Miller Woods - Lake Trail

A short hike along the Lake Trail at Miller Woods in the Indiana Dunes Lakeshore, National Park Service, located in Gary, Indiana.

The Lake Trail starts at the Douglas Environmental Center on Lake Street and ends at the shoreline of  Lake Michigan, a round trip hike of 3.2 miles.

For more info, like the Douglas Center on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-H-Douglas-Center-for-Environmental-Education/136739166367852

Spring Migration

Spring has sprung, like or not. Watched a few hundred Sand Hill Cranes fly over Ranger's Marsh yesterday. Heading north by northwest. Lots of migratory Canada geese and ducks using the marsh, also.

Sand Hill Cranes

The Sand Hill Cranes are migrating north to their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern US.

Sand Hill Cranes over Gary, Indiana, flying north by northwest.

After watching the spring migration, I went home. While walking from the car to the house, I saw a brown comet streak through the air just outside of my fence and I hear the leaves rustling in the lot north of me.  It was a Cooper's Hawk on a dinner dive. I had heard one calling a couple days, this is the first one I've seen.

Cooper's Hawk, first this year

I put down my coffee cup and unlock and load my camera. The hawk flies up and into a tree with its lunch in its talons. Whatever it's caught has a wide tail, what could it be? No squeals, so not a rodent. I've seen them catch lots of snakes but the temperature is just above freezing, too cold for snakes.  

Cooper's Hawk and unknown prey

After another short flight deeper into the canopy of the oaks. The hawk kills its prey. I'm still waiting to see what the hawk has taken.

Would not believe it if I did not see it myself 

 The Cooper Hawk had caught a Garter Snake. In the middle of the pic above, below the large tree limb that the hawk is perched on, you can see the blueish-gray belly of the snake hanging down and curling to the left.  I am wrong again, it's not too cold for the Garter Snakes to be out and about.  Spring Has Sprung!  

The Douglas Center Revisited

Paid another visit to the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. This time I hiked the Miller Woods Trail and the woods to the east of the main parking lot on Lake Street. Maybe a mile and a half in total.

          ( Click on any image to see an Enlarged Slide Show )

Covered Foot Bridge over Lake Street, from parking to the Douglas Center.

After parking in the main lot on Lake St. you walk over to the Douglas Center via the Covered Foot Bridge.

The Douglas Center for Environmental Education entrance.

The National Park Service sign greets you and the entry doors are straight ahead of you.

Interesting facts about Northwest Indiana.

A display in the foyer of the Douglas Center lists some amazing facts about Northwest Indiana that I did not know.

Douglas Center view from Lake Street West parking.

This is where the Miller Woods Trail starts, above on the dune is the Douglas Center. I'm standing in a three car parking lot on the west side of Lake Street

Distant view of Douglas Center from the Marsh Overlook Boardwalk.

About a third of the way along the Miller Woods Trail is the Marsh Overlook Boardwalk that crosses the marsh north to south. This is the view looking east, over the marsh. The Douglas Center can be seen in the distance.

Canine tracks and blood trail in snow.

The trail was covered with snow that was a few days old. The snow was more ice than snow, loud and crunchy. Tracks of some type of canine could be seen and blood drops about every ten feet. Probably a dog walkers pooch nipped his ear on a brier thorn.

Opening in snow that lead to a small mammal  snow tunnel.

 Field mice and voles tunnel under the snow and every here and there they poke through to the surface of the snow to check out their surroundings.

Western edge of  Miller Woods Marsh.

At the far west end of the trail is the edge of the marsh. Cattails are the dominate vegetation in the marsh.

Marsh Cattails

The seed head of the cattails, thousands of seeds attached to fur-like fibers that are dispersed by the wind if disturbed.

View of Miller Woods Marsh from a high dune.

A high dune rises above the marsh. Notice how the growth of the cattails encircle the water in the middle of the marsh. If the water level continues to drop over the years, eventually the cattails will die off and the marsh will become a wet meadow.

Deer tracks in snow, big Buck.

Wasn't ready to quit, so I walked the woods on the east side of Lake Street. There I ran across these deer tracks. This deer was big, my guess would be a large buck.

Mammal tracks in snow.

More tracks in the snow. I'll have to brush up on my tracking because I have no Idea as to what these my be from. A mystery, more than likely squirrel or rabbit.

Scene in woods east of Lake Street. 

I walked an old railroad track bed from Lake St. to Grand St. A nice little dune woods and swales to the south. heading back to the Douglas Center parking lot now.

