Home Stretch

On Wednesday April Ninth slept in until 6:30, guess I needed the rest. Pays to be alert. Starting out later put me in Des Moines during rush hour and I followed my GPS which took me through the middle of it rather than north along the bypass. Fortunately the slow down lasted only four onramps. By the time I reached Iowa City rush hour had passed so all not lost. I started out driving into the rising sun. Fortunately cross-winds were never a factor today.

Stopped just west of La Salle Illinois for Gas, $3.659, then in La Salle for Breakfast at Dennys. Finally a Dennys that makes good coffee--it only took 6 years and 50 states and 10 provinces to find one. No free internet there though so I still haven’t read today’s comix. The day was filled with the usual left lane hogs and truck traffic increased exponentially as I approached Chicago. Nothing worse on a two lane uphill grade than one tractor trailer attempting to pass another. There’s still a $1.10 toll on the highway south of Chicago. It’s finding 10¢ that annoys. Stopped at the Chicago Illinois Tourist Bureau located in an overhead tunnel across the highway. On every other occasion when I passed I was in the wrong lane and couldn’t reach it--I didn’t miss anything. The place isn’t even manned. A collision on I-80 backed traffic for miles so I got off at the Indiana Tourist Bureau. Michigan City does not share info with them. Took a broken narrow winding service road to bypass the highway blockage.  

 Sunset at Michigan City

Michigan City Campground has a new gate system out by the road. Had to call in to get to the office to sign in. Found the manager washing and ironing cabin curtains. The dog who usually welcomes me is south with its vacationing owners, who own the campground. Aside from the staff burning leaves things are fine. I saw snow in a ditch today but it’s 59 here at quarter to six with a predicted low of 42 tonight. I came 400 miles today placing me 400 miles from home, customs permitting.

Decided to stay over until Monday in part due to predicted bad weather. Spring has not arrived here, there are a few robins and the crocuses came out but no spring flowers or expanding tree buds. Got up before Dawn on Friday and found the stars out and crunchy frost on the grass. At 4:00 AM the cockerel on the farm next door was crowing away. Who knew, the sun was out when I woke again and the sky a cerulean blue. 

View from the Lighthouse 

The Lift Bridge in Action

On Saturday drove up to the shore of Lake Michigan in Michigan City. Back in the day the Barker Factory employed 3000 to produce Pullman Train Cars and welded box cars. Nothing of that massive plant survives today and Barker Mansion is closed weekends. I did have a tour of the Lighthouse Museum but enjoyed my talk with the volunteer even more. Had a well-hopped ale at the Shoreline Brewery and enjoyed a pub sandwich. Even at noon drunks sure are loud. The steakhouse up the street is called Swing Belly. The area could best be described as grotty. The Michigan City SWAT Team drive a black Humvee. A major outlet mall is located on the west side of town but downtown is in severe decline and even the mall south of town is largely boarded up. Election signs vie with for sale signs. Lake is running for Judge, Ott for sherif--related to Ott’s Funeral Home? No word on dogcatcher. Ballots here run to thirty-some pages.

The campground gets free copies of the local paper. For the record there are 31,000 people in Michigan City, Indiana. Once you pull out all the advertisements there are 20 pages of New Dispatch in 4 sections at 5¢/page. News, Sports, Classified, and Health. A page of comix and the obits on page 2 along with fire and police calls. Seems the fire department have been very busy lately. The Sports section of course covers local teams. The Catholic High School has a golf team?

Meteorology is still more voodoo than science. Saturday evening a predicted cold front was to bring severe weather--winds, thunder and large hail. Sunday Morning there was still no sign of it though areas in the south-west got tornadoes. Since the bad weather didn’t arrive decided I had no excuse for not going to church so I drove up around 7:00 AM and found a parking space to read the comix and the newspapers I’d picked up. The ringing of church bells disturbed my reverie.

I got the full monte this morning. I sat up top but we had the procession with palm leaves from the basement with the Palm Sunday Lesson, then the four lessons for Passion Sunday with sung Psalm and readers along the outside aisles for the five page printed Gospel. No sermon. We used Lift High the Cross for the processional and My Song is Love Unknown for the second hymn put with the wrong tune in the cranberry book. The church is a traditional nave soaring 5 storeys without transepts with wall-painted Jesus cradling lamb on one side and praying in Gethsemane on the other. An extremely baroque high altar soars 2 storeys. Simple narrow stained glass windows with pipe organ and choir in the balcony. Shorter gray-haired pastor. Twenty-page ledger paper folded bulletin with 8x11 folded insert with announcements. They have service 5 on Saturday, 8-traditional and 10:15 with guitars Sunday. They operate a men’s shelter 20 guests and soup kitchen feeding 69. Went down for coffee and sat and talked. After we helped ourselves to bread brought in for the homeless from a local bakery. I left with a hearty 6-grain round loaf.

Drove down and found the two items I needed at Meijers a massive emporium not unlike Wal-Mart. The liquid toothpaste and pineapple preserves were at polar opposite ends of the store. Rather than stand in line I braved the auto-scanner. We both survived the experience. Then drove down and waited in line for gas at Swift. They have four pumps in line in 3 rows. With people waiting, idiots leave their car at the pump to go shopping. At least I leave tomorrow with a full tank, still $3.519. Imagine thinking that’s cheap. My first fill-up in America was $3.57 in upstate NY back in October 2008. It’s gotten as low as $1.89 in Texas.

The first in a band of showers woke me from my afternoon nap. The temperature dropped from the morning’s low of 72 to 55 and remained there.

Monday morning waited until the worst of the gusting winds eased before starting out around 7:30. Promptly lost an hour crossing into the Eastern Time Zone 30 miles later. Spent most of the day dodging potholes and gusting crosswinds and got lost amid confusing ill-marked construction finding the Bluewater Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan. Remember I’d already drive 200 miles at that point. Stopped at Denny’s in Kalamazoo for brunch and to read the day’s comix. Actually read those before I set out. Kalamazoo does not know how to make coffee but the rest was good.

The young man at customs was kind, thanks for your prayers. Filled up in Emmett, Michigan for $3.699/gal before crossing into Canada. Got an assist from the wind today. Saw snow in shaded ditches along the road in Ontario and expect to see more on the ground in the next 24 hours here. The damage an ice storm did our trees has not yet been cleaned up here. My parking spot was open, big sigh.

Got in around 4:00 and first order of business was visiting with the neighbours who have cared for my apartment and mail in my absence.

I’m having a coffee to find sufficient energy to go to sleep. At least it will be in my own bed and the wind will not be rocking me tonight nor will the rain patter on my roof.