Encroaching Sands

These trees are actually growing shorter each year! The sands of Mt. Baldy are slowly moving away from Lake Michigan, and burying the adjacent woods. At a rate of four to five feet a year, the shifting sands will soon completely bury the Oak trees.

Mt. Baldy, a 123 foot tall sand dune is Indiana's largest "living" dune. A living dune moves as the winds blow the sands from one side to another. Here, it's easily seen how the forest is being consumed by the dune. The blowing winds on the windward side often expose logs that have been buried for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years.

A Walk Through the Valley

Kintzele Ditch makes it's way to Lake Michigan by meandering through a series of constantly evolving sand dunes. Long hikes along the bank are difficult if not impossible, due to the changing water levels and loose sand. Not wanting to damage any of the dune or plant life, we have never been able to hike more than 200 meters upstream. Maybe this year....

Rusted Verticals

An old iron gate leading to absolutely nowhere. Only a few feet away from the bank of the Little Calumet River, this gate must have guarded the entrance to some significant property.

In the background and a bit to the right of this image is the Bailey Homestead, the property of the earliest settlers in the area. Between this gate and that home, however, is a paved road. This may have been the gate to that property, and over the years, this new road was constructed on the former Bailey property.

Perhaps there was an estate where I was standing to take this image. Nothing but trees can be seen beyond these gates now- and no evidence of a driveway.

Kintzele Ditch Empties into Lake Michigan

A small stream flowing between two sand dunes, Kintzele Ditch is a favorite destination for our weekly hikes along the lakeshore. The stream is the unofficial border between Mt. Baldy and Central Beach, and close to the LaPorte/ Porter county line.

The water is rich with mud and tannin, leaving a trail of brown color in Lake Michigan. The mouth of the stream varies from day to day as the wind and waves alter the beach. The mouth could be hundreds of feet to the west one week, and dead ahead the next.

Collecting the Sap

Visitors to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Maple Sugar Days can experience the entire process of Maple syrup production.

Here, Mike uses a hand brace to drill a hole into a demonstration tree. Later, he'll pound a metal spile into the hole. The spile not only acts as a spout for the sap, but also as a hanger for the collection bucket.

The bucket is then covered with a piece of sheet metal to keep out debris, animals, and most importantly, rain. The sap already has a high water content, and adding any more will only lengthen the time it takes to boil the sap down into syrup.



These buckets can be seen all over the sugar bush, and can fill up in just one night.

Old School Maple Sugar Production

Three kettles hang above open fires, boiling maple sap collected from the trees in the sugar bush. An annual demonstration at the Chellberg Farm, a historical site at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Maple Sugar Days shows the historic methods of making maple syrup.



In this demonstration, the large kettle holds a large quantity of raw sap. Once it boils down, it's transferred to the middle kettle where it boils down even more. The third kettle holds a nearly finished product.

To test the syrup, a twig was bent into a loop, similar to a children's bubble wand. The twig was dipped into the syrup, and when the syrup sticks and covers the opening in the loop, it's ready for bottling.

Maple Sugar Time

It's early March, and that means the sap is running - it's maple sugar time at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Each year, the Maple trees in the sugar bush of the Chellberg Farm are tapped for their sap. The sap is collected in galvanized buckets and transferred to the sugar shack for processing.



The sugar shack has a large wood fired boiler where the sap is boiled down until the water content is reduced. Around 40 gallons of sap are needed to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.



Gallon jugs are hung above the boiler to warm them. Warming the jugs this way, slowly brings them to the temperature of the syrup. When the hot syrup is poured into the warmed jug it will not break. However, if the syrup was poured into a cold jug, it would quickly shatter.

Deserted

A walk through Cowels Bog ends on Boater's Beach. This beach is not normally crowded-especially in February. Apart from a few homes a long walk down the beach, the only way to get to the beach is by boat or a two mile hike through the woods.

I found my first Striped Racerunner lizard in these sands a few summers ago.

Rolling Horizon

Bare trees line the top of the rolling dunes just before sunset.
Cowels Bog, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Confluence

The Bailey Generating Station borders Cowles Bog, marking the confluence of man and nature. Looking west, one sees industry, looking all other directions- nature.

Following a two mile hike through wetland, woods and dunes, the tail opens up to the beach and Lake Michigan. Known as Boater's Beach, this remote shoreline is mainly accessed by pleasure boaters who anchor just off shore to enjoy a quiet, almost deserted beach. It's a bit too long of a walk for someone wishing to arrive by car with umbrella, cooler and chairs - and just as long back to the parking lot.

Along the trails, you will experience swamps, prairie, woods, oak savanna, conifer forest and beach - including some plant life mostly found in warmer climates such as prickly pear cactus.

The generating station spoils the view in one direction, but it's not difficult to ignore it, and find yourself lost in a time when the entire Indiana shore of Lake Michigan was unspoiled dune.

Overcast River Walk

A heavy, wet snow fell overnight, following an afternoon of rain showers. The wet snow, and lack of wind resulted in snow that covered every branch of every tree.
This is the DuPage River in Naperville, Illinois.

Incoming Snow Clouds

Light snow showers were falling shortly after these clouds rolled in, but no accumulation was expected.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Siblings

The inner and outer lights of the St. Joseph, Michigan range lights. Located at the end of a 1000 foot long pier, at the mouth of the St. Joseph River.

Ice is forming on the base of the catwalk supports and the outer light.

Iced Supports

Heavy surf creates ice on the support structure for the catwalk leading to the St. Joseph, Michigan inner light. Waves frequently washed over the pier on this day, making it dangerous to walk out to the lighthouse, and deadly to walk past the inner light to the outer light. The waves could easily wash a person over the side and into the 33 degree water.

Sparkles

The constant splashing of Lake Michigan covered the railings of the St. Joseph, Michigan pier with a coating of ice. Two feet thick in some places, but here, just a small amount formed. The sunlight sparkles in the water below.

Frigid Waters

Waves batter the pier as cold temperatures cause the spray to freeze on the 35 foot tall outer range light and the catwalk. I had hopes of walking out to the tower, but they soon faded as I saw the waves crashing over the pier.

Forming Ice

Mid February cold weather and wind are finally in the process of creating a thick layer of ice on the outer range light. The waves were much too high to risk walking out on the pier, so we had to walk part way out on the opposite pier.

Wind and Waves

Wind and waves take their toll on St. Joseph's outer light. 45 mile per hour winds, 15 foot waves, and splashes up to 70 feet in the air, contribute to the ice build up on the lighthouse.

Sunk

Only a small portion of this rusted barge is visible after it was left to sink and rust in the steamboat basin of the Illinois and Michigan Canal just off of the Illinois River in LaSalle, Illinois.

Just a short walk along the muddy bank of the steamboat basin, past the official end of the I and M Canal trail.

Slope Revealed

Winter reveals the true contour of the dunes along Lake Michigan's Indiana shore. There is quite a difference between the contour of the ground and the treetops. Water and nutrients collect in the small valleys between the dunes, and the trees benefit from this extra moisture, growing taller and stronger. Trees near the top of the dunes appear to be a bit more stressed, from the lack of moisture, nutrients and the elements.