Huntington, Indiana

[Editor’s note: I’ve decided to stop censoring Josh’s posts. The bleeps were just too distracting. From here on out, the “bad” words are staying. Not even sure any kids will be seeing this, but parents, be warned.]

The day started with a long goodbye to Uncle Bob, Eva, Dave, Steph, Minnie, Stella, and the menagerie of birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other assorted animals that feed at the ‘restaurant’ that Bob and Eva have set up behind their house. Hanging bird feeders for hummingbirds and others; hand-made pinwheels with dried ears of corn attached (they look like old school nautical steering wheels) occupy the squirrels; and sprinkled seeds and assorted other stuff attract basically everything else. Generous to wild animals and visiting family members alike. The few days in Michigan were the perfect way to start our trip. Comfortable, relaxing, and fun. We can only hope every stop is as nice as this one has been. Can’t wait to see everyone again soon – maybe at Dave and Stephanie’s wedding.

First stop en route to Indy: Tim Horton’s. Two coffees and a sprinkled donut later, one dead car battery. Who knew that a GPS drained a battery so quickly? (Actually, I did, after having done almost the exact same thing a few weeks earlier in the parking lot at Citizens Bank Park. Oops.) Thankfully, friendly folks in a PT Cruiser were willing to give us a jump.

Not much to say about the drive through MI to IN, save a few funny signs/stores/people seen going 75. And…going 75 is a clue that Laura did all the driving today. (In sickness and in health. She’s on the mend, feeling well enough to drive for 5+ hours.) Behind the wheel, I am slow and forgiving while she is fast and aggressive. Typically, she does 75 while I prefer 64 or below. I’ll spare myself the humiliation of any discussion of directional ability, but safe to say that she’ll get us there faster, any way you slice it. [Ed. note: I was always less than 10 over the speed limit. And much of the time I went the actual speed limit. Which is rare, I’ll admit. But it did happen yesterday. Propers, please.]

Apropos of nothing: ten-minute detour to take a picture of the “Welcome to Indiana” sign. Passenger missed it the first time. Oops, Pt. 2.

After several years living in Indiana (4 for me; 2 for her), being back feels good. Agenda item one: a trip for pork tenderloin (PT) sandwiches and world class pie. Nick’s Kitchen in Huntington (somewhere between Fort Wayne and Indy) is purported to be the birthplace of the state’s now-signature sandwich and – again, according to Roadfood and its readers – the best around. Too bad nobody told Nick’s we were coming; both locations were closed [Ed. note: To be fair, the site did say we should call ahead to see if they were open; we didn’t.]. After a befuddled 15 min walk around a dying downtown area, we settled on the only place that looked operational and even close to acceptable for lunch. The fish and PT sandwiches both checked out. [Ed. note: Thank you Brick House Grill for coming through and having an ice cold Fat Tire ready for the passenger. (Don't worry, driver waited until Indy for her beer.)]

We finished the trip to Huntington with a visit to (holy shit) the Dan Quayle Vice Presidential Museum. Apparently, DQ is a native of the town. Despite a pretty impressive collection of VP history (according to the mostly douchey proprietor,** “something original from each of the 44 Vice Presidents.”), the museum was as hilarious as you’d imagine. One of the display cases even had a lock of “Danny’s” hair.

** In his defense, he’s dedicated his life to something we were very obviously there to mock, despite our best attempts at earnestness. Still, the guy was a dick.