Pairs: Up and Down

Quite awhile ago, we gave up trying to drive the whole way from Rochester to Chicago, and usually break it up into two shorter trips. This week we decided to go all the way since we only have two days with Sarah, Adam, and Caleb before we fly out to Calgary. But we decided to break up this trip with an adventure that would get us out of the car and on our feet for an hour or two. Initially, we thought we’d visit a museum, but both of the ones on our bucket list were closed on Mondays. So we decided to stop at the Indiana Dunes State Park, and take a hike. 

We had a choice of 10 different trails, and chose one listed as “Moderate” in difficulty that went along the shore of Lake Michigan. It turned out to be more challenging than I expected for two reasons. First, the trail is composed of deep sand—not easy to walk on, and especially difficult when climbing. Our legs got a good workout. Second, it was 88° and humid, and I got overheated about halfway through the hike. Luckily, we had lots of water with us, and I could splash some cool water on my face from Lake Michigan. We were rewarded after the hike with dinner at a great burger and craft beer restaurant in Chesterton, IN. I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a beer quite so much.

Here’s one of the trails up to the top of the dune. You can just see Tracy on the top of the path on the left side of the photo.

I waited until Tracy got down the other side of the dune before taking this photo so you can see how high these dunes actually are.

I’m not expecting such hot, humid temperatures in the Canadian Rockies, but the forecast for Calgary the next two days is exactly the same as we had at Indiana Dunes. It’s going to be HOT at the Calgary Stampede! When I checked before we left, the range of temperatures for Jasper, AB (our most northern destination) , the temperature ranged from 39° to 90° so we’re prepared for almost anything (except snow!) 

Linking up with Helena (as always) where you can find more Pairs each Wednesday.