Lake Michigan Cruise

Labor Day weekend was a great time to cash in one of our Groupons, and we did. A great bargain gave us tickets on Mystic Blue, a Lake Michigan dinner cruise ship, and we loved the entire event. The food was excellent, the coffee was great, a nice glass of wine was included, and the staff on board was friendly and efficient. The two hours went by quickly, and the star of the show was downtown Chicago.
We boated south from Navy Pier just beyond Adler Planetarium and Soldier Field, then we turned around and headed back. Perhaps five miles in two hours, all in perfect view of the skyline of Chicago. We will look at some of the views in the next several posts. Here we see Mystic Blue at the pier before boarding and the creative logo I developed from one of the photos I collected. We will look at more in the next post.

To the Bridge

We return to the Prairie Path in Wayne, seeing a man walking toward the new bridge seen far down the path. If the man were to stop and look across the path to his left, he would see the powerful green trees and the small retention pond behind it in the full blue of a summer day.

Prarie Path Bridge

In nearby Wayne, a portion of the Prairie Path through DuPage County was closed for several months as a new bridge was installed over the single railroad track. This is one of the freight lines that have been subject of controversy as more trains are now allowed to use the line.

A short walk to and over the bridge yielded some interesting images.

Last Liberator

Two more views of the last flying B-24 Liberator from World War II. One side of the aircraft is clearly marked with a series of bombs, representing the plane's history of bombing raids. The other side carries a list of names of the servicemen who are part of its history. Inscribed Witchcraft, the aircraft is a flying history lesson.

Large and Small

Just across the concrete from one another, big and small aircraft were featured at DuPage County. Here we see a closeup of the B-17 World War II bomber, near a while single-engine beauty.

The same day I posted the first photo of the B-17, a television show mentioned that one of the men they were talking to had been in WW II. "Flew a B-17," he said. Small world coincidence.

DuPage County Airport

A sunny Sunday recently included a stop at DuPage County Airport for a static display of some pretty impressive aircraft. Here we see a sharp fight plane which looks fast while standing still, followed by the two stars of the show: a B-17 bomber and a B-24 Liberator. Both saw action in World War II. The B-24 is apparently the last Liberator still in flying order.

Cantigny Statue

In the previous post we saw the statue of the World War I Doughboy at Cantigny Park, just outside the Visitor's Center. But my favorite on the property is the statue seen here, reaching for victory. It is in a peaceful garden south of the First Division Museum, so it takes some effort to locate it. The grace and beauty of it is the reward for the search.