We got to see a lot of Indiana today, and I have to admit, we encountered a few surprises.  The first was when I needed gas, and I spotted a gas station that advertised “free dog park.”  Now that warranted a tank of gas.  Now, this wasn’t just a fenced in area with a token fake fire hydrant, it was an agility park!  Both my boys had fun playing at Central Bark!

Not only did the gas station have the dog park…and electric vehicle (EV) chargers, it had a store that sold locally produced foods!  I had wanted to try some Triple XXX root beer.  Well, they had it (it is really good, by the way).  I opted for this interesting peanut butter, dark chocolate, almond and coconut mixture – I can’t wait to try it, the instructions are “eat with a spoon.”  That just sounds so happy!

Then, down the road, I started to see windmills.  I thought, oh, this is nice.  Then I realized that there were windmills as far as the eye could see in every direction!  There were hundreds upon hundreds!  It was a wonderful sight to behold (sorry my picture isn’t better of it).

Then came lunch in Chesterton.  I had checked my BringFido app to find a dog-friendly place and came upon the Third Coast Spice Cafe, which had a 5 bone rating and a wonderful looking breakfast and lunch menu – all organic and locally grown.  I ordered a mediterranean omelet – with tapenade, feta, artichokes, spinach, etc.  It was fabulous!

As the person who developed Delaware’s two locally grown programs, I was happy to see their Indiana Grown certificate on the wall.

We spent the afternoon at the newest national park – Indiana Dunes.  This is a beautiful park, with nature and history, beach and forest.  I wish we had more time to explore it.  It is a treasure.  Cam earned his 2nd Junior Ranger Pin of the trip.  I have downloaded most of the junior ranger books for the parks we will go to, so he can start working on them and learn what is special about each park before we get there.  We started He really enjoys it.

We ended our day in Illinois, having dinner with my nephew and his family. Overall, a great day on our road trip.