With the sculpting of these exposed beaches by westerly winds, Lake Michigan's dunes were born. Ancient sands continue to wash and drift into dunes along modern Lake Michigan. And long after we are gone, the sand will still be here, or there, or somewhere, ever shifting and drifting. These sands of time have a profound effect on visitors, connecting them with the timelessness of the elements and the natural processes. Paradoxically, in spite of their antiquity, the sands collectively are an example of geology in fast forward.
Dunes are never the same from one day to the next.
Indeed, in a strong wind the transformation takes place before our very eyes. Walking from beach to foredune, and beyond, we observe plant succession and progression since Lake Nipissing. Entire worlds exist with their citizens going about their lives in spaces no larger than a city backyard, sometimes smaller. These dune dwellers live in close proximity, just across the ecological transition line from nearby neighbors that are, nonetheless, worlds apart. The wave-swept shoreline beach is a harsh environment virtually devoid of plant life.