I’ve been at my parents’ house since Thursday…a longish visit these days. Besides getting some quality time with family, this time around we’ve been able to be “tourists” and see a slice of Northwest Indiana/Southeastern Michigan that we drive through but never see.
Friday night, we went to Redamak’s and bit into a legend. How good are the burgers? So good that MAM ate her entire cheeseburger, with not prodding from me. That never happens. We also took a long walk around the New Buffalo beach and got our toes wet.
Saturday morning, we visited Ragtops, a small car museum. Car enthusiasts would probably be in awe. As it was, it was fun to walk around, and amazing to see how big some of these cars were (and how so many were lacking in seat belts!)
Saturday afternoon, we visited (and climbed) Mount Baldy, part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It’s gorgeous, clean and so-not crowded. The only downside is that from the water, the bathrooms are basically a 10 minute hike away. Our friends and family all had a ball there–and BgK and I are trying to figure out when, exactly, we can make it back. It’s a three hour drive from home, but so incredibly worth it.
Monday morning, we went to the Washington Park Zoo. All of the above pictures were taken there, at their River Otter exhibit (with a tunnel, so you can crawl under where the otters are swimming, and at the playground, where you can slide like river otter…) For a small zoo, they have an amazing collection of animals, and the exhibits are set up so that even a four year old can see most of them without having to be held up. You are really up close to the animals, which both kids loved. Also, there were no vendors hawking face painting, tattoos, hair braids or anything else as you walked through the zoo. There were no “extra” tickets to purchase, no trains or 3-D movies or carousels to distract from seeing the animals. For young kids, a total gem of a place.
Today we arrived home, and have a few days of normal….then it’s on to the next (and sadly, last) summertime adventure!
(we also celebrated birthdays…but that’s in a post yet to be written)