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> Things everyone must do in Michigan City, We're WAY past 10
JHeath
post Apr 27 2008, 11:52 AM
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QUOTE(Michelle @ Apr 26 2008, 11:46 PM) *

I know I'm late to the game, but as a newbie to town, I appreciate the advice on what to add to the to-do list. Does anyone have any additional suggestions for someone unfamiliar with the area?
And thanks for the props for the library! I'm a librarian there, and it's always nice to hear or read good reports about it. Although I'm not sure what to think about the suggestion of its imminent demise.
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Welcome, Michelle!
Check out the other threads in "City Living". You'll find plenty of good restaurants and other things to do.

Depending on your hobbies, there is plenty to do around here. If there's something more specific you're seeking, just ask. We're a pretty friendly group. biggrin.gif

This post has been edited by JHeath: Apr 27 2008, 11:54 AM
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Southsider2k12
post Apr 28 2008, 06:12 AM
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QUOTE(Michelle @ Apr 26 2008, 11:46 PM) *

I know I'm late to the game, but as a newbie to town, I appreciate the advice on what to add to the to-do list. Does anyone have any additional suggestions for someone unfamiliar with the area?
And thanks for the props for the library! I'm a librarian there, and it's always nice to hear or read good reports about it. Although I'm not sure what to think about the suggestion of its imminent demise.
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Ang
post Apr 28 2008, 09:00 AM
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Welcome Michelle!!

If you're new in town, wait till summer!!! There is so much to there in the summer.


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Michelle
post May 3 2008, 10:02 AM
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Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm looking forward to MC in the summertime, particularly these festivals I've heard so much about.

My question was partially a cover to find a way to introduce myself, but I'm interested in trying almost anything that's free. Moving expenses + economic downturn = precarious finances.

There doesn't seem to be much of a card culture here, apart from the boat. I love playing cards (poker, spades, cribbage, euchre) but haven't found an outlet for that yet. That will probably solve itself as I meet more people. But if there's a hotbed of cardplaying that I haven't found yet, please let me know.
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Southsider2k12
post May 10 2008, 02:33 PM
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#14 take in the Lubeznik Art Center. A community of our size is really lucky to have a place like that.
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Marram
post May 11 2008, 01:44 PM
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For the fit, if you dare:

#15 Take a bike ride (or run) from Washington Park down to the eastern end of Lakeshore Drive. It's a gorgeous eleven mile journey. The lake on one side and elegant homes all around.

#16 Hike through Moon Valley. Before I describe it, how many of you out there even know it exists?

#17 A shorter hike around Winding Cove Park. It is a new city park located on 8th Street at the intersection of Dickson (about 1/3 mile from Liberty Trail and Memorial Park). You can stand on old Peanut Bridge overlooking Trail Creek and then take the little side trail to another more secluded Trail Creek overlook where I've seen Blue Herons, deer, and, I think, otter.

#18 Run in either the Samaritan Skeedaddle (you just missed it), the Tower Run, or one of the other local runs/bike races. There will even be a triathlon come this September 6th and 7th.


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Roger Kaputnik
post May 12 2008, 07:39 AM
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A big Hear, Hear to number 17. Number 16--huh??


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Southsider2k12
post May 12 2008, 07:41 AM
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QUOTE(Roger Kaputnik @ May 12 2008, 08:39 AM) *

A big Hear, Hear to number 17. Number 16--huh??


I am going to take a guess at it, I think it might be more commonly known as Hungry Hallow or Canada Park depending on who you talk to.
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Roger Kaputnik
post May 12 2008, 11:48 AM
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I know where Canada is, but frankly, to have visited there when I was a kid meant risking getting beat up.


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Marram
post May 17 2008, 11:37 AM
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QUOTE(Roger Kaputnik @ May 12 2008, 08:39 AM) *

A big Hear, Hear to number 17. Number 16--huh??


# 17 -- Moon Valley

Now that all of you have been on the edge of your collective seat for six days, I'll let you in on the Moon Valley secret.

Moon Valley is a "Nature Conservancy" located between the boundaries of:
- Lakeshore Drive to the north
- Karwick Road (Hacienda) to the east
- Highway 12 to the south
- and Beachwalk (the housing development at about stop 9) to the west.

A map of the area can be found at the site below. Zoom out once or twice and scroll to the right (east). The big blank spot with a small lake and pond is Moon Valley:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1...=1&ct=image

It is a hidden treasure with several diverse ecosystems within its one hundred or so acres, including large dunes, a flat open prarie, two intradunal ponds/marshes, and a healthy deciduous forrest. It is a long thin strip of land (about a mile and half by a quarter of a mile), with a couple of good hiking trails that are perfect for a thirty minute run or hour-long hike, and it is very accessible. You can park and enter this little piece of wilderness through Beachwalk, from Lakeshore Drive, or from Hacienda (just across Karwick). From the top of one of the dunes, you can look down on a panaramic view that include Lake Michigan and all of our fair city (all the way out to the Valpo morain).

