October 1, 2014 ~ Jasper, IN to Seymour, IN
The first of October and the beginning of the second trimester of this adventure. There is an end in sight, which is how I've been feeling lately. However, it is actually OK for several reasons. I now know that a car is no substitute for a home. I am learning again the importance of social connections - friends and family. I am really missing western Michigan and life near the Lake.
I woke up feeing like I was in a corral of white semis because I sort of was.
A McDonald's across the parking lot was open although in the midst of major remodeling. Still, their WiFi worked. (This apparently is not a part of the country where coffee shops of any kind are felt to be necessary.) A large table of locals sat around most of the time I was there, retired men and women, getting a social fix, giving me surreptitious glances.
It was an uneventful day. I drove north and east to Seymour, passing through the Indiana city of West Baden / French Lick. I would occasionally hear the name, so when I saw it on the map, I headed there as it was on my general route. Once in town, I drove by a gigantic hotel/spa/casino, the French Lick Springs Hotel with 443 rooms and then the adjacent West Baden Springs Hotel with 243 rooms. People are drawn to the area for the mineral / medicinal waters, to play golf or gamble, eat and shop, horseback ride, attend conferences..... Rooms begin at about $200 (with taxes) for one king bed. This venue is an interesting phenomenon, given its location, with its European opulence.
At one time, there was a French fur trading post and a salt lick here; thus, the name.
What I did in French Lick was get a smoothie and chili dog at Dairy Queen before driving on through the corn fields and small towns and over parts of a large reservoir, Patoka Lake, but a lake with dead trees poking through the water in the far reaches. For me, these are not real lakes.
Pumpkins, tied-up corn stalks and Halloween decorations on many lawns, in the warm sun on this first afternoon in October.
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| Patoka Lake - IN |
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