Day 9--Indiana to Iowa

The beach on Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park

It was fun to wake up this morning and see what a great campground we’d found.  We’d arrived after dark having traveled 520 miles in one long day.  When we left Niagara Falls, I looked ahead on the Rand McNalley atlas for a state park on our route that might have an RV camp.  Since we were on the road earlier than planned, we figured Indiana Dunes State Park, about 6 miles north of I-90/80 near Chesterton, Indiana would work.  I googled it on Keith’s iphone, and called the office, which is open until 11pm!  It was $10 to enter the state park, and $17.30 to stay overnight with electric hook-up.   Our lunch stop, made it a push to get there, but well worth it.  And by going so far we had an hour of time-zone advantage. The wooded campsite was in full fall regalia.  The showers were nearby and clean.  The camp has140 sites, but very few were occupied on this early October weeknight. 

It’s less than a mile to the south end of Lake Michigan, still in the state park, where we spent some time enjoying being the only people in sight on a beautiful 3 mile beach of fine sand with gentle breaking waves from the north wind.  This place had some great rocks…very flat, with interesting colors and shapes…shale?  We filled Keith’s pockets for Henry’s souvenirs!  There was a huge, two-story, art-deco style bathhouse from 1929, locked up for the season.  The grey skies prevented views of Chicago to the west, but made the place seem even more special.  It’s hard to imagine that beach on a busy summer weekend, so close to this huge metropolitan area. But, we can definitely recommend the spot.

When he realized we were on the shore of Lake Michigan, Dad remembered crossing the lake on a large boat as part of an FFA leadership training camp.  He was 17 years old, and state president of the Nebraska Association.  Mom said her parents crossed Lake Michigan on a ferry when they were on their honeymoon. And, the trip to Lyons when she was 14 included a boat crossing of Lake Michigan.  We decided this would have been the same trip that she had mentioned earlier…something about a teenage crush and trip to ……point with one of the Boeheim boys in Lyons!  This name came up when we checked for cemetery records at the Boeheim-Pusateri Funeral home in Lyons, NY.  We did a google search the other day and found that Jim Boeheim, successful basketball coach at Syracuse University, was also from Lyons! 

The next destination was Amana, Iowa.  Amana is home of the Amana Appliances, now owned by Whirlpool.  The Amana colonies were started in 1855 by Inspirationists living a communal way of life.  There are lots of shops in the seven villages.  We checked out the quilt shop while Keith and Dad napped.

We are back to central Iowa early.  2,623.3 miles on the RV right now, at the Flying J where we washed the RV before returning it tonight.  Keith and Jan will be on the way to Kansas City soon.  Mom, Dad and I will stay in the Des Moines area overnight. 

Dad wanted to push the button to bring in the slide-out this morning!

                            Happy Birthday Mom.  We’d do it all again!

Day 8--Niagara Falls to Indiana Dunes State Park

Niagara Falls, NY.  October 2, 2012

Breakfast at Indiana Dunes

Dad has a viral something…fever, sneezing, headache, sore throat.  With a little aspirin, he feels much better, and luckily, we are past the main activity of this trip and on our way home.  He slept pretty well last night, and the rest of us are loading up on vitamins.  Our campground was only about six miles from the Famous Niagara Falls.  We were there before 9am.  It was slightly rainy for just a few minutes, but cleared for us to walk around the park and get some good pictures. Early October has to be the best time of year to hit this tourist destination…absolutely no crowds.  It’s a fun stop if you are sort of in the area…!  Then it was a shuffle-off-to-Buffalo, where we checked back with the Wal-Mart we’d stopped at the night before, to pick up pictures they’d developed from Janet’s camera.  Jan and I spent an hour or so on the road loading almost 500 photos into two albums.  Mom and dad are so surprised and excited to have printed pictures to show their friends as soon as they get home.

As we passed Erie, Pennsylvania, Mom saw a sign for Cracker Barrel and wanted to stop for lunch. Yum…meatloaf, pork chops, salad, and blueberry pancakes!  We could have eaten in the RV, but it was great to sit still for a bit.  Dad got a good nap in afterward.

This driving is a lot faster and easier than our Lincoln Highway.  Interstate 90 goes along the whole east side of Lake Erie from Niagara, NY; through a corner of Pennsylvania; and to Cleveland, Ohio.  Then it turns west to Toledo, Ohio and Indiana, where it curves around the south end of Lake Michigan.  We’ve been in light rain most of the day, with grey skies.  We are spending the night in the Indiana Dunes State Park—an RV camp with showers, electrical hook-up sites and separate dump/water locations.  The Park has 3 miles of sandy beach right on the lake. 

Here’s some views on the best parts of the trip:

Mom says--

“the area around Port Byron and the cemeteries--the Nye family cemetery was amazing… and Bye and Bye Hardware. “It’s hard to choose just one thing.  It was almost like going to Alaska the first time.  Every time you went around a corner there was another more gorgeous view! One of my favorite memories of the trip will be walking across the Erie Canal in Lyons and Keith breaking into song.”

Dad says—

“It’s hard to say the best part…probably, the trees in northern Pennsylvania, and the people we happened to meet. “

Keith says—

              “the fall colors in the Alleghenies, and seeing the Ewald graves.”

Jan says—

“seeing Honey Gram’s grave, and all five of us being on this bus  together.  Everyone we came in contact with was so friendly, helpful, and excited about what we were doing.”

Marcia says—

“the Ewald cemetery in Lyons, spending time with the family, the surprising ease and appropriateness of the RV rental, and experiencing the history and geography of so much of our country.”

This statue of Nicola Tesla, inventor of Alternating Current
is outside the entry gate to the Falls, where lots of electricity
is generated with hydroelectric power.

flowers at the Falls

We passed Progressive Stadium where the Cleveland Indians play. 

Mom and Dad enjoying the trip