Moon Valley was selected as the site for two geo caches (a new sport using GPS systems to find hidden "treasures") by one of the popular websites because of its uniqueness and rugged beauty. Throughout the last two years, I have taken about 200 hikes in the area, and seen perhaps twenty other people. Without any real protection, the area is remarkably well preserved, although there are a few four wheelers who apparently use and abuse it: I've seen and heard them maybe three times in the last two years.

If you are looking for a quick, exciting hike within ten minutes driving distance of just about anywhere in MC, I highly recommend this Natural Preserve. In my opinion, it compares favorably to the local State and National Parks, and that comes from a person who visits them weekly as well. And, if you park on the east side of the preserve, you can count on a margarita or a beer and/or a black bean wet burrito awaiting you after some good excercise.

In fact, I'm heading out there right now.


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Roger Kaputnik
post May 19 2008, 08:40 AM
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See you there! I will be the middle-aged (yes, I can admit it!) guy running the trails. Thanks for the info--I promise not to tell anyone!


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Southsider2k12
post May 21 2008, 09:36 AM
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QUOTE(Teach @ May 17 2008, 12:37 PM) *

# 17 -- Moon Valley

Now that all of you have been on the edge of your collective seat for six days, I'll let you in on the Moon Valley secret.

Moon Valley is a "Nature Conservancy" located between the boundaries of:
- Lakeshore Drive to the north
- Karwick Road (Hacienda) to the east
- Highway 12 to the south
- and Beachwalk (the housing development at about stop 9) to the west.

A map of the area can be found at the site below. Zoom out once or twice and scroll to the right (east). The big blank spot with a small lake and pond is Moon Valley:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1...=1&ct=image

It is a hidden treasure with several diverse ecosystems within its one hundred or so acres, including large dunes, a flat open prarie, two intradunal ponds/marshes, and a healthy deciduous forrest. It is a long thin strip of land (about a mile and half by a quarter of a mile), with a couple of good hiking trails that are perfect for a thirty minute run or hour-long hike, and it is very accessible. You can park and enter this little piece of wilderness through Beachwalk, from Lakeshore Drive, or from Hacienda (just across Karwick). From the top of one of the dunes, you can look down on a panaramic view that include Lake Michigan and all of our fair city (all the way out to the Valpo morain).

Moon Valley was selected as the site for two geo caches (a new sport using GPS systems to find hidden "treasures") by one of the popular websites because of its uniqueness and rugged beauty. Throughout the last two years, I have taken about 200 hikes in the area, and seen perhaps twenty other people. Without any real protection, the area is remarkably well preserved, although there are a few four wheelers who apparently use and abuse it: I've seen and heard them maybe three times in the last two years.

If you are looking for a quick, exciting hike within ten minutes driving distance of just about anywhere in MC, I highly recommend this Natural Preserve. In my opinion, it compares favorably to the local State and National Parks, and that comes from a person who visits them weekly as well. And, if you park on the east side of the preserve, you can count on a margarita or a beer and/or a black bean wet burrito awaiting you after some good excercise.

In fact, I'm heading out there right now.



Wow, you are right, I had no idea. That might be a walk with the kids kind of thing.
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Roger Kaputnik
post May 21 2008, 11:27 AM
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I am about a 9½-minute mile runner. Can we park in the Hacienda lot to go on the Trail?




By the way, for all maps, etc., of Indiana, I recommend the Indiana Map site. This is the link to the Moon Valley area:

http://129.79.145.5/arcims/igic/viewer.htm



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Marram
post May 21 2008, 08:21 PM
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SSider - it is a great walk and I go with my daughter all the time. Be careful of ticks this time of year. Check your shoes and pants every five minutes, and do a more thorough check when you're done.

Roger - I have never had a problem parking at Hacienda. The entrance to the "Long Beach Nature Preserve" is right across the street from the restaurant exit, right next to a sign with the rules for the Preserve. I have also parked on Lakeshore Drive at the Beachwalk boardwalk public parking space and at Mullen school, but getting to the paths from there is a little more difficult to explain.

BTW, I tried the map you provided the URL for, but it did not go straight to the Moon Valley location. You had to zoom down from an Indiana map.

Please let me know if any of you try it.


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edgeywood
post May 22 2008, 02:07 PM
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QUOTE(Teach @ May 21 2008, 09:21 PM) *


Please let me know if any of you try it.



Thanks, Teach!

We went Tuesday and parked at Hacienda. It was an excellent walk!
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Marram
post May 22 2008, 08:29 PM
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QUOTE(edgeywood @ May 22 2008, 03:07 PM) *

Thanks, Teach!

We went Tuesday and parked at Hacienda. It was an excellent walk!


Great. Who is "we" (family?), and did you make it all the way to Beachwalk?