Remote Control Airplanes

I had a gas burning model airplane when I was about 12 years old,  was never able to get the thing to off the ground, but this young man had his flight plan together. He was using a grocery store parking lot as an air field for his remote control model aircraft.

Here he is preparing his aircraft for flight. The model pilot is standing next to the SUV, the other young man happens to be an actual aviator.

Prepared for flight

Bi-plane ready for ignition

In flight

After a few acrobatic tricks, time to return for refueling

A perfect three point landing

P-38 Mustang ready to go

The landing

On the ground for refueling

A model helicopter

In flight

Even flies upside down

Just a side note, the pilot gave me this bit of information. Every 2nd Saturday of the month, the Tuskegee Airmen Young Eagles of Gary, IN, host a free flight day at the Gary Airport, the event starts at about 9:00 AM. This event is open to the public and the Young Eagles are looking for new recruits to join and train to be aviators.

Early Morning Fire - Gary, Indiana

Sunday January 6th, 2013, at about 5:00 in the morning we were awakened by the sound of sirens from a Fire Truck of the Gary Indiana Fire Dept. A house across the street from mine was a fully involved infernal. The first fire company at the scene initiated an aggressive attack on the burning structure. The Engine Company flowed more than 500 gallons of water into the burning house, but the intensity of the flames and heat rendered the water almost useless.

Fire Scene in Gary, Indiana 
( Click on Any Image to See Slide Show)

The second wave of responding fire units were delay by a train and the attack pumper used all of its tank water.  

Fortunately, the residents of the home were not there. The on-scene firefighters could only watch the fire grow out of control.

Open flame vented from every opening in the building. In a matter of minutes the fire had burned through the roof.

Knowing that a water supply would soon be there, the Firefighters donned their air supply and prepared to attack  the burning structure with hand lines. 

But before the water supply was secured, the fire had consumed the rafters and the roof came crashing down. Once connected to a fire hydrant, the Gary Firefighters extinguished the fire in a matter of minutes. 

After two hours of interior overhaul with hand-lines, axes and pike poles, the secondary search was completed and all hot spots were extinguished.

The final act at the fire scene was to flood the structure with water to assure that no smoldering hot spots remained that could cause a rekindle later in the day. 

Chicago Air and Water Show, Aug 20-21, 2011

Chicago's Air and Water Show will be this weekend on the Lake Michigan Shore-Line. These P-38 Mustangs flew over head yesterday(08/18/11).

Mustangs over  Gary.

These planes will be based at the Gary-Chicago Airport in Gary.

Need more info try below:
-------------------------------------
The official tourism site of Chicago
http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/special_events/mose/chicago_air_and_water.html
--------------------------------------
Chicago Tribune's guide to the Chicago Air and Water Show
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-18/entertainment/chi-air-water-show-guide-20110818_1_air-show-gary-jet-center-chicago-air
--------------------------------------
Tunderbirds in Gary, Sneak Peak.
http://airandwater.cbslocal.com/2011/08/19/sneak-peak-thunderbirds-at-gary/#photo-2

A Short Walk Today.

July 11, 2011...

Think I'll make it a short walk today.  Limit it to a mile, early evening about 6:30 pm, a cool 94 degrees.

  
My Future is Behind Me.

Before we start we take time for a self-portrait. A reflection in a window on my truck. If you look closely you may see the inside of my truck.

My Future is Behind Me

Picture - winged Fly( Delphinia picta)

A south side view of a north bound fly. This Picture-winged Fly is sitting on my truck moving its wings as tho its sending flag signals.  

This fly is offend confused with the Med Fly but the Picture-winged Fly does not harm any fruit at any time of its life cycle. Its unusually large mouth parts can be used to ID this fly.

Feeds on Decaying Plants

Catbird

Seeing lots of Catbirds in the area. Makes a 'meow' call, sounds like a cat.  In the Mockingbird Family, It mimics all other songbird and will sing a songbird medley for minutes, if not disturbed.  Good to your earhole!. 

Catbird

Deer Fly

While walking the marsh, you may notice an insect about an inch long, zooming around your head. Chances are pretty good that  it's a Deer Fly and she's sizing you up for her blood meal.  Their bite is painful and they  are carriers of several diseases.

Deer Fly (Chrysops sp.)

Dragonflys

Perch on the willow bush tips along the trail. Waiting for a bug that will make a nice meal.

Blue Dasher Dragonfly

Buckeye Butterfly

A butterfly that will migrate north and south as the summer season chages.

Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia )

Cooper's Hawk

Hawk on a hot oak limb.

Cooper's Hawk