Day 36: July 11, 2021
One State From Home

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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.

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.

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.


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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