The second half of Fall Break was spent camping at Indiana Dunes National Park with Uncle André, Aunt Mandi, and their kids. We had the best time!!
Thursday, October 15th
We arrived at the park around 2:30pm. Lake Michigan had some big waves for us! The kids didn't mind a bit that the water was freezing! I love watching these cousins make memories together.
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| Traveling by RV is so comfy! |
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Just a typical reaction from Beilyn. 😂
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| After we had everything set up at the campground, we hiked down to Lake View Beach. |
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| Never takes this girl long to get her hands dirty. |
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| We had cheesy potato soup for dinner. |
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| Then Mandi made some awesome caramel apple dip! |
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| My sweet girls with their matching buns. 💗 |
Friday, October 16th
We conquered the 3 Dune Challenge! Between dunes 2 & 3, we took a side trail down to the lake. The big kids had a blast jumping off the dunes. We celebrated Uncle André's 40th birthday (a couple of days early) with a piñata and cookie cake. All of the kids took a turn with the piñata and then André finished it off. It was an awesome day except for BellaMei's mishap with the pavement. 😣
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| Our first stop of the day was at the Visitors Center. Bria was bragging about how close she got to that bison. 😉 |
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| Picnic lunch before our hike. |
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| Hiking to the first dune was no joke (31 degree incline). And it was just a warm up! |
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| 1 down, 2 to go! |
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| On the second dune, Bria eventually just crawled up the 38 degree incline. |
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| It was really pretty when the sun peeked out! |
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| The kids were pumped about jumping off the dunes. |
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| Brielle covered her eyes on her first attempt. The fear quickly subsided and she was taking a running start for the rest! |
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| Meanwhile, Brynna was enjoying the quiet and taking pictures of the seagulls. |
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| She ran out to get some wet sand because that's the kind of thing Beilyn does. 😄 |
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| Porter Beach |
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| From the beach, we could always see the Chicago Skyline in the distance. We had a view from here too, though it's hard to see in the photos. |
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| After we got back to the campground, BellaMei skipped the steps and landed face-first out of the RV onto the pavement. Poor baby! |
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| Aunt Mandi brought cookies for the kids. |
Saturday, October 17th |
| Dune Succession Trail |
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| We saw an eagle fly over us while on the West Beach trail. |
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| She thought that stick by her feet might be a dinosaur bone. 😊 |
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| While waiting on lunch, the sun came out. We quickly changed into some other clothes and had Aunt Mandi take a few family pics! |
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| I just snapped this with my phone. |
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| Back in our camping clothes and enjoying lunch. |
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| Trail to Bailly Homestead |
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| Bailly Homestead along the Little Calumet River. He was a French-Canadian fur trader who started developing the land in 1822. |
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| Then we hiked over to Chellberg farm, settled by Swedish immigrants in the 1870s. The home was built in 1885 after the original house burned down. |
Sunday, October 18th
On our way home, we stopped at Fair Oaks Farm. We had farm-fresh grilled cheese and ice cream from the Cowfé, climbed a giant milk bottle, learned lots about dairy cow life, and even saw a calf be born!
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| Brielle rode with Ella to the farm. |
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| Brielle quickly managed the intermediate side. |
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| Then she gave the expert side a good go. |
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| Pretty much everyone else had to stick to the beginner side. |
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Hugs good-bye and headed home. It was a beautiful Fall weekend!
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