newport state park

by Margaret
(Chicago)

Hello,

Please read below. There is an area in your park that we felt was very dangerous, especially to children or dogs. You may want to block off an area in the Newport State Park.

I was in your park over the 4th of July weekend. We were walking along one of the paths where we came across a sign that said "Sandy Cove" on it. We decided to take that path in hopes we would come across a beach of some kind to let our dog go in the water. My dog and I led the way down the path, where we saw what looked like a sandy beach and went running onto it. My dog first. What happened next was one of the scariest things that ever happened to myself or my dog. We fell through the sand/mud sludge mixture! I was continuing to sink! My feet were being held down tight, I could not even move my right foot. Meanwhile my dog was struggling to get out of this "quicksand" herself. In trying to help my dog, I stepped forward again and fell in deeper! It was now past my knees at this point. My boyfriend behind me was able to grab on to me, I was then able to pull my feet out but lost my right shoe in the sand, it was holding so tight that my foot pulled right out of my tied gym shoe. After I was able to get out, we were able to help my dog out.
We then had to walk out of the park (2.5 miles) covered in mud/sand and...."whatever mixture", and I with only 1 shoe.

You may want to consider blocking that off from the public. I keep thinking that if my dog had run ahead and was NOT on a leash the horror of what could have happened. Not to mention I was in past my knees, so if kids run ahead from their parents thinking what we were thinking, that we were about the come up on a "sandy" beach, they would be in even bigger trouble.

The state park was very pretty other than this....

Mimi Fumo