2352. Conquer the Three Dune Challenge at Indian Dunes State Park

 Heather wanted to go to Pullman National Monument to get her stamp and I wanted to go to Indiana Dunes National Park. I figured the hubby would not want to hike or see the dunes because he doesn't like hiking or sand. He said he would like to check it out but I figured Heather and I would get to do some hiking instead of just whatever minimal sightseeing the hubby would insist on. Since it was only 30 minutes or so from Pullman to Indiana Dunes, Heather was game since she didn't get to see much of the park when she was there with the family.

Indiana Dunes National Park spans the northern coast of Indiana along Lake Michigan from Gary to Chesterton. The main visitor center is in Porter with a Nature Center in Gary. The hubby didn't want me to go to Indiana Dunes because we'd have to go to Gary. Then I had to educate him about the size of the park and told him we were going to Porter. 

New this year, Indiana Dunes National Park started enforcing an entrance fee -- $25/car for 7 days. Since I have the National Park pass this year, we had no fee which is another reason I wanted to go. You may your fee or show your pass at the Visitor Center. Also in the visitor center is the movie which we did not watch, the gift shop, passport stamp, and very informative rangers about what to hike.

After showing our pass and getting our stamps, Heather and I looked at the map and tried to decided where we wanted to explore. We kept coming back to the 3 Dune Challenge. The 3 Dune challenge is in Indiana Dunes State Park and would require a separate fee. I looked at it before we left and kind of wanted to do it. I said if you wanted to do it, I'll pay the fee. After getting some guidance from a ranger, we headed over to the state park.

The State Park is on the same road as the visitor center about a mile or so further. After paying our daily fee of $12, I directed us to the start of the trail which was at the nature center. 

The Three Dune Challenge is exactly that. You climb the three highest dunes in the area -- Mt Jackson, Mt Holden, and Mt Tom. It is a 1.5 mile loop. The trail is clearly marked which makes getting lost pretty hard to do.

We started out and there is a small dune that isn't even marked. I laid down. I thought it was Mt. Jackson. Oh no. It was just a small hill. 

We got to Mt. Jackson and it was a 176 foot climb in the sun on sand. I wore hiking sandals thinking I won't get sand in my shoes. Yeah but I had hot sand and sticks on the bottom of my feet. Not a wise move. The climb wasn't too bad. The hot sand made it worse than it really was. 

Then we came to Mt. Holden. O.M.G. I thought I was going to die. Mt. Holden is 184 feet in elevation at 38% grade. That's almost half a right angle. That's steep. The only saving grace was it was in the shade for the most part. There was also spots to stop and rest and catch my breath. I'll be honest, I didn't think I was making it to the top. It was that tough. Made I made it. 

Unlike Mt. Jackson, there were no benches to sit on at the top of Mt.. Holden so I found a shady spot on the sandy and rested. There was a path to the beach but what you climb down you must climb up. So we opted not to. 

We continue on way to the last dune, the tallest dune Mt. Tom. We come down the hill and Mt. Tom shows us his hand.. or more like a glorious stair case. Yup to get to the top of Mt. Tom you can climb a set of stairs. No near vertical climb for us. 

The stairs were easy compared to Mt. Holden and then you were greeted with views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago Skyline. 

To get back to the visitor center, it was more stairs, a walk through the campground and a short hike. Easy-peasy.

We did it. We conquered the Three Dune Challenge and lived to tell the tale. We also got a sticker and a bought the shirt. Now I can truly say, been there, done that, got the shirt.

If you are ever at Indiana Dunes National Park or northern Indiana in general, go do the Three Dunes Challenge. Just wear good shoes, take water (my saving grace), take your time, and go early. We did it mid afternoon and it wasn't too bad but it can be a scorcher especially climbing Mt. Jackson. 

Now maybe one day, I can go back and explore the rest of the National Park.

98. Go to Pullman, IL

I am not sure where I first learned about Pullman but ever since I learned about it, I wanted to visit. Pullman, IL was a company town founded for the workers making Pullman train cars. It is located on the south side of Chicago. I am not sure because the concept of a company fascinated me or the Pullman cars themselves fascinated me but either way I wanted to. 

