Indiana Dunes

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to go somewhere. No particular reason, just a weekend, no exams looming and the fact that the junior, Saumen had not been anywhere yet. Also the fact that my former labmate from the institute, Sujay had come over from Lansing. So C spent some time googling places nearby to go to and came up with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. (http://www.nps.gov/indu/ http://www.state.in.us/dnr/parklake/parks/indianadunes.html http://www.duneland.com/parks/idsp.htm ) now, the whole thing of places ‘nearby’ was rather loosely phrased. This was a bloody four hour drive. Two cars, C and K driving. Me navigating for C. Sa navigating for K. Su with us. The other car managed to take the wrong ramp after stopping for coffee at this tiny café and went along the I94 East instead of West. Not to be outdone, we missed our ramp and went for one of those delightful drives in the countryside. Michigan, Indiana and Illinois have some pretty beautiful places in the countryside, ok the American equivalent of countryside. And the drive would have well and truly been delightful except that we were hopelessly lost. And so was the other car. And Jana called. Somehow Jana always seems to call, or we call her when we are driving aimlessly around.

Some other time, I shall go into a detailed exposition of how we always seem to take exits and ramps just for a coffee or food and end up in random places which look like they have been preserved straight out of the 19th century, or were the scenes of incidents which have inspired axe murderer tales. But some other time.

Anyway, we got to the Dunes around 4 or 4.30 ish.. and looking at the sky, I figured that we had some two hours of sun before we had to head back. Which works out to 8 hours of driving for 2 hours of hanging out at a lakeshore. Yes, we wasted petrol (I don’t like saying gasoline) like proper first world people.

The dunes. Yes, some lakeshore, some people playing, a kid flying a kite, and random tourists. And us. We did the obligatory ‘get your feet slightly wet.. oh shite!! This is f-in coooold!!, whaddya expect nice warm Bay of Bengal waters?’… yes, did that and took a bunch of pics… and then what? We climbed a sand dune. This was pretty much nothing after the MUCH more strenuous Sleeping Bear Dunes which we had visited en route to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Got to the top, then headed down the other side. Found a trail leading to … a campsite! US camping is not quite like camping as we know it back home. Camping in the desh is quite an interesting experience. Finding an unfriendly scorpion in the hole-in-the-ground, which serves as a toilet can be quite an emotional experience. Eating shady ‘dhaba’ food for three of four straight days can give one religion. Or diarrhea, at the very least. Nope. Here camping is fun! One rents or buys an RV, which is a recreational vehicle. This contraption is essentially a house on wheels which is powered by a small thermal power plant, has a bedroom, TV, a toilet and consumes enough fuel to light up small African republics. One goes on long drives, the idea being that you don’t have to stay at a motel. And then one finds a camping ground, pays the supervisor, gets an electrical line. And then one sets up a hammock, drags the TV out into the open and watches the same shite that one wanted to get away from in the first place. Yes. Saw just that.

Finally got back from the campsite. Drove back. Stopped for random expensive and not particularly good food. Tired.