Sunday, February 21, 2010

Urban Adventure Chicago (Part 2)

Outside Magazine's Urban Adventure Chicago by Lynn Schnaiberg. 2003

Besides the Michigan adventures I posted earlier, this guide recommends several activities in nearby Indiana.

Indiana Adventures

1. Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area, Indiana
(bird watching)
"More sandhills gather at Jasper-Pulaski in Indiana than at anywhere else east of Nebraska (32,000-plus staged here in fall 1992)." Peak: late October- early November, at dusk or dawn. Cranes are less concentrated in the spring (March-April).
Directions: From I-94 take US 421 south to IN 143 west. Headquarters and camping at the first Fish and Wildlife Area sign. Observation tower at the second sign.
Jasper Pulaski information

2. East Race Waterway, South Bend, Indiana
(whitewater)
"The downtown course comes off the St. Joseph River and has hosted regional U.S. Olympic team trials. But it's beginner friendly, with rescue staff at the ready with throw ropes to get you out of trouble. It's short and fast, normally running around 450 cfs." (June to mid-August)
Directions: exit Indiana Toll Road at South Bend (exit 77). Take Michigan St/US 33/IN 933 south. Left on Colfax across the river, then right on Niles Avenue. Park near Jefferson Ave.
East Race Information

3. Indiana Dunes , Chesterton and Porter, Indiana

(hiking)
"Retreating glaciers left a trail of contradictory plant life here; arctic bearberry grows next to prickly pear cactus, and southern dogwoods grow one dune over from northern jack pines. Sandwiched between Gary and Michigan City, interrupted by a pocket of power plants and down-on-their-luck steel mills, the state and federally protected dunescape is packed into a narrow ribbon along 14 miles of windswept beach." Recommended: Cowles Bog Trail, State Park Trails 8, 9, & 10; camping.
Directions: I-94 to US 20, Mineral Springs Rd to US 12. (State Park I-94 to IN 49, north to park.)
Indiana Dunes state park
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore



The book is available at some Michigan libraries and from Amazon or other booksellers.

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