Running to Valhalla, Jogging at Wihala

Your first image of Northwest Indiana is probably not that of a long sandy beach with a view of the Chicago skyline. It's more likely associated with BP Amoco, U.S. Steel or one of the other foundations of the local economy that dominate the news of the region. As a refugee from the north side of Chicago, the leafy college town of Iowa City, Iowa, and the frozen tundra of St. Paul Minnesota (just a few of my "hometowns"), I was thrilled to find out about Whihala Beach, located in Whiting, just minutes from the CCSJ campus, when I moved to Hammond several years ago.


To get to Whihala, you just drive down Whiting's main street, 119th, heading east. You'll jog left a bit and go over the trains tracks and there you are. Maybe you've already seen the video of the jet skiers at Whihala on the CCSJ Video Showcase web page. If not, check it out. I've also seen windsurfers, fishermen, boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, strollers and sandcastle artists at Whihala. My favorite activity at Whihala is a good brisk jog, and the best time to do this is early spring or late fall when the beach is mainly deserted and it's just me and the gulls and the distant promise of downtown Chicago. My jogging route usually takes me from the entrance of the beach to the terminus, where the colossal Horseshoe casino begins. The 20-30 minutes of my typical jog is the time period in which all problems vanish and I find clarity in the universe.

A few years ago I found myself jogging Whihala on New Years Eve Day. The temperature had risen to an eerie 50 degrees or so. I was nearly alone on the beach, contemplating the year to come, as I made my way along the barren beach. By the end of my run, I decided that the coming year was going to be a particularly good one. Right now, I couldn't tell you if that year was particularly good or not. That's not the point, really. It was simply the moment of peace that the soothing strip of sand and the endless expanse of blue provided by Lake Michigan at Whihala Beach that mattered.

CW