The East Pierhead Light Upon Return

I had an unexpected trip aboard the research vessel W. G. Jackson this afternoon, watching the scientists gather samples of water, sediment and plankton. It was a great day for a cruise on Lake Michigan, and the scientific work made it an interesting afternoon as well.

Owned and operated by Grand Valley State University, the W. G. Jackson's home port is Muskegan, Michigan. The vessel is used by scientists in central to southern Lake Michigan.

Inland Bridge

Formerly called the Inland Marsh, this area of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is now named Tolleston Dunes.

It's Spring, and the wildflowers are just starting to bloom in the wetland areas of the park. Last year was rather dry, so there is very little water under this footbridge. This is a great place for bird watching and butterflies.

All Rolled Up

Slowly unrolling each Spring, the ferns of Cowles Bog put on an interesting show for a few days while turning into full-length fronds. Once opened, the fronds hide any new fiddleheads, so this is the perfect time to see them.

What always intrigues me is how the center of the rolled up fiddlehead has groups of leaves that each appear to be miniature versions of full fern fronds. Only about the diameter of a nickel, these curled creations pack a dollar's worth of detail inside.


Cowles Bog is one of the few places I've come across where so many ferns can be seen in such close proximity. Hundreds of clumps are visible from the trail; I wonder how many are hidden from view.

Spring in Front of Old Main

A few days of warm weather and rain transform the North Central College campus into a colorful landscape. Students and staff alike enjoy time outside after a long winter.

Old Main, built in 1870, has undergone a few additions, including the south tower and the fifth level in the center of the building.

What Lies Beyond

Warm air temperatures combined with a cold breeze off of Lake Michigan created heavy fog along the shore of West Beach.

We noticed an interesting thing as we walked through the wooded dunes. Drops of rain were falling, but only when we were under the trees - the opposite of what would normally happen. The air was so heavy with moisture, that the moisture gathered on the branches of the trees, got too heavy and fell like rain. It was odd to see raindrops in the sand ONLY under the trees!

The fog moved quickly, driven by the wind, but dissipated a block or two inland, where the sun was shining brightly.

The Cliffs of Dellwood

The lack of leaves and grass this early in the year allowed us to find a way to a small series of islands in the middle of this little lake in Dellwood Park West. Once a quarry and some type of industry, the land is now being converted to a park.

We generally view this lake from the top of the cliff - about 30-40 feet above the water. This time we wandered all the way out to the end of the islands to view the cliffs from below. We were greeted by dozens of turtles and quite a few dragonflies - a sure sign of Spring.

A walk Through the Verticals

Early spring sunlight reaches the floor of the woods, warming up the ground, paving the way for the annual green-up.

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Cowles Bog offers plenty of sites, from wetlands, to savanna, woods to beach. Enjoyable whether it's a short walk from the parking area to the wetland, or a six mile round trip to the beach.

Late Afternoon Sun

The late afternoon sun highlights the water of Lake Michigan, and silhouettes the trees of the nearby dunes. Kintzele Ditch, a small stream, flows into Lake Michigan from the left of the image, then combines with the cold lake water. I'm standing on a small bar of sand between the stream and the lake. Lake Michigan was around 45 degrees, but the stream was a bit warmer - yet still way too cold to swim! After a long winter, it felt great to walk around the beach without a jacket.

Progression

The boys get a running start on the Dune Succession Trail of West Beach. This 1 mile trail winds through all of the stages of dune progression - something relatively rare in such a short trail. From beach to grassland, conifer forest to oak forest, and everything in between, one can experience them all in about a mile.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Spring Sky

A blowout, most likely caused by animals and then people walking up and down, can be seen on the face of this dune. The park service placed signs at the entrance of these trails to discourage people from walking up them, thereby keeping the  dune from eroding. I think people will simply ignore them.
If visitors would stay on those paths, erosion would be kept to a minimum. Instead, now they will walk around the signs, on the Marram grass, killing it, creating more bare spots leading to additional erosion.
 
I think naturalists in general are stepping over a dollar to pick up a penny, trying to stop the natural processes that would occur anyway - with or without humans. The wind and water erode far more sand than the people walking on these paths. They can't stop nature, so they seem to try to stop anything they can - at the expense of the visitor. A few thousand years ago, this area was under a larger and deeper lake. The lake drained quite a bit- not the fault of humans. A few thousand before that, this area was covered in ice. The ice melted - not the fault of humans. Could man have prevented those massive changes?

