September 11, 2008: New Buffalo to Michigan City

We are not sure if there will be any more beach opportunities after today, so at lunch time we packed a picnic lunch and rode our bikes down to the white sandy shore. There were a few other couples and families enjoying the sunshine. Almost like there was a line drawn in the sand, just beyond the last humans, there were hundreds of seagulls also enjoying the beach. The sand was warm, and we enjoyed an hour or so of watching the gentle waves lap the shore. Unfortunately, the wind that brings calm water blows from the land and it was also covering us with sand. So warm and gritty, we rode back to the boat, showered and got ready to cast off. Chicago was easily within our reach, but we decided to just go the 20 miles to check out Michigan City first. It was amazing how calm Lake Michigan was and we were glad to get that different experience.

It was funny to discover that Michigan City is in Illinois not Michigan and it was also the point of time zone change from Eastern Daylight time to Central time for us. This is where the first lighthouse on Lake Michigan was built in 1837. The replacement built in 1858 still stands on the waterfront although it has been replaced operationally with smaller automated towers on the entrance to the harbor.

There is not much to say about Michigan City except that there was an outlet mall there and we did get to do a little Christmas shopping. Shhh!