Posts Tagged “indiana”

So, today was mostly just a driving day, but when we saw how close we were to Indiana Jones Dunes National Lakeshore, we couldn’t resist stopping in to check it out. We went to the visitor center and asked what we should see in our limited time and the ladies there recommended West Beach, so off we went. We trekked up these steps to an overlook:

… where we were rewarded with a great view of Chicago, looking Atlantis-like in the distance across Lake Michigan:

A strange aspect of this national park is that the parkland isn’t contiguous — that’s not unheard of; for example, Acadia’s parkland isn’t contiguous either, but what’s weird about Indiana Dunes is that the non-parkland in between parcels of parkland houses giant factories and industrial centers.

This kind of disrupts communing with nature and the like, even when you happen to come to the park during sunset:

Still, though, both the dunes themselves and Lake Michigan are so beautiful:

Oh, Indiana. I had no idea.

So anyway, after that, we finally drove into Chicago!

We’re staying at a very nice hotel for a change because Brian’s conference is being held here. After months of cheap motels, I had completely forgotten how refreshing and rejuvenating it can be to stay in a place with, like, real furniture, a nice bathroom, a comfy bed, etc. Brian is going to be in class for most of the trip, and I’m planning on spending a lot of time sitting on the chaise lounge next to the big window in our room with a lovely view of the Chicago River and working on my laptop away from construction noise. Don’t worry, we’ll do some fun Chicago things, too — hopefully including attending Obama’s victory speech on Tuesday night. Please don’t forget to VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

Our final day took us through a record (I think) five states and one district. Whew. When we decided it was time to get home, we went for it. Sure, there were a few other spots on the map that we considered dropping in on, but we decided to save them for one of the three(!) more trips that we’re making before the end of the year. The last three days of this trip were pretty brutal driving-wise. We drove from Georgetown, Colo., to DC with only a very few minor stops along the way. Have a look at our last day’s route below. We are dedicated!

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Today was all about the drive, obviously. The good news for you is that I have a record number of state signs for you to enjoy! But first, we had an exciting find in Indiana:

That’s right; it’s the other Hagerstown. Thanks, Indiana!

Before we knew it, we were back in Ohio:

Look what happened while we were gone!

Then, Pennsylvania!

Then, West Virginia!

Then, Maryland!

Ahem. I lived in Maryland for 18 years, and I had to go to California to see a bear. I feel totally ripped off!

We drove through Sideling Hill:

What’s Sideling Hill, you ask? Wikipedia answers!

The Sideling Hill road cut is a 340-foot deep road cut where Interstate 68 cuts through Sideling Hill, about 6 miles west of Hancock in Washington County, Maryland. It is notable as an impressive man-made mountain pass, visible from miles away and is considered one of the best rock exposures in Maryland and the entire northeastern United States. Almost 810 feet of strata in a tightly folded syncline are exposed in this road cut. Although other exposures may surpass Sideling Hill in either thickness of exposed strata or in quality of geologic structure, few can equal its combination of both.

We enjoyed more foliage:

And then, this glorious moment:

Welcome home, us.

How long have I been waiting to say that? Actually, we’re not in Missouri or Illinois anymore either. Today was probably the biggest distance push we’ve made so far. We realized that if we tried, we could actually make it home tomorrow!! So, that’s the goal. Huzzah!

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After we left Junction City this morning, we got on the road and left I-70 for a quick lunch break in Kansas City. On the way, we saw this guy:

Soon, we were in Missouri!

We drove straight through and went down to visit our friend the Gateway Arch in St. Louis:

We met the Arch in 2005 when we had been dating for a few months and Brian had to go to St. Louis for a conference, so I tagged along. At that point, we actually took the tour up to the top of the Arch, which was a terrifying journey in a very small, rickety space pod–looking thing. This time, we could only stay for a quick visit.

Then we crossed the Mississippi River and were in Illinois!

And then we drove through Illinois and found ourselves in Indiana!!

As you can see, we are really focused on getting home now. We’re staying at a Super 8 in Greenfield, Ind., and we are hoping to push ourselves to make it home tomorrow evening. Woo hoo!