Michigan City, Indiana

Today we mostly lazed around in the hotel and did laundry, got our stuff repacked, etc., but we did take a little time in the evening to drive into the downtown area and see the lake. We went to Washington Park, which is really quite a nice place, though is somewhat ruined by the looming cooling tower of the power plant right next to it. Lame! Why do we do that? Stupid humans...
Anyway, the park boasts a maritime museum, a green with a band gazebo and an amphitheatre, park, picnic area, marina, and of course the beach. It's weird to be on a beach with a lighthouse, water with no opposite shore, sandy beaches, seagulls, and even a lifeguard tower - but know it's not the ocean, it's a lake. A Great Lake, to be sure!
The water was a beautiful blue (though I'm a little suspicious that could be related to the power plant's off put). We walked the beach, let Orion splash in the shallows, and walked out to the lighthouse. It's really beautiful out there. I could almost see myself living here and being happy, but I think in the end I'd miss the salt.
We saw a momma duck with six babies, which really pleased Orion! So cute... It also made us curious about the wild life around here - six ducklings is a lot for one momma duck, but they all seemed to be doing good. What sort of predators would they need to worry about here? I don't know... Food for thought.
We ended the night with a little date at a nice, small family-owned restaurant called the Sahara. Russell had lambchops and I had a Fattouch salad. We also started the meal with feta-stuffed dates in a pomegranate induction. It was fabulous! Orion chowed down on my salad, too. He's funny - he'll eat almost anything I do, but he didn't like those dates a bit! I really loved the art on the wall by our table; it was a big peacock painting with three smaller complimentary pieces. If we had had the money to buy them and a home to put them in, I would have done it in a second! At least I got a photo of the big painting...
Now we're chilling, finishing up a few things before we get up and head out for Des Moines tomorrow. We're staying at another hotel; not surprisingly, there weren't any couch surfers there and the camping didn't look that great, either. However, the next stop after that should allow for some good camping, and if we like what we see we may stay a few nights in Nebraska!