Indiana

In 2009, I drove from Brookings, South Dakota, to Indianapolis, Indiana, to visit a friend over Labor Day weekend. She drove from North Carolina; we picked Indiana as the middle point. I drove 800 miles to her 600, but my route was more direct with the Interstate system; she had to wiggle her way through the Appalachian Mountains.

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I remember driving through the Quad Cities, the flat central Illinois plains, and finally Indiana, arriving well after midnight. She was shocked to learn I only used a map – no GPS or MapQuest.

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That weekend, we walked around the city and visited the state capitol building, historic sites, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and attended an Indianapolis Indians minor league baseball game.

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We do not have Steak ‘n Shake in my part of the Upper Midwest, but with the diner’s headquarters in Indianapolis, I had to go. I remember all of the greasy goodness alongside a vanilla shake.

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“Ma’am, ma’am, could you put two hamburger patties beside each other, fry it, and put onions on it?” the male customer next to us inquired.

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“I will talk to the cook,” the server replied.

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When his food arrived, it was not what he expected.

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“Ma’am, ma’am?”

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She just kept on walking, ignoring him.

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***

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Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore holds a special place in my heart yet I do not know why. I have only visited twice but I would not hesitate to journey there again.

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It is a small, relatively quiet area surrounded by industrialization. Maybe that is why I like it. To the west, Gary, to the east, Michigan City. Power lines, barges full of various shipments, cracked roads, and smokestacks billowing black smoke border the getaway spot.

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The Chicago skyline is visible across the waters of Lake Michigan.

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Maybe it is because when I am there, I feel like I am in the Carolinas, but still in the Midwest.

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Or perhaps it feels good to relax by the lake after driving through the traffic nightmare of Chicago.

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I enjoy driving on the many narrow, sometimes gravel backroads near the dunes area. There is so much nestled back among the woods waiting to be found.

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