Indiana Dunes

We scheduled a short two night camping trip in the middle of the last week of June and made sure that Steve would have permission to join us, and we were able to set up camp on Wednesday afternoon and spend a few nice hours at the beach before the storms and tornado warnings rolled through. A few trees fell near us and prevented us from leaving the park till 9pm to find supper, but it was mostly an adventure. Thursday was beautiful and we hiked the rugged trail #8 to the highest two sand dunes

, then spent all afternoon at the beach.

On Friday morning we had a great time with a group hike led by the naturalist called Dune Swamp Safari.
All the children were given a dip net and the naturalist had microscopes and a big white pan for observing what they caught in the swamp waters.
Lots of different and very interesting creatures. Steve was happy to catch a tadpole in the leg + tail stage, and we observed leeches, dragonfly nymphs, bloodworms and other fascinating beings.
The naturalists were excited to point out a few yellow warbler birds to us as well.

We campfire-cooked all our meals and desserts. Steve invented the triple decker s'more,
and I invented my own "hobo-pie" concoction, after my favorite kind of coffeecake: Almond Cream Cheese. Slather some almond pie and pastry filling and some cream cheese between the slices of bread, roast until warm and toasty in the fire, and enjoy!