Hurricane Ike's Damage.. Northwest Indiana gets more rain than Texas!

Hurricane Ike did more than dump water on the Texas coast.. It wrecked havoc all up and down the mid-section of this country, some places getting hit harder than others. Near Dayton, Ohio, the winds were so fierce, that trees were broken or uprooted.. wading pools sailed through the air, 'til neighborhood children caught them and held them down and the remnants of IKE were felt all the way to Iceland, the winds fierce there, also.

Gasoline prices in Tennessee and Kentucky climbed to incredible highs near $5.00 a gallon, when the scare of refiners being shut down in Texas because of the storm, drove people into gas stations to buy gas they didn't need.. filling up every tank and gas can they owned. Stations ran out of gas quickly.. The station owner we talked to was on his fourth delivery for the day and it was only mid-day. He said it would be all gone within 2 hours.. and then, he didn't know what he was going to do about prices.. Everyone around him was already at $4.29 or more.. So far, he'd been able to hold the line on his prices at $3.85.. I thanked him for doing so. Shouldn't have had to thank him for doing the "right thing".. but greed is a powerful thing.. and greed for money is far worse. And all the stations anywhere near him has already succumbed to making a quick dollar.... the "Almighty Dollar".. I can't even imagine how many fortunes were made that day.. at the expense of people who probably couldn't afford to lose any of theirs. :(

Here, in Northwest Indiana, however.. the real story was RAIN. I've never seen so much rain fall on this area.. not ever... and I've been living here almost 29 years. The exact measurement was somewhere over 11 inches.. If not for the fact that the ground was so parched from not having adequate rain the 2-1/2 weeks before the deluge, things here could have been far worse, tho things were bad enough... of this I am postive.

At Indiana Dunes State Park, on the northern-most end of Chesterton, IN, what happened was so bizzarre, it was almost unbelievable. My friend, who saw it happen, could hardly believe his eyes... Depending on how the wind blows, men using sand-moving equipment move the sand around on the beach to keep up with the flow from the water from the Creek that runs through the park and empties into Lake Michigan.. We're not sure exactly how it happened, but apparently the sand was piled wrong.. or it moved after it was piled up... and the water rushing out of the Creek started to back-flow. It back-flowed all the way to the gully on the far east side of the parking lot... and after that area was full, it started to run it's way down the side of the parking lot... back towards the Lake where it normally flows.

It was raining here so hard at the time, the rain coming down in sheets most of that while.. that it was not only running down the side of the parking lot, but started to wash away the sand at the same time.. The harder it ran, the more sand it picked up and washed away.. first from the side of the parking lot.. then UNDER the parking lot. It eventually undermined the asphalt and that collapsed, sending the water in a new direction... now running under the cement pad that runs directly over the Creek and the discharge area to the beach. Eventually, part of the cement pad had no sand left to hold it up and that also broke away, leaving only the cement barrier wall that the pad that backed up onto. If you look at the one photo, it clearly shows the drop-off where cement used to be, but is no longer..

Another photo shows where the beach USED to be.. Now, it's all water that's coming in there.. and with each wave of water, more sand is being washed out from the area that was once many-feet-deep with sand... and the parking area that continues to erode. The one photo that's taken from the beach looking up towards the eastern-most curved retaining wall for the Creek, clearly shows water now where the sand used to be, but beyond that, you can see part of the Dune has also been sliced-away, the trees at the bottom used to be on top of that dune... as did the now-dangling fence. The asphalt from the parking lot has heaved in that area, but in other areas, the gaping hole is anywhere from 10 to possibly 20 feet deep. No matter which edge of the cement or asphalt we looked at today, there is nothing under them for quite aways..

I wonder exactly how much more of the cement pad and asphalt parking lot will have to be destoyed in the effort to rebuild the damaged area.. Without a doubt, this is going to be an incredible feat to repair all the damage.. and what's visible isn't all there is... many more materials will have to be removed before they can even begin to fix the problem.. Probes will have to be driven down through the cement to see how far towards the Pavillion building (and the rest of the parking area) the erosion has traveled.. And none of it visible at all. Right now, you can't get to the Eastern side of the beach... the only access there.. is entry from the campgrounds, even though the beach at the West Lot in IDSP is still open. Many people don't even realize the West Lot exists..

This is a really heart-breaking situation for those of us who frequent the Indiana Dunes... but a true catastrophe for the already money-strapped State Park.. I do hope no one is hurt in the process of rebuilding it all, as I noticed one man couldn't resist the temptation to walk down the sand and stand on one of the slabs of upturned asphalt.. and if one man did it, many others have already and will again.. A very dangerous situation over there. :(

Summer Sundog at IDSP..

SUNDOGS... www.thefreedictionary.com/sundog ... I guess even after reading this brief explanation, I still can't relay what a sundog really is. All I know is that it's very interesting and quite beautiful.. In this photo, taken from the Indiana Dunes State Park beach area, the real sun is on the bottom.. and the "fake sun" looks to be a reflection off the clouds above.. Don't know if that's true or not, but it sounds good.. therefore, it should be right. lol Enjoy! :)

Tornado Miracles..

