Michigan City, Indiana

We managed to get some touristy things done while here in Michigan City.  Situated on the southern most end of Lake Michigan, it is a comfortable town, spread out, we see lots of people who are not fancy (rich), just normal every day folks from all walks of life.  We drove to the beach (about 5 miles from our campground) and spent an afternoon wandering along the beach, walking as far as we could on their pier (waves were crashing and we did not want to get wet), and then went over to the original lighthouse that guided ships in from Chicago.

Michigan City beach - their famous pier almost in center of photo
Looking west - can't see Chicago

Looking east

Marina behind the dunes of the beach 

Can barely make out the dunes above the break wall

Surfer dude

Very distinctive marks

Very pretty day, lots of seagulls flying around, people laying on the beach and also swimming.  I have no idea if the water was cold but it could not be as cold as Lake Superior.  As we looked to the west we could see the steel mills' smoke stacks bellowing out.  I thought we were looking at Gary, Indiana but in reality which we found out a few days later, it was Burns Harbor steel mills and further west was Gary's steel mills.

Lighthouse at tree line, beyond dunes is the marina

We could see the sand dunes just west of the cooling tower for Michigan City's water treatment plant.  No, it is not a nuclear plant, just a big honker of a tower to cool the water before discharging back into the lake.

After visiting the beach we went to Dairy Queen to get a treat since the lighthouse was not open yet - and this trip is turning out to be very expensive for me.  For the last couple of weeks, when I bit down on the left side, I noticed that my bite was off - if that can be?  Well, what was happening is that my cap was coming loose, beginning to get dislodged, and when we were at Dairy Queen - I almost swallowed the cap - it had come loose.  Bummer.  Thankfully no pain, just a big gap where the tooth was.  Okay, put the tooth in my purse, and traveled back to the lighthouse which was only about 2 miles from the DQ.

Huh!

Progress, terrible.

Heading up to see the light

Extremely narrow staircase

View from the top, looking out to the lake

The lighthouse was a cute place, learned some of the history of the area, about shipwrecks, etc.  Climbed up to the tower where the lens is located (not a functional one since the pier is now the light that guides the boats in). At the top of the tower we could look out and see to the lake.  From the upstairs we heard the horn sound for the lifting bridge to allow a large sailboat to head up stream (it is a creek, not a river).

Guess with all the shipwrecks need lighthouses!

A biggun sailboat!

I remember these from my childhood, just did not know they were called
witch balls

Cleveland follows us everywhere

Learned about this disaster, how very sad 

Whole families wiped out from this disaster

Nice day (but not for my mouth).  When we got back to the RV I Googled dentists in the Wisconsin Dells area and found a dentist that could take me next Wednesday.  Thank goodness!