The hubby is not a city slicker and tries to avoid Chicago at all costs. When Convention was in Chicago, it wasn't feasible to make it to Pullman. When Stacy and I did the first bucket list adventure 20 years ago to Chicago, I didn't think I even realized where Pullman was located. It was a made a National Monument in 2015 and Heather really wanted to go to get her stamp since it didn't work out to go when she was in the area for Nationals. Road trip!

Pullman National Monument is located on the southeast side (E 111th and Cottage Grove) about a mile or two off the Bishop Ford Freeway. Besides having to deal with construction in downtown Chicago, it is a fairly easy drive. It is about 3.5 hours from here. Doable in a day. 

Admission and parking is free. 

Our first stop was the visitor center, once we found it. GPS had us going to the old visitor center, I believe. In the visitor center, we stamped our passports and toured the small museum. 

The museum tells about the history of Pullman, the Pullman strike, and life as a worker in the Pullman community. It is very interesting and interactive.

There is a self-guided walking tour as well as a ranger led walking tour if you're lucky enough to get there when the walking tour is scheduled. We were not. Due to the time constraints, we opted to skip the walking/driving tour. Many of the buildings are private residences. The monument actually spans from 103rd to 115th streets.

We did see what was left of the erecting shops. They are not in good shape. I would have liked to see more but time just did not allow for it. What we did see was just a small piece of the history of the Pullman life. I can't image living and working there.

The hubby was a bit concerned about the area but I felt safe. The area was another reason I didn't really want to go exploring too much even if the police precinct was just down the block. I would have been much happier exploring on a ranger lead tour. Maybe next time.

We came. We saw. We stamped. That was our mission for the day -- get our passport stamp at Pullman National Monument. Mission accomplished. 

Hopefully one day I can go back and explore more but at least I can say I have been there and was able to complete my first original bucket list adventure of the year. 

One Last Mihm's Burger

When I heard that Mihm's was closing at the end of the month, I knew I needed one last Mihm's burger. The hubby likes Mihm's but is too busy this time of the year to indulge. So instead Rosie and Tara joined me.

Mihm's Charcoal Grill in Menasha is a hole in the wall burger joint that has been around since the 1950s. They serve true butter burgers a slab of real butter on top of the butter. The owners decided to retire and no one has bought the place.. yet. So as of June 25th, they will close their doors forever. And gosh darn it, I was going to get one last burger.

Rosie beat Tara and I there and secured our name on the wait list. Since they are crazy busy and have a teeny tiny dining area and no place to wait, you give them your name, go wait outside, and they will call your phone when either your food is done (to go orders) or your table is ready. We lucked out. It was only a 5-10 minute wait for counter seats. I feared the worse on a Friday night after a coworker had a 30 minute wait during lunch the week prior.

Mihms has no menus. You order off the sign above the grill. I had a cheeseburger, cheese curds, and a milkshake. I even got the hubby a burger to go. 

The wait for our food was about 40 minutes. While we caught up, I also watched the small, dedicated staff do it all. It was about 4-5 person operation. If you are seated at the counter you can watch them cook your food as well. No hidden kitchen in this place. 

The food was as good as I remembered. I thoroughly enjoyed my last Mihm's burger. 

I will be sad to see them go. Well me and a whole lot of other people. Hopefully someone will buy it and re-open it. Until that happens we will all have to reminisce about our Mihms burger. Maybe it will become stuff of legions and lore. Hopefully not. 

Music on the Plaza

 Neenah's new Plaza is a summer gathering place. They are planning on have music and events all summer long. I decided I want to try Globe Coffee and check out the plaza. Every Sunday they are having concerts and the first one was going to be Listening Party. Who? I have no clue but the weather was nice and I was decided to go check them out.

We got there shortly after 11 which is when the music started. Danielle and I went to grab drinks from Globe Coffee from the outside window. Bad idea. It took forever to get waited on and there were only a few people in front of us. Then it took like 30 minutes to get our drinks. Finally someone said mine was inside. Lesson 1 learned: Order inside which I didn't even know was a thing.

I ordered an Italian cream soda but they forgot the cream. I don't think I was charged for it so no big deal. I am excited they have Italian Cream Sodas and Italian Sodas. Danielle had a Chai Latte.

Danielle snagged us some seats at one of the fire pit. We were in the back but that was great for people watching. Lesson 2 learned: Bring your own chair just in case. There is a lot of space but not a lot of seating. 

