Blogs from Chesterton, Indiana, United States, North America

We arrived in Chesterton yesterday, and our first stop was the National Park Service's visitor center. We stamped our National Parks passports and picked up Junior Ranger books for the kids. It was too late to swim at the beach, much to the disappointment of the kids. Still, we decided to scope it out. We headed to Lake View Beach, part of the national lake shore. It had free entry and parking. We apparently lucked out finding a spot, as we were later told parking is hard to come by there. We hiked the area a bit and enjoyed the views of the beach before heading to our bed & breakfast, Riley's Railhouse. We've stayed at this bed and breakfast before and loved it. It's an old freight station next to train tracks, and the whole ... read more

Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, Chesterton, IN After two exciting days in Chicago, we decided to play in a lower key today and stayed closer to home. After our morning rituals, we donned our biking gear and headed down the bicycle trails once again south. I kind of doubt that the entire industrial area up here is as biker-friendly as this park area, but they have obviously invested a lot of time and energy into promoting their bicycle paths. We learned at the visitor center that one of the main paths is maintained, at least sometimes, by the local power company. That makes a lot a sense since it appears to be a service road under the power lines. But most of the other trails are well maintained and safe for riding. So we rode past the ... read more

We've had the best time vacationing in Chesterton. First, of all things, our bed & breakfast absolutely made our vacation. We stayed at Riley's Railhouse, which is converted from an old train station. It's a beautiful building right next to train tracks. Our room was upstairs with a small balcony, and Oliver would run out every time he heard a train whistle to watch the trains go by. Everything at the bed & breakfast was train themed, which the kids loved. There were even Thomas the Train pillows and blankets, and a toy Thomas the Train set for them to play with. Seriously, best vacation for a four year old ever. Even though it was fun for the kids, the bed & breakfast wasn't some tacky tourist place. It was just beautiful, well-maintained, with nice innkeepers ... read more

THE BASICS We've already been on the road for two weeks, and they have been full. Oddly, we keep having trouble getting online, so this will be more loquacious than even my usual. Apologies... As we drove across New York state, we learned about the Erie Canal construction and operation. Visited friends near Ithaca, and then in State College PA. Explored railroad history in Altoona and visited the Horseshoe Curve. No exploring near Pittsburgh; it was too danged hot! Instead, gabbed with a cousin of Linda's for three days. In hilly Belmont County, Ohio, explored the birthplaces of Linda's paternal grandparents. On through Amish/Mennonite country; saw lots and lots of buggies and bonnets. Spent a couple of nights near a lake in southern Michigan, and we are headed next to visit another of Linda's cousins, in ... read more