As we were running for shelter on the night of August 4th, 2008, I never realized that so many people's lives would be touched by the Tornadoes that evening. Our Storm Chase Team had been in the State Park campgrounds, hurrying people into shelters.. and when the wind started blowing the campfires sideways, I knew it was time for me to give up and join in the others.. in the men's bathroom of the west shelter! The next 45 minutes were spent waiting out the storm.

A little earlier, the storm had come across Grittith, Indiana.. we had gotten the tornado warnings for Lake County, IN and knew it was headed directly for Porter County. What we didn't know was that part of a city was being bitten off, chewed up and spit back out that evening. The next day, every camera and newspaper crew from every newspaper that covers that area appeared.. They were all over the place, so we were told.

Today, Thursday, 3 days after the tornado, we ventured into that area.. All the photographers and camera crews were gone.. and life had settled into the clean-up and clear-out mode for those whose homes were damaged beyond repair.

We talked with several people who had lost their homes and things, but were unbelieveably happy to be alive. They are forever changed by what they went through.. and will never look at a storm the same way again. Ever. ForEVER changed.

We saw unbelieveable sights, among them a church congregation full of loving, giving people and a pastor who quite definitely brings out the best in each one of them.. They were handing out food to the neighbhood.. water to them and everyone else going down the street.. and they had buttons made that said "I survived the EF-2 Tornado in Griffith Indiana, Aug 4, 2008. They gave those buttons to all whose lives were affected that day.. What a lovely thing to do. All of it. Some mighty nice people at Reed's Temple Church in Griffith.. I can't say enough good things about them..!! :)

Endless Sunsets.. this is one of 'em..

There is no end to the beautiful sunsets at Indiana Dunes State Park and the beach area is a wonderful place to snap them. Tonight, after sunset, it got far windier than it had been.. the white caps starting out on the Lake. Beautiful scenery and NO MOSQUITOES on a windy night like this.. Yippee! :)

Sentinels in Winter, IDSP..

Indiana Dunes State Park is a really beautiful place to visit in Winter.. ANYtime in Winter is good and anywhere in the Park is a new photo opportunity and a scene to ooh and aah about..! Seriously, the place is awesome any time of year, but winter.. with how quiet it is--the summer crowds just a distant memory--is probably my favorite time of year.. especially during or just after a new snowfall. From the grayest days to those of sunshine and sparkling snow, the scenery is always very beautiful. The photo, "Sentinels in Winter" is one that was taken for a photo competition at the Park.. then, I ended up never entering it in their contest. To this day, I know that was a mistake, tho I did get an honorable mention with another photo.. However, it's a shame for it to still be on my computer... just one of many being forgotten as time passes by... so, I went in search of it and thought I'd share it here.. Enjoy!

Smokey & Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton, IN

Smokey the Bear was a cutie pie up close.. Those chubby cheeks just make ya wanna pinch 'em, though if you ever get close enough to do that, you'll find those chubby cheeks are a bit..uh..stiff.. Still, we were smiling when we first saw him.. and smiling when he left.. He's a cute character for adults and children alike.. Always fun to run into, for sure!! Btw, he didn't say much, but he posed for the camera and waved and then, in a flash, he was walking down the path again.. on his way to visit more Park visitors.. Ah.. a brief.. and rare treat; we enjoyed it much! :)

Sunsets at Indiana Dunes State Park..

There are no two sunsets alike.. especially true at the Dunes State Park in Chesterton, Indiana, where you can watch the sun setting into Lake Michigan.. Some nights you can almost feel it sizzle as it touches water! Each night of the year, the sun sets in a slightly different place, making each sunset a unique experience. If you're close enough to visit the Park, you can start with a sunrise (just as beautiful as sunset), stay to enjoy the park and beach all day and behold a sunset over the water before you head home. It's definitely worth the entrance fee.. $5 in state, $10 out-of-state vehicles.. If you want to come back more often (we visit almost every day and some days, we visit twice or more..) there are season passes for $36 in-state, $48 out-of-state.. If you're traveling this way, stop in.. They have a really nice improved campground here, but I strongly recommend advance reservations, or you'll probably be disappointed, as the place is a very popular destination!! Nature puts on such a beautiful show all year 'round at this end of Lake Michigan.. We never get tired of visiting this beautiful place.. :) http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/6711.htm
.
.
.
.
And RAINBOWS.. This one over the east side of Chesterton, Indiana.. Lovely things, rainbows.. and this one was quite spectacular after the rain and just as night was falling..
If there was a pot of gold at the end of this one, I didn't see it... but the rainbow itself was worth plenty! :)
.
.
.
.
And BOATERS.. This one passing by just as the sun was setting west of Chicago.. I think that one of the buildings that were outlined on this photo was the John Hancock Building, but wouldn't swear to it.. All I know is that it was a spectacular sunet.. and from what I'm told, a very rare sight. :)
.
.
.
.