The day promised to be beautiful so I could not stand to remain at home, I had to go out and do at least a little bit of exploration! I did not know exactly where I was going to go today, just that I was going to go along hwy 12, through the dunes area and pick a spot that was open for walking as some places are closed in the winter. I stopped at the first place not 20 minutes from my house yet I had never really stopped to explore it before because I know the trail is not long enough to tide me over. Still, with my recovered injuries, I think a small hike is what I needed, though the soul was willing for much more! I took the Bailly Homestead/ Chelberg Farm loop with the little spur trail to the historic Bailly Cemetery, about 3.4 miles all together.
I was surprised at the amount of snow here, it would of been possible still to do some snow showing, at least in the beginning of the hike before the air started softening the snow. Even so, the hiking was not hard as the path had been trampled by others passing. As I came to the Bailly homestead site, I startled some deer who had been grazing in the grassy area. They had cleared spots of grass from under the snow. I watched them bound off then set about exploring the historical buildings. There were some cabins in which Bailly used for his fur trading business. Bailly was the first non-native settler to this area.
This was his house (or at least a replica of it)
The trail then led me through a mixed age forest. There were gigantic oaks, dying off and lots of younger trees. Mostly deciduous with a lot of sugar maples, and a few coniferous evergreens scattered here and there.
I came to the spur off shoot trail with a sign that said "Historical Cemetery" but to my surprise, it was unlike any cemetery I've come across in the woods of Indiana, or anywhere for that matter. This is the Bailly cemetery, the resting place of the first settler here.
The place reminded me of some kind of odd fortress and it sent my imagination reeling.
I could only wonder what kind of person would be so great, so loved, to have such an edifice built for him. Or perhaps he was just rich and eccentric? I'm going to have to satiate my curiosity come summer, when the ranger station is open and perhaps buy a book about the local history here and find out the in depth story to this.
I back tracked along the spur back to the trail, and followed the loop over bridges, up and down stairs, through thicker but soft snow in classic dunes terrain that I've come to know and love.
After a while, I started seeing signs of fencing and farming. And I started seeing these sap collection buckets. I peeked inside, and the sap doesn't seem to be flowing today, though I would think that with today's warm up it would have been.
I came to the Chelberg farm, Swedish immigrants. This place is home to some working farm animals and I was greeted first by this overly friendly barn cat. He's obviously a well loved (and fed) fellow and insisted on making sure he got petted.
Not far from the Mr. Stripes, I saw some work horses. Big dark horses, but friendly.
The trail leads you right though the little barn.
The Chelburg farm. I think it is a neat place indeed!
I did wish the trail was much longer, but for all that I did not get bored. It was very neat seeing these past relics and on such a pretty day too. My leg, thanks me for not going further. though it does not hurt so much, it aches now. But I'm sure with time it will go away.
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