On the Road to Indiana

Three weeks ago we went to Indiana for a week. Some friends of ours moved there and invited us to come visit them. I don't think they actually expected us to go, but we did!

The relationship with these friends is unique. Though we both seem to deviate from our paths, we always seem to get back in touch. When I was in high school I worked at a Burger King. My friend Kevin was a porter (cleaned up stuff at night). I was a closer. I made $4.00 an hour. If you weren't a closer you made $3.35 an hour. I was making the big buck!!! Anyway, from there at Burger King we became friends - chasing the same girls, going to concerts ( AC\DC, Van Halen!!!), going to parties (@ Keith's, Todd's, Scott's and Dave's). We didn't go to the same high school, but that didn't seem to matter. We had friends all over.

His wife went to my high school, but was a freshman when I was a senior. So of course she knew me, but I didn't know her, because I was too cool.

I went away to college and lost touch with Kevin. One summer while home my girlfriend (now wife) and I were in Wendy's. When we were leaving Kevin and his girlfriend (now wife) were entering. Not recognizing her, I thought she was rather young and said to him, "robbing the cradle again, are we?" We laughed.

I didn't see them through the remainder of college. After college we lived in Bel Air, but I was commuting to Owings Mills and my wife to murdertown, U.S.A (Baltimore). We decided to move to Carroll County where it would be a short commute for me and she could ride the mugger mover (Metro Subway).

We moved into a neighborhood in South Carroll in 1999. We didn't know anyone for a while, so one day when there was a knock at the door I was startled. I open the door and there's Kevin with a little girl. I asked how he found me. He said his lives in the neighborhood and his wife saw me drive by one day, so he looked me up and found out which house I live in. Too funny!

We reconnected, my wife started a daycare, their 2 girls became our clients, and we eventually became their godparents. Then a few years later they decided to move to Indiana to be closer to family, and once again we drifted apart.

Then last year they returned to the area for Christmas and we got together and had a great time. They invited us to come visit them this summer - and we did.

We decided that we should take 2 days to get there since it was 600 miles and about 10/11 hours. Sure, some people can do it in 9, but I'd like to do it legally. Therefore, we decided to go to Canton, Ohio for our first portion of the trip.

We left on a Sunday in the wee hours of the morning - about 4:45am. I think we were past Hagerstown before the sky started to light up. Let me tell you there's not much traffic on I-70 on Sunday mornings(notice I didn't incorrectly say Route 70 - that's in North Carolina).

We're not in Maryland anymore!


We drove through the Sideling Hill cut, then into West Virginia before the kids even woke up. We stopped in Morgantown for a potty break and a quick cultural lesson in hillbilly. The mountains (big hills) of Western Maryland, West Virginia, Southern Pennsyltucky, and Southeastern, Ohio are really spectacular. Every town has either a Bob Evans or a Cracker Barrel. And they are always crowded. And if it's a really big town, like Zainesville, Ohio - they they have BOTH!!!

Sideling Hill - what a magnificent site!!! Check out how the rock layers bend upwards on both ends. Notice the camper at the bottom. Big hill!


Our journey took us west on I-70, then onto I-68, then north up I-79 toward Pittsburgh, then west on I-70 again (to avoid the Pennsylvania Nightmare Turnpike), then north on I-77 up to Canton. My wife drove the first leg. I drove for a couple of hours until we needed gas outside of Cambridge, Ohio. However, when an 80 year old woman in a 1979 Buick Le Sabre passed us my wife made me stop so she could drive again. She drove the rest of the way to Canton. And the rest of the way to Indianapolis. And the rest of the way back to Maryland. Hmmm....

Western Maryland - very beautiful, though there were a lot of dead trees along long stretches of highway. Is there some kind of bug infestation going on???


I can't wait to get to Indiana! Oh, wait. Slots.


Differences between Ohio and Maryland? No political signs littering the roads. That was nice. And Jesus loves Ohio. They tell us all the time. I don't think Jesus loves Maryland. It could be because Montgomery County had him extradited.



And then after seeing Jesus, we see a sign for Tom Raper. He sells houses, RV's, and boats. Would Jesus buy a boat from a guy named Raper? I probably wouldn't.