Whatever you do, DO NOT stop in…
Admission Number Nine:
- My part of the road trip is over. I couldn’t find a way to see the rest of I-90 out without interfering with the job hunt. It’s troubling, but I’ll see that road out eventually. Josh is now barreling towards Chicago and hopefully planning to avoid Gary, Indiana (more on that in a moment).
This by no means equates an end to road trip-esque stories, pictures or video. I’ve only shared a mere sliver of the mass of multimedia we gathered on this trip. Over the next few weeks or so, I’ll be writing about encounters with boiling water, creepy flannel-clad hitchhikers and the absolute bliss that is the Super-8 Hotel and Lodging franchise. As we I speak, a Google map is under meticulous construction, detailing points of interest and other pieces of information that nobody could possibly have even passing interest in. And that makes it even better.
Before Josh hopped on I-94 to Chicago, he managed to have a genuine Minnesota encounter. At a gas station, of course:
Stranger #1: (motioning to his license plate) “Oh…yeah…you from Washington then?”
Josh: “Yep.”
Stranger #1: (curious, but not in a threatening manner) “Where you headed?”
Josh: “New York, I got a—”
Stranger #1: “I LOVE NEW YORK.” (5 minute conversation about how cool New York is.)
Josh: “So yeah, I’m heading down through Chicago and across Indiana, hopefully I’ll be there by Tuesday or so.”
Stranger #1: (very serious) “Whatever you do, don’t stop in Gary, Indiana.”
Josh: (confused) “Why, is there—”
Stranger #2: (biker clad in leather, walks over) “I couldn’t help but hear your conversation. Seriously. Don’t stop in in Gary, Indiana. Just fill up outside of Chicago and drive right on through.”
Stranger #1: (nodding vehemently)
Josh: “OK, well I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Thank you.”
Stranger #1: “You do that. Have a safe trip.”
Stranger #2: (nodding vehemently)
One has to wonder what happens in Gary, Indiana. Or not.
