We left the gorges and waterfalls of the Illinois River
Valley and headed back towards the northeast and the other river that connects
the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Lake Michigan - the Chicago River. Traffic on I 80 was bad and got worse the
closer we got to Joliet and eventually South Chicago and the Indiana state
line. Off the expressway to save on H’s
nerves – we ended up in backed up traffic in Gary Indiana. Oh well, Rt 12 led us to the Indiana Dunes
National Seashore and the state park right next door! In the past we’ve always camped at the National Park Campground
but there is no electricity in that park and the weather was to be pretty cool
at night. (Here it is: See Previous Summer Blogs!)
The state park still has
buildings from the CCC era but the campgrounds and other park areas have been
nicely updated. The parking pads are
wide and long with lots of new small trees are planted between the sites.
The Southshore Rail line still runs on schedule to downtown
Chicago and the train stop is right down the entrance road to the park with
plenty of free parking. Even tho the
price for seniors to
ride has gone up – from $3.75 to $4.50, the fast electric
train still speeds along and still glides to a smooth stop at each posted
station with the final stop in the dark caverns of the train station at
Millennium Park. Once back up in the
sunlight, our eyes adjusted to the bright light in the “canyon” formed by the
towering
skyscrapers on Michigan Avenue.
We dodged other pedestrians and tried not to stumble as we (ME) craned
our necks skyward to gaze at the tall spires above us. Our mission for the day was to find and
explore the Riverwalk along the Chicago River that had not been there on our
last visit! As we walked, we could see
the massive monuments that have guarded the Michigan Ave Bridge for years. Each roadway that parallel Michigan Ave has
its very own dark colored, double decked, counterweighted drawbridge that keeps
traffic moving across to the other side.
Down on the river, the taxi and tour boats were zigging and zagging
their watery ways up and down the river.
Loudspeakers blared explanations of what the
gawking tourists were to be
looking at. Gazing down from the main
street level, the cement valley that followed the river was lined with trees,
restaurants, boat docks and ample sitting areas for downtown workers and
tourist alike to sit and relax and watch the world go by. Some folks were strolling along, enjoying
the sunshine, some were jogging and some were walking their well-behaved
dogs.
Climbing up out of the valley we found ourselves in an
amazing park created especially for children!
The sprawling Maggie Daley Park had wide curving walkways dividing
different areas built for fun – climbing walls, skating areas and age
appropriate playgrounds. A shiny
stainless steel bridge swirled up and around like an escaping snake before
crossing over the busy road beneath it. The downward path on the other side
took us to the backside of the huge green swath of grass that lay before the
super modern
metal amphitheater. We
were told that all kinds of entertainment are put on there and folks bring
their blankets or lawn chair to enjoy summer concerts and programs. A must see in Millennium Park is the famous
stainless steel Chicago Cloud Gate Sculpture! Affectionately named “The Bean” because of its shape, it is
33x66x42ft and the archway underneath is 12 ft tall.
We wandered farther south of the “Bean” looking for ice
cream but instead saw groups of families curiously watching a 50 ft tall tower
with an animated face taking up the entire side of it. The face was moving and we both scanned the
crowd looking for the child who was making the faces being mirrored on the
wall. Turning around, we saw an
identical tower with a man’s face on it.
Water was spitting out of the man’s mouth! There was no such
man in front of that tower! These glass-bricked, dual LED lit water
towers were using digital photos of local residents to mesmerize all of us!
We were both getting tired and ice cream was on our
minds! Across busy Michigan Ave was the
Shake Shack located in the bottom corner of a wonderfully restored old hotel
with high, gold like ceilings, marble floor tiles and wide marble stair casings! YES - the shakes were delicious!
We came! We saw! We were now VERY tired and decided it was time to find the train
station and find our seats for the ride back to Indiana and the state
park. We slept well that night and in
the morning we slid in the slides and pulled up stakes and followed Rt 12 into
southern Michigan and headed home!
We’ll travel again - - soon, no doubt!
