The Great Marsh is part of the Indiana Dunes National Park, on its eastern section, south of the beach side community of Beverly Shores and east of Chesterton. It's a popular birding area and a dark sky community. Uniquely-designed homes from the 1934 Worlds Fair exhibit "Homes of the Future" are in Beverly Shores, once a coveted community of wealthy residents, but now many of the homes are showing signs of wear.
I had gone on the Great Marsh Trail ten years ago with Sadie. I remember the colorful wildflowers, the dramatic sky, and the many birds. I wanted to experience it again with Zeke. I was tired from yesterday and didn't want to drive far. This would be an easy escape that wouldn't require me to spend a lot of time in the car. The only drawback was the heat and humidity.
There is no cost to walk the Great Marsh trail. It's a short 1.2-mile loop. The southern trail is a trail through tall grasses that connect to northern trail. The northern trail is partly paved to accommodate those with disabilities. It has a shaded observation deck. It's a nice place to sit for a while and listen to the red-winged blackbirds, watch blue herons and egrets fly, and hear bullfrogs.
The southern trail is now closed to dogs. I wasn't aware of that until I was ready to walk the trail with Zeke. The official website even contradicts itself, saying in one paragraph that leashed dogs are allowed, then stating further down that no dogs are allowed to protect the wildlife. So which is it?
The northern trail is only passable for .3 miles. Deep water kept me from going any farther. I didn't see any "No Dogs" signs so I let Zeke walk with me. He was curious about the fish and turtles and bullfrogs plopping in and out of the water, but I kept him on the leash.The eastern part of the trail is now totally under water. This looks like a permanent change. Northern Indiana is basically drained swamps and marshes from a receding Lake Michigan, but nature is slowly reclaiming the land. That's one reason why we have an increase in severe floodings in this part of the country. Rivers are overflowing and water is seeping back into the developed areas. It's hard to drain a swamp when Mother Nature has other plans.
I remember walking on a flooded road south of Beverly Shores, Broadway, and wanted to see if the National Parks Service has now closed that road and developed the marsh there. The road is closed, yes, and no "No Trespassing" signs are posted. The road is marked as part of the National Park, so I'm expecting it one day to be more developed for park visitors as an extended portion of the Great Marsh which borders Broadway. Heavy rains are to blame for the increase in the marsh, but locals say the marsh is expanding due to marsh restoration by the NPS.
The road is still very visible, but growth along Broadway is now thicker and taller. Ten years ago I had to turn around due to flooding, but today I was able to walk the length of the old road short of its connection to East Boundary road, which borders the Indiana Dunes State Park. A wooden plank is placed over the flooded road, indicating that this area is open to birders. That is where I turned around ten years ago. I'll have to come back here on my next visit to see if the Great Marsh trail will be extended west. All the heavy rains this year alone will only help expand the marsh.
It was 85F and I felt it. Zeke felt it, too, so my next option was to take him to the beach in Beverly Shores, once an exclusive community of boaters from Chicago. The lakeshore is now open to the public with some restrictions. The beach here is rocky and it's a short but steep stairwalk down to the water. Dogs must be leashed. Sunbathers were out. I took Zeke a half-mile out, sat in the shade for 20 minutes, then left. It was nice seeing people out enjoying the lake; it's the first real heat of the summer. I picked up a few more holely rocks for my rock collection. These "holely rocks" (pun intended) are sedimentary rocks that develop holes in them from the constant pounding of the waves. Eventually the beach will be void of all holely rocks because I will have taken them all. That's the story I told my grandson Owen, who took all the holey rocks from my last beach visit two weeks ago. I think he believes me.
I had walked just under three miles for the day, along the marsh and then along the lake shore. I didn't care that I didn't make my 4-mile quota as I knew both Zeke and I needed a break.
I spent the late afternoon trying two more breweries on the South Shore Brewery trail: Hunter's Brewing in Chesterton and 35Plat in Porter. Hunter was a yellow retriever of one of the brewers. It's a small building a block east of IN49 with a small patio under full sun. I couldn't stay long as no pets are allowed on the patio, but I did enjoy the Hefeweizen and Irish stout. Eighteen rotating beers are served on tap, six of which are house beers, and there are many more bottled craft beers from around the world. Gourmet food is also served here. I liked this place despite the strict no pets rule. But why name a brewery after your dog and then ban all dogs from even the outdoor patio? Hunter didn't even drink beer!
The second brewery, 35Plat, is a once-abandoned house across from a railroad crossing. Here Zeke was allowed to join me on the shaded patio. I talked with one of the brewer's wives, Carrie, who chatted with me until the next customers came in. I had a wheat ale Zest and a porter. Neither beer had body, but I did like the ambiance of this old house despite four trains rumbling by in the 45 minutes I stayed here. Carrie let me try a beer she had just tapped, a spicy ale that was by far the best beer I had tried.
The final brewery on the trail for the day was "Bulldog on the Lake" but that turned out to be a yacht club-style restaurant within fumes of the steel mills. It's spacious and well-decorated with photos of the Dunes and views of the marina. It serves only two homemade beers, an IPA and a pale ale. I tried neither beer and walked out. The place was a disappointment because it's not a brewery and should not be on the trail list. At least I can cross that one off the list. This makes two places I will never visit again. I'm down to five more breweries I still need to try before I can say I've been to all 26 breweries on the South Shore Brewery trail. Yay, I'm so excited. (Actually, one of the breweries on the list, the Chesterton Brewery, isn't even open for business yet. It's still "Coming Soon this summer!")
I got back to Crown Point with 20 minutes to spare before the first Democratic debates began. I listened for the first 40 minutes, but then I had internet connection problems and never got to the second hour.
A severe thunderstorm blasted through by 9pm that lasted several hours. Evening storms are in the forecast for the next four days.
Great Marsh Trail: https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/gm16.htm
South Shore Brewery trail info at https://www.southshorecva.com/ssbt/
No comments:
Post a Comment