort of like being in a washing machine. It can be a little difficult to do a long crawl stroke, if a person turns the head to breathe and a wave breaks, but a nice backstroke or side stroke works well in the waves. Just treading water is so pleasant. On a sunny day, the water is so blue, the beach grass so lovely green, the dunes are a garden of sand.

There's a parking lot here big enough for lots of patrons, but in the water itself, one doesn't feel crowded. There's an impressive stand of tall dunes here - people flock up them, panting, and lurch back down, or run. The tallest, called Tower Hill, is a mountain of sand 240' tall. Other nearby hills are named Mt. Fuller, Pikes Peak, and Mt. Edwards.

In Berrier County on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, Warren Dunes State Park and woods covers 1950 acres. There are three miles of shoreline in the park and six miles of hiking trails. Although often full in the late summer months, the park offers 221 modern or rustic campsites and 3 modern mini cabins. Reservations are available online. The park is open year round, and maintains several nature trails. Most are a mile or so long, but keep in mind also would be strenuous if one is climbing a dune. A six-mile long cross-country ski trail is also listed on a map.

The park's listed activities sound like fun. A naturalist will be talking about astronomy and the Perseid Meteor shower on August 15. This will be followed by storytelling around the fire and roasted marshmallows/s'mores. Sounds like a good idea for parties of campers there.

I enjoyed the concession stand design, a big area with showers and access on all sides. Many people bring really nice shade set-ups these days: high-tech, purposeful equipment that is open towards the water and locked down tight on the backside. Seems like the portable chairs are better and lighter these days too. Remember the hats and sunscreen. Also, walking barefoot on hot sand doesn't work. You see folks doing the mad/ouchy dash. Pick your footwear carefully. Shoes are best, but wear ones with which you are willing to deal with sand. I prefer good sandals meant for the job; flip flops are awful and you won't see them on me. But Merrill and Orthoheel are good types of outdoor, rugged and attractive sandals.

We also saw a huge inflatable waterslide in the park. There sure is lots for the kids to do here! Edward K. Warren purchased the site from a struggling friend and by 1930, according to Wikipedia, the acreage had become a state park. It's a beautiful piece of America. When I go to Michigan City or Indiana Dunes or New Buffalo or here, I always see and hear folks speaking different languages, whether they are coming by train from Chicago or are foreign visitors here on a holiday. People of the world know a good beach when they see one.

Take it on the Road

Henry Knueppel retired from the Board of Directors of Regal Beloit recently, after 32 years of service. Before that, he had been CEO and a mastermind of acquisitions of other companies, building the collateral of the company and helping to put it in the solid standing that it is today. From Fort Wayne, Regal Beloit designs and builds smart motors that go into heating and air conditioning systems, among other things. We took a road trip recently from Fort Wayne to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to celebrate with Henry at a retirement party in his honor and reflect upon what a great career, a great life, he has had, and still has.

A fall road trip is a great way to disconnect, and that's what we did, not taking the kids. Highway 30 was the way to travel across the north end of the state. The divided highway was lined with oaks, maples, and pines, their assembled colors warming the normally monochromatic roadway. Then it's I-94 and 294 around Chicago, the skyscrapers climbing up in front of us like silver and black mountains, ringing the lake with a perfect edge. We jumped off the highway and drove into downtown, and caught a glimpse of a few of the "Occupy Chicago" movement members, who were demonstrating with signs and drums in front of the Chicago Stock Exchange building downtown. We cheered for them, but it was a mess, with street crews 'conveniently' paving the street in front of them, reducing traffic. The crowd wasn't large in number, but was admirable in spirit.

Our road trip beckoned on, and we took a slight detour to bust out on a gorgeous hike in one of the Indiana Dunes state parks between Gary and Michigan City. Boardwalks keep one out of the sand, and trails both lead down to the beach and up into the trees in the dunes, allowing for spectacular views of the lake and beach grass. More to come here - I may have to dedicate a later blog post about that.

In Valparaiso, we passed the fast food joints to check out a "noodles & co.", which is a counter-order restaurant that specializes in anything noodles. They list Asian, Mediterranean, and American varieties. I chose the Pad Thai noodles from the Asian menu, and they were wonderful - spot-on spicy peanut flavor on the perfect edge of hotness. They serve a variety of Italian pastas and salads, and the American category features spaghetti & meatballs, macaroni & cheese, chicken noodle soap - yum. I think the noodles & co. restaurant chain is definitely on to something here.

I plan on loading a photo from my camera on the computer so you the reader can see the view from the dunes. I have other things to catch up on writing about - watching the Cardinals win the World Series, for example - but it will have to wait for another day. Meanwhile, the bright burning bush glows from the dock in Leo. Sometimes when the rest of the fall leaves fade, these bushes continue to glow with color weeks longer. I love how long their bright hues last in autumn. Peace to you all until next time.