Mid August 2022

Downtown Chicago has very limited options for camping, so we chose to stay at a Harvest Host location just west of town. The VFW in Wheaton turned out to be a great place to stay. I’d never been inside a VFW post; in fact didn’t know much about them.

Post #2164 is one of America’s oldest posts. It was started by WWI veterans in the 1930s. We were greeted by John, who handled our registration and helped us get settled into our campsite. We spent the next couple of hours chatting with John, who was also the bartender, and I learned a lot about the activities of the post and how the VFW serves our combat veterans and the community.

We met a number of veterans, including a woman who had been a truck driver in Afghanistan, and learned about their experiences. For me personally, this was an eye-opening, very meaningful experience.

Oak Park, IL

The next day, we went to Oak Park to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio. This is the studio where Wright’s “Prairie Style,” really took shape.

The house and studio feature design elements that became hallmarks of Wright’s style: a strong influence of low horizontality, stained glass lighting panels, windows set on angles for privacy, minimalistic furniture styles, and the technique of compression and expansion, where a small space opens onto a larger one, creating an illusion that makes the large space seem even larger. It’s remarkable that Wright was only in his early 20s when he built this home.

We also took the walking tour of the neighborhood, where you could clearly see the marked contrast of Wright’s style in comparison to the traditional Victorian homes of the period.

Indiana Dunes National Park

From Chicago, we drove east to Indiana Dunes National Park on Lake Michigan. Established in 2019, this is a relatively new National Park. We camped at Dunewood, within the park.

This park is biologically very diverse. John and I hiked the Cowles Bog Trail, and saw lots of plants that were new to us.

We also walked along the shore of the lake, where locals come to swim and escape the city heat.

One afternoon, we made our way to the Michigan City marina, where the yacht club was bustling. A large number of Michiganders choose to boat on Lake Michigan, and go no further for their vacations. We stopped in the Bartlett’s Fish Camp and enjoyed a dockside Happy Hour of beverages and shrimp ceviche. Very nice!

Beverley Shores

In nearby Beverley Shores, we got a glimpse of some of the houses designed for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

The Century of Progress homes each had some sort of outstanding architectural feature that made them unique and futuristic.

For example, the Armco-Ferro house is a frameless steel house with a sheathing of vitreous enamel. It appears to change color, depending on the light and angle of view.

After the World’s Fair, developer Robert Bartlett bought a dozen of the Fair buildings, including these homes. Bartlett had hoped that these high-profile homes would attract buyers for his newly developed resort town of Beverley Shores.

The houses were moved to the lakefront in Beverley Shores by barge and truck. The National Park Service manages the properties and has leasing arrangements with the Indiana State Park. Several of the homes have been restored by private individuals, in exchange for longterm leases.

Today, these homes are on the National Register of Historic Homes and the nearby Beverley Shores lakefront homes are indeed quite pricey. Visitors can only go inside the historic homes once a year on a ranger-led tour. A few homes are still in the restoration process. The homes are still intriguing, even if only seen from the outside.

The bright pink house was designed to entice World’s Fair visitors to consider owning a home in up-and-coming Florida.

For those of us who have seen a lot of modernism – including George and Jane Jetson’s space port – it’s hard to imagine that suggesting modern amenities, like central air conditioning which would soon be in many homes, was outlandish in 1933.

Wauseon, Ohio

We stopped at a Harvest Host location in Wauseon, because it looked and sounded interesting.

Chateau Tebeau has recently changed hands and its new owners are excited to make a successful go at running a winery. Bill and Michelle made us feel welcome from our arrival throughout our stay. Even though it was a busy Saturday night, they found time to chat with us.

We sampled some sangria, which we enjoyed with mushroom flatbreads.

Our parking spot was tucked near the vineyard, out of the way of their weekend traffic.

The winery is charming, with lots of spots for folks to sit to enjoy wine and food, along with the patio, sweet garden, waterfall, and pond.

The night we were there, they were offering a barbecue dinner, and there was live music – Kevin VanSickle and the Pure Country Band. People were actually dancing! It’s been a while since we’ve seen that.

The whole experience had such a warm vibe. Bill and Michelle are lovely people. We know this chapter of their lives will be a great success!

Toledo and Maumee Bay State Park

We stayed at Maumee Bay State Park last year, and it was one of our favorite places. So, we decided to visit again, and stay a bit longer this time. The campground is located just outside of Toledo, and there are lots of things to do nearby.

The beach, on the shores of Lake Erie, is an easy bike ride from the campground. The campgrounds are very well-maintained. The volunteers are super.

This is one of the few state parks we’ve visited that has activities for adults and kids.

There’s a nature trail and lots of mown paths for walking.

We just love it here. Our sunset ride to the beach became an evening ritual.

Toledo is half an hour away by car. We paid a return visit to the Toldeo Botanical Garden, which we enjoyed last year. Great gardens, lovely sculpture, engaging arts resident housing.

Toledo also has an extensive metro-parks system, with trails and opportunities for outdoor activities. While we were here, we hiked the Pearson Park trail, as well as visiting the botanical gardens.

When we visitied the gardens, we saw a poster for a Jazz in the Gardens event. So, we came back and had a nice evening in the gardens, enjoying the late afteroon light while listening to jazz by the Justin Quick Trio.

Northwest Ohio has the 419 Ale Trail, and we visited the Patron Saints Brewery on our way home from the jazz concert.

The whole package – enjoying the park, biking to the beach, and finding fun things to do in Toledo- was terrific.

We got to chatting with two volunteers – Betty and Darryl- in the laundry room. They encouraged us to consider volunteer hosting at Maumee. We talked about it later that day, and submitted our applications for 2023 on our way down the road. Not sure if we’ll be needed or called, but it seems like a lovely place to volunteer with good folks. We’ll see.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week here (especially Donut Day Saturday and the Ice Cream Social…) we hope to return in 2023.

Next up: moving further along, east to Erle.

Just for fun

Spotted on our way to Toledo – Sterlena the beloved bovine on her way to the Fulton County Fair in Wauseon. She’s the cow that inspired a successful dairy cooperative.

Learn more about Sterlena by clicking here