The music was good. I couldn't tell you what they sang but it wasn't too loud and was enjoyable. We spent about an hour downtown listening to music and people watching. The music went from 11-2. 

I would love to get back to another concert or two yet this summer. We shall see how the summer goes. I hear there are movies once a month on a Friday night. I might need to check that out. I also spied a pickle ball court. Hmmm. might need to check that out too. So much to do and so little time. 

6860. Make mojitos

 Danielle and I thought about doing mojitos for our day of dead party in October. It's kind of hard to make mojitos without rum. A few weeks ago, I got the brilliant idea of doing a summer kick of happy hour and having mojitos. Danielle readily agreed and we decided appetizers and mojitos on the Friday before Labor Day.

After a few Pinterest searches and conversations with people, I opted to make raspberry mojitos. I prepared the simple syrup before I left so all we had to do was add the other ingredients when I got to Danielle's.

How to Make Mojitos.. or attempt to at least

  1. Muddle frozen raspberries, mint leaves, and lime juice together. Okay so I didn't have a muddler so we used a spoon. Works the same. We didn't have enough mint leaves so we tore them..

2. Add tonic, rum, and simple syrup. Mix. If using a pitcher make sure you put the lid on so you can filter out the mint leaves or use a straw.

The mojitos were good but just need to use a straw or a strain out the mint leaves. They look pretty but don't taste real good.

Besides mojitos, Janis brought a crostini bar which was amazing. She brought 4 different types of dips/spreads along with veggies, cheese, and sauces to put on the toast. Using the bean dip, apple sauce, and pistachios, you could get a crostini that tasted like apple pie. Now I don't care for bean dip or pistachios but that was a great combination.

I made Cuban Sandwich wanna-bes on a stick. Instead of using ham, I used chicken to accommodate dietary needs and either gouda or cheddar jack instead of Swiss since we aren't big swiss fans. They went over very well. 

It was a very low key relaxing evening after a busy couple of weeks for everyone. It was a gorgeous evening to sit outside and catch up with a tasty drink and yummy niblets. I have a feeling this will become an annual thing. Now just to perfect that mojito recipe.

Book Signing: Ben Lancour

 I love meeting authors. Okay, I prefer to hide in the back and not actually talk to them when they sign my book but whatever. I've seen and met R.L. Stine, Debbie Macomber, Christina Baker Klein, Patricia Polacco, Mary Kubica, and many local authors. Usually it is at an schedule author event through a book festival, library, or bookstore. I never expected to meet one at a baseball game.

As Heather and I walked into the T-Rats game, there was an author with his book. Ben Lacour, a gym teacher in Green Bay, was promoting his book Henry and the Gym Monster. A bit unusual but not completely odd. Gym class and baseball both involve physical activities. It makes sense.

Henry and the Gym Monster is a picture book about Harry who doesn't listen or follow directions and blames it on an invisible monster who continues to grow with every bad choice Harry makes. Harry has to figure out how to make the monster shrink. It is an adorable picture book about making the right choice.

I did not buy the book but Heather did. I read it though. Ben Lancour explained the book and why he wanted to write a gym class book to us. He also signed Heather's book.  

The ballpark is not where I would expect to find an author but I'm glad I had the opportunity to discover this book. You never know where you are going to find a new author or book. 

Random Roadside Attraction -- The Hula Hoop Tree

 On our way to SoLu Winery, Stacy and I passed this tree. It had hoops hanging from the branches. I told Stacy I needed to go back and get a picture of that tree. It was too random not to. 

After we enjoyed the winery, Stacy drove back down County Road F towards Hwy 28. I spotted the tree and Stacy turned around so I could get out and get a picture of the tree. Since I'm directionally challenged, the tree is on the right hand side of Hwy F as you head towards the winery from Hwy 28.

There is no parking or anything. We just pulled off to the side of the road. I hopped out of the car and snapped a few pictures. 

I personally liked the random hula hoop crossing sign. I didn't think of trying to hula hoop. The road was busy and I didn't want Stacy waiting too long on the side of the road. Besides who would take a picture of me.

This Hula Hoop Tree doesn't even make the list of Roadside Attractions in Wisconsin on Roadside America otherwise it would probably have been on the bucket list.

I love finding random roadside attractions. This has to be a new favorite. Who knows what I will find on my next adventure.