The Summer Trip of 2021

Every summer there comes a point when the yard rules everything. Time seems to move in slow motion as the heat and humidity slow everything down. Boundaries need to be set or the housecleaning could easily be abandoned. This summer was quite different from last. However, vaccinated or not, I’m still behaving as if there was a deadly virus out there. Going out publicly for anything other than necessities is rare.

There was finally a much-needed distraction and (outside) opportunity to go somewhere other than the yard. A friend wanted to visit the Flyover Bridge that extends over Lake Shore Drive. This bridge began construction in 2014 and was expected to be finished by 2018. The $64 million project wasn’t completed until 2021. “The flyover links the two halves of the Lakefront trail for an uninterrupted 18-mile pedestrian and bike-friendly stretch between 71st Street and Hollywood Avenue.” (CBS News, May 10, 2021)

It was the first time I’ve left home farther than Crestwood in 11 months. I warned ahead of time that I will need to have open windows in the car to honor social distancing. No problem. We had air conditioning and open windows at the same time. Never mind that it defeated the purpose. It worked for both of us. Admittedly, it felt uncomfortable to go this far. We drove down Halsted St. to 79^th and went east to Jeffreys, which led to Lake Shore Drive. I’m not sure if we were near the 57^th St. beach, but it was close.

We parked ($6.00) by Lake Michigan and had a picnic on the ground. There were no tables. We had turkey subway sandwiches and I brought a homemade bean salad. There was a set of monkey bars nearby, or so I thought, but no. Grown men were using them doing chin-ups and ab curls. It was actually a workout station for adults as well. Up close, the bar actually had handles for the chin-ups, etc., but there were no handwipes or sanitizers.

A seagull decided to join us. The seagull knew we just arrived and decided to check us out. He approached gradually, moving closer. He was just watching us. It was obvious he had experience in this. At one point, I tilted my head slightly sideways to carefully take a bite out of the sandwich and the gull tilted his sideways as well. He also tilted his head backward a couple times and let out several shrieks to let the rest of the flock know that we were his territory. My friend tossed him a chickpea and I thought, uh-oh, here we go. He spit it out. He stayed for nearly a half hour trying to lure us.

There was also a flock of Canadian geese that gradually made their way near us as well. They are quite handsome. They were busy pecking away at the lawn. One got quite close but was polite. It’s amazing how they have adapted to people. They seemed to be city geese. I’ve wondered about the ones in the cemetery next door to me. Do they also go to Lake Michigan?

A trip to the lake is nothing without getting close to the water. We packed everything up and headed to the lake making our way down several three-to-four-foot sea walls. There was an abrupt drop-off about four feet above the water. As we strolled along the edge, there was a ladder that led straight down into the lake. I wondered how deep it was in that area because the water was too dark to see below. My friend estimated it to be about eight-to-twelve feet. I thought this must be where divers enter the water in the event of a rescue.

There were only a few other people who were that close to the water – a young couple sitting on one of the walls, a jogger, and a man with two young kids. As we continued walking further north, I looked back and saw that the female of the couple took off her outer gear to reveal a pink bathing suit. Hmm. I thought she couldn’t actually go into the lake at this point, right?

Well, she walked to the ladder and climbed down into the lake. Her boyfriend was taking pictures of her from the edge. He then headed back to the sea wall and stripped down into swimming trunks and suddenly ran right off the edge into the water (see above photo). I nearly flipped.  One of the kids nearby asked his dad what they were doing. The father said, “They are breaking the law. There are big rocks underneath. That is very dangerous.”

It was odd to see two heads bobbing up and down in this dark, desolate area of the lake. The actual beach was quite a ways south. Then the woman began swimming out further into the lake, which was making me uncomfortable. The waves were not too bad, but it’s still risky. The couple did not stay in the water for too long. It was obvious they had done this before. They knew exactly where to get into the water and I felt better seeing them safely return to their place on the sea wall.

According to an article by Dan Moran in Lake County’s News-Sun, (May 24, 2019), “The Big Lake (Michigan) is essentially an inland sea with every natural reality involved in that definition, from weather-driven waves and currents to northern-climate temperatures that can suck the energy out of any swimmer, even a strong one.”

As we headed back to the car, we spotted a path with a small field full of wildflowers on both sides. It beckoned us to take a stroll. At the end of the path, we could see the flyover bridge. There was a ramp that led upward with four slender lanes. The closest lane to the railing is for walkers, single file, and bicycles to the left. The orange line separates coming and going. The construction of the sides is wire.

We only got to about the middle of Lake Shore Drive below us, then headed back. Going downward on the ramp was much easier. A funny scenario was coming behind us. A baby stroller was rolling down the decline with a young man running behind it. We started laughing as they approached and he was grinning as he grabbed the handle of the stroller to slow it down. My friend exclaimed, “Your wife would kill you if she saw this.” More chuckles abounded. The baby also looked happy.  

A sit-down was required after all the walking. As we sat in the car, people-watching was the next area of interest. One woman stood out as she was dressed in black Muslim attire from head to toe. Only her eyes were visible. (This could have been an Abaya or Chador combined with a Hijab as the head covering.) She was an awesome mysterious sight as the soft material flowed in the wind behind her as she walked.

An elderly white man with white hair and wearing white shorts and socks was not at all bashful as he walked topless. It did not look like he spent much time in the sun, which added to his whiteness. As he walked past the pull-up bars, he grabbed on and tried to hoist himself up. He only made it a few inches off the ground but he walked away with complete confidence.

Last but not least, was a seemingly free-spirited girl in a short red tartan skirt. She had brown hair about chin-length and not much makeup. We kept seeing her throughout the area everywhere we went. I wondered if she was casing us. She was walking by herself wearing headphones. Back and forth. Just before we left, she was last seen purchasing the use of a scooter and off she went with her brown hair flowing freely.

It was certainly an adventurous day. By the end of it, everyone likely went back to their homes and lives.  This is just one of many missed experiences from the general population of the summer before.