Land Acknowledgement: This is the land of the Peoria and Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi) people. They were stewards of this land from time immemorial. Click the links above to learn more about these native people.

After leaving Chicago, we made our way to the Indiana Dunes State Park on our way to visit our dear friends, the Austens in Benton Harbor, MI. This was a very different National Park, very beachy and right on Lake Michigan. We took a hike and enjoyed the views, the kids got their badges and then we stopped at a farm and homestead trading post (all part of the National Park) on the way out. Overall, it was a quick but fun stop at a smaller National Park.

We had planned on being at the Austens at 6:00, but we totally forgot about the time zone change, so we didn't get in until 7:00. We had already decided to have a later dinner (since the Austen kiddos had soccer), so it actually all worked out in the end!

It was so lovely to see friends again! We enjoyed delicious Detroit-style pizza while the kids got to get to know each other and we got to catch up with Sean and Julia. With all the chatting and enjoying each other's company, we didn't make it to bet until almost midnight!

The next day was Friday and we enjoyed some tasty pastries and coffee from a local bakery and coffee shop. Kyle had some work to finish, so he worked on that and the kids and I got ready to go to a class Julia had set up at a nature preserve. We had a lovely drive out and got there only to discover that the class was cancelled due to the teacher being ill. The preserve had some fun animals so we checked those out and then decided to head back to their house to check out the beach. Their house is right on a bluff above Lake Michigan with gorgeous views. They have beach access through their neighbors property, so we went for a nice walk along the beach and found cool rocks and "Indian Beads" which are actually a fossilized stem segment of a columnal crinoid. Kyle and Sean who had gone out to lunch, joined us a little later. It was fun and the kids loved playing on the beach with friends.

After our walk, Julia and I decided to hit up a favorite produce stand fro some fresh aplles and other fruit while the kids played and Kyle rested :)