The Evanston Lakefront Bike Paths Photos
Bahai temple and Gillson Beach

Since I photographed the lakefront path going south I just enjoyed my bike ride coming back north. I liked this sign as you come into Wilmette so I unpacked my camera once again.

Well, I had my camera with me and ready to go as I passed one of the most famous landmarks in the Chicago north shore, the Bahai temple in Wilmette. A big advantage of being on a bike is that you can cover a lot of ground but still be able to stop easily and enjoy the scenery or take photos.

The temple in Wilmette is one of only seven Baha'i temples throughout the world at this time. The Bahai laws emphasize that the house of worship be a place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions.

All Bahai temples are required to have nine sides and the number nine has a special significance in the Bahai faith. I remember that the Beatle John Lennon also believed that the number nine had special significance.

I thought that it was very interesting to see the swastika along with the star of David and the Christian cross displayed on the building. I looked this up on the internet and found that the swastika has a long history and was used by the Hindus and Buddhists (and other religions and civilizations) for centuries and long before it became stigmatized as the symbol of Nazism.

Construction of the Bahai temple in Wilmette was started in the 1920s. The exterior of the building was completed in 1943 and the temple was complete and dedicated in 1953.

Reflecting on the Bahai temple in the pool of water that leads to the building.

I also remember the musicians Seals and Crofts ~ who wrote and recorded the hit song Summer Breeze in the 70s ~ were also long time advocates of the Baha'i faith.

After my Bahai temple photo shoot I continued with the last part of my bike ride where I rode into Gillson Park and down to the beach. Above is a scene from a path down by the beach at Gillson Park (where I actually spent a lot of time when I was younger).

Is there a better way to end a lakefront bike ride than with a scene from one of the beautiful sandy beaches on Lake Michigan?