One State From Home
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Day 36: July 11, 2021 One State From Home Comment via blog |
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There was one more area rendezvous on my agenda before I continued east.
In the past, Cort Stevens and I have met at a donut shop on US-20. Today
we met in the same strip mall but at a business a few doors to the west.
Mozzafiato
Gelato and Coffee is the host for the
Old Cars and Strong Hearts Cruise-Ins that will be
restarting today if the weather cooperates. I arrived just a few minutes
ahead of Cort and took a picture of Mozzafiato's entrance. I took another
as we were leaving. In between we drank coffee, ate pastries, and caught
up on life.
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I didn't get too far before light rain caught me but it had little impact.
It did discourage me from stopping for pictures. I was relieved to see
that US-20 passed south of downtown Chicago rather than going directly
through it but I was still in territory that I'd passed through recently
so there wasn't much enticement for stopping either. I did stop at the
Calumet River when the lights on the drawbridge started flashing. The two
photos at left may look identical but they're not. The bridge deck is
raised ever so slightly in the second one. That's as high as it ever got.
Apparently a boat lacked only a foot or so of clearance so the bridge was
raised just enough to allow its passage then quickly lowered. It did not
take long.
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The number of routes sharing this corridor is apparent in the picture from
the Indiana border. What might not be so apparent is the increased rain. I
had worked through the numbers and determined that I could make it home
today. Light rain, with its reduction in stops, actually helps in that
regard; heavy rain does not. At times the rain was heavy enough to pool on
the road and I felt a felt just a bit of hydroplaning. Near Michigan City,
I pulled into a parking lot to check motel options. I didn't follow
through then because the rain began to slacken. Besides, it was here that
the seagull from Idaho caught up with me, and I figured it was best to
move on.
Shortly after moving on, I was surprised to learn that I was on the Historic Michigan Road, and it wasn't long before the brick fence posts of the former Studebaker Proving Grounds told me I was nearing South Bend, IN. |
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It looked like some level of rain would be with me at least until I
reached Ohio. As I've said, that wasn't a showstopper but it did not add
to my driving enjoyment. That, coupled with the fact that, even with no
stops, I would not reach home before darkness moved in, prompted me to
finally call it off. I've a feeling that "with no stops" was
ever really going to happen, but once I decided to spend another night on
the road, I wasted no time in making a big stop. I searched for breweries
and headed to the nearest.
The Tippecanoe Place Restaurant has operated in Clement Studebaker's former home since 1980. In 2018, the Studebaker Brewing Company opened on the second floor. The restaurant looked to be a little more upscale than I was in the mood for but the taproom offered a menu of bar food and a more casual setting. I booked a room for the night while working on a pulled pork sandwich. |
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