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"The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Oglethorpe University Commencement Address (22 May 1932)
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edgeywood
post May 23 2008, 05:58 PM
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QUOTE(Teach @ May 22 2008, 09:29 PM) *

Great. Who is "we" (family?), and did you make it all the way to Beachwalk?


Myself and my husband...yes, we walked all the way to Beachwalk. The ponds are full of tadpoles and the lupine is blooming!
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Marram
post May 24 2008, 12:46 PM
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QUOTE(edgeywood @ May 23 2008, 06:58 PM) *

Myself and my husband...yes, we walked all the way to Beachwalk. The ponds are full of tadpoles and the lupine is blooming!


YES. Lupinus perennis L. is in bloom, but I have yet to see the famous endangered Lycaeides melissa samuelis (Karner Blue Butterfly) that depends on it for food.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin

USDA Lupin Page

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My daughter and I are going to check it out right now.


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Roger Kaputnik
post May 27 2008, 06:43 PM
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Well, I finally got to The Valley! I parked by Al's and started the run there, continuing north on Karwick Rd. I looked for the trailhead across from the drive to Hacienda, but did not see it. I continued on Chastleton and found the path across from the other drive into Hacienda. I thought to myself that a pair of pruners would have come in handy, but since Moon Valley is a conserved area, it will be left as is. Went past the swamp, got to the sandy trails. I was surprised by how many trails there are.

I veered leftward, which I figure is the southern edge of the Valley. I did not see anyone until I got to Lake Kai next to Beachwalk. A couple plus a hound. I ran on the streets around Kai, returning to the sandy paths by the basketball court. I did not go up the dunes to the left. I returned essentially the way I came out, the total run lasting about 50 minutes.

I thought I would have sore ankles, but I actually felt pretty good. Thirsty. I think I got one chigger just south of my right knee. A little judicious scraping with a sharp knife has taken care of that. I did not meet up with a lot of wildlife, mainly squirrels. I saw a number of places I would put a deer stand. On the return trip, I closed my mouth quickly to avoid a flying insect; unfortunately, I inhaled with enough force to pull it into my nose. That was bad enough, but worse was being able to feel it on the nasal side of the soft palate! That one eventually got swallowed, along with another to keep it company. I was just about ready to find a spider to swallow.

Here is a hint about running in sand: Run tiptoe.


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Marram
post May 27 2008, 09:16 PM
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QUOTE(Roger Kaputnik @ May 27 2008, 07:43 PM) *

Well, I finally got to The Valley! I parked by Al's and started the run there, continuing north on Karwick Rd. I looked for the trailhead across from the drive to Hacienda, but did not see it. I continued on Chastleton and found the path across from the other drive into Hacienda. I thought to myself that a pair of pruners would have come in handy, but since Moon Valley is a conserved area, it will be left as is. Went past the swamp, got to the sandy trails. I was surprised by how many trails there are.

I veered leftward, which I figure is the southern edge of the Valley. I did not see anyone until I got to Lake Kai next to Beachwalk. A couple plus a hound. I ran on the streets around Kai, returning to the sandy paths by the basketball court. I did not go up the dunes to the left. I returned essentially the way I came out, the total run lasting about 50 minutes.

I thought I would have sore ankles, but I actually felt pretty good. Thirsty. I think I got one chigger just south of my right knee. A little judicious scraping with a sharp knife has taken care of that. I did not meet up with a lot of wildlife, mainly squirrels. I saw a number of places I would put a deer stand. On the return trip, I closed my mouth quickly to avoid a flying insect; unfortunately, I inhaled with enough force to pull it into my nose. That was bad enough, but worse was being able to feel it on the nasal side of the soft palate! That one eventually got swallowed, along with another to keep it company. I was just about ready to find a spider to swallow.

Here is a hint about running in sand: Run tiptoe.


Thanks for sharing the "blow by blow." Sorry about the Chiggers: those are scary creatures. Just ask Pooh. Unfortunately, they will get worse before they get better this summer. Also, I strongly advise against either eating or inhaling both flying insects and spiders, especially while on the run. You might want to ask your family doctor about that.

You just have to run or hike up that dune sometime to enjoy the view of the month (not quite the "view of a lifetime," but getting there). And there are other paths with just as good or even better scenery. On one of those, my daughter and I encountered about five seperate bunches of blue lupin; and there is another, even more enchanting intradunal marsh to the south of the one you probably saw. That's where we saw the heron. Most of the wildlife is going to be smaller creatures -- squirrels, frogs, raccoons, a fox if you are truly lucky, a black bear or a moose if you are truly hallucinating -- and several species of birds and geese; but there are also a few deer in them there woods. Also, a veritable cornucopia of plant life.

I am really glad you had a chance to enjoy it, and I hope you give it a few more tries as the year winds on in order to appreciate the variety of wildlife juxtaposed against the changing seasons.


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