November Sunrise

Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area

After Leaving Shades State Park,

we stopped at nearby Raccoon Lake.

The lake was gorgeous in its fall splendor and being the 2nd of November, 

we mostly had the park to ourselves.

(That's our camper in the parking lot)

What a beautiful spot for a picnic!

We'll be back next year, for sure!

Shades Stae Park

Its the start of November and the weather is mild and the leaves are gorgeous.

Time for a camping trip.

 The weather was unseasonably warm, but we still had a campfire.

 We camped at Shades State Park which has some cool trails.

 Lots of ups & downs.

 Rugged canyons with steep walls & boulders.

And waterfalls.
 We're loving this warn Autumn..

Happy Halloween!

Continuing our annual tradition of dressing up the horses

here's Rocky & Apollo!

 Rocky

Apollo

 Stop looking at my nose!

Puffball Mushrooms

 Giant puffballs are popping up in the woods.

 

If you see a soccer ball sized white round mushroom,

you've found a puffball!

Sandhill Cranes Migration

Not far from Indiana Dunes is the Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area.

We stopped there on our way home to see if the cranes were back.

  This state property is a stopover for sandhill cranes on their migrations route.

 Luckily, a few had gathered in the fields and we got to see them.

Over the course of the next few months, thousands of cranes will stop on their way south.

Expect lots of company buddy!

Indiana Dunes State Park

We're off with the grandkids to the Indiana Dunes.

Sand dunes reach to the sky.

And runing down after climbing to the top is great fun.

There are hikes, including the 3 dune challange, which scales the 3 tallest dunes.

 The beach along Lake Michigan is serene.

And dogs are allowed!

 What a fun place!