The Kindness of Strangers
Sunday July 28 2024
Indiana Sand Dunes State Park, Chesterton Indiana
tripometer 9045 miles
We stayed one night at Great River Bluffs State Park in Minnesota. Our camp was high above the Mississippi River and we went on a lovely walk along the bluffs at sunset. The boats on the river looked tiny down below. We had two really cool animal encounters at this park. We saw a fisher with some kind of rodent in its mouth streak across the road in front of our campsite. I had to do some research on Minnesota mammals to discover that it was indeed a fisher. What a cool looking animal ! As we were going to sleep for the night Eloise spotted a massive Great Grey Owl perched just outside her window in a tree.
We’ve had a lovely 4 day stay at Indiana Sand Dunes and we depart tomorrow for Ohio. From our campsite we have 1/4 mile path through the forest and the dunes that takes us to a massive Lake Michigan sandy beachfront. I went for a bike ride yesterday that took me out of the park and was flabbergasted to see that there was a multi mile traffic back up to get into the beach parking lot. A camping neighbor later told me that the wait was 3 1/2 hours. Note to self…don’t ever leave this campground on the weekend, except by bike!
The beach was big and vast with a restaurant, an ice cream shop, indoor bathrooms and changing rooms…but there were also lots of odd rules:
no swimming in water higher than chest deep
no getting in the water after 6pm when the lifeguards go off duty
no floaties or inflatables
no paddle boards, kayaks allowed to be launched
no alcohol
Apparently they get bad rip currents and there are drownings every summer season.
Photos above by Eloise
It was laundry day while we were here and I LOVED the old school laundrymat vibe that I visited in town.
We will arrive home in 5 days time. I was hoping that our early May incident with the solar panel nearly coming loose from the roof of the Airstream would be our "big incident" for the trip…but alas that is not the case. Up near the trailer hitch at the front of the Airstream the steel trailer frame has broken….completely….in two….on both sides of the Airstream. I am so thankful we made it to this campsite with no major incident occurring at highway speeds.
A very significant problem! But as luck would have it, Eloise made fast friends with another girl in the campground on our arrival day and her father works for a big industrial construction company in Indiana. He called in a favor and one of his welders was kind enough to come to us today, on a Sunday, and get us sorted out so that we can continue our journey home.
2 1/2 hours later, 4 pieces of two inch flat stock of carbon steel, and many 70/18 welding rods and we are put back together again. I am so grateful for the kindness of new friends and strangers!! When Heidi and I first saw the clean breaks on both sides of the frame we feared the worst -- that Koko the Airstream was done for!
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