We can't - and shouldn't - stop everything perceived as radical change in the environment. Certainly we should stop misuse, and try to preserve the natural environment, by not intentionally destroying it.  I'm all about saving the dunes -I've been involved in the replanting of Marram grass on Mt. Baldy to slow the erosion by wind. But, in the past several years, I've witnessed the collapse of the windward face of several dunes here between Mt. Baldy and Central Beach. This was caused by waves, not by people walking on the dunes.  Grass, shrubs and trees were all in place until the waves undermined the dune, their roots couldn't fight the power of the water.

They might as well build a 6 foot tall, concrete seawall along the entire shore to keep the waves from washing away the dunes - that's the real problem. Since the lighthouse and pier were built at the mouth of Trail Creek, the beaches downwind have suffered. Let's solve that man-made problem first. There are several proposals to replenish the sand of this starving beach; perhaps if they're implemented, people will once again be able to walk up and down the dunes.

The earth isn't stagnant, it changes everyday. Certainly we should prevent people from damaging the environment, but it seems to be taken to extremes these days - the thinking is that people cause almost every environmental change, and people must stop it. The sooner we focus our energy toward preventing what we can prevent, and allowing what naturally occurs to occur, the better the environment will be.
Perhaps someone should have reinforced the banks of the Colorado River a few million years ago, to prevent all that erosion we now call the Grand Canyon. That huge hole in the ground could have been prevented if only people were there to stop it.  And if only we could have kept people off of the mountains of Utah, a few million years ago, the mountains would still be here today.  Instead, we're left with those stone buttes located in Arches National Park. Oh wait... people weren't around back then.......... then how did all of this happen?

Crossing Kintzele Ditch

The warmest day of 2013 so far allowed us to hike for a few hours at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Each winter, the Central Beach parking lot is closed, and the beach can only be accessed by walking from Mt. Baldy or the neighborhoods surrounding the beach. We found a convenient log and used it as a bridge over Kintzele Ditch, allowing us to explore Central Beach for the first time in a few months. We began our trek at Mt. Baldy, and walked to the end of Central Beach - a 3.5 mile round trip -- probably double that if you count all of the meandering along the beach!

Dawn Flight

Moments after sunrise, two Canada Geese fly above the low clouds and fog, in front of the rising sun, which appeared for a short time, then remained hidden.

Lasalle Falls

The perfect time to visit Starved Rock State Park is in early spring, or after a period of rain. While the trails may be muddy, most of the waterfalls are flowing.

The hike to LaSalle Canyon takes you behind this 20 to 30 foot waterfall.

Across Lake Michigan

The Chicago skyline can be seen on clear days from the dunes at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's West Beach, almost 30 miles across the lake. The dune succession trail leads hikers from the beach, through grassland, conifer forest, and hardwood forest, all in about a mile. One of the few places this complete succession can be seen in such a short distance.

High Winds

Blurred by the wind, the marram grass on the dunes of Tiscornia Park in St. Joseph, Michigan hold in the sand, and block the accumulating snow.

The patterns of sand and snow changed with the blink of an eye.

Snow Squalls

Pretty much sums up what I had to put up with while photographing the St. Joseph, Michigan lighthouse this evening. Snow squalls blew in frequently, driven by high winds off of Lake Michigan. My lens hood acted like a funnel, gathering the snow against the lens.

At times, the outer light was completely obstructed by the snow, and once or twice the dunes in the foreground were nearly invisible, covered by blowing snow.

Walking out to the outer light was the plan, but for obvious reasons, not really possible.

This is Spring?

Getting Out of French Canyon

Even though most of the snow and ice melted over the past week, deep in the shady canyons of Starved Rock State Park, ice and snow remained. French Canyon in particular, was quite difficult to access, yet, Tom R. and I managed to navigate the glazed canyon floor. Usually, I walk with one foot on each side of the flowing water, and make my way up to the main waterfall. That was impossible on this day, so clinging to a single wall was the only way to keep from slipping and falling.

A Winter Hike

Stopping to prepare a walking stick, the boys enjoy a winter afternoon on the frozen shore of Lake Michigan.

Contemplating Going Further

In the summer, Kintzele Ditch marks the halfway point of many hikes. It's a shallow creek that empties into Lake Michigan, and can be crossed easily in normal weather. In the winter, unless you don't mind immersing your feet in 33 degree water, the creek becomes a destination and turn-around point.

We decided not to proceed across the creek on this day, figuring a mile walk with wet feet in 20 degree temperatures would be uncomfortable.

Bands of Fog

Just before sunrise, the fog reflected the sunlight, turning the sky a subtle amber. The warmer air temperatures combined with snow in the low-lying field to create some patches of fog in the early morning hours.