A welcome visit by the sun helped warm things up the newest national park, and people headed to the beach for a leisurely stroll. It's odd walking on the beach at this time of year, first because practically nobody visits the beach in winter, but also because you're sandwiched between sand dunes and ice mounds, and the shoreline is pretty much a valley between the two.
Even though the sun was shining, at times the ice and cold water of Lake Michigan created some fog that hung around the dunes. The fog appeared and disappeared a few times as the afternoon progressed.
Two years ago, the Park Service introduced fees to visit the Indiana Dunes National Park. Sure the money will go into park improvements, but I highly doubt anyone was happy about the fees, especially those people who live close by and visit almost daily to walk their dogs, or just unwind on a walk by themselves.
I haven't seen too many empty days here, so it would seem people are paying the fees - or they simply take their chances by parking without a valid park pass. My best guess is that locals do the latter judging by the lack of hangtags in the cars.
In a matter of days, the rest of this ice will melt, and the waves of Lake Michigan will once again pound the shore, moving the sand, rock, and logs, in a dance that takes place day after day, month after month, and year after year - no matter who visits the park.
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