Summer Road Trip
A few weeks ago, when we found out that our college was having an alumni reunion this summer, we decided we would like to go. The last one we had been to (actually, the only one we had been to) was in 2008. Now that we are “only” 10ish hours from Greenfield, Indiana, rather than 40, it seemed like a good opportunity for a weekend road trip.
Our route took longer than 10 hours, but that was by design. We love to travel off the Interstate whenever possible, so Lyle planned a leisurely route for the first part of the trip and intended to come home on the Interstate. We drove as far as Salem, Arkansas, on Thursday evening.
Friday, July 18
- 6:08 a.m. departed Cottonwood Inn, Salem, Arkansas
- 7:03 a.m. stopped for coffee, Cool Beans, Imboden, Arkansas
- 8:00 a.m. entered Missouri
- 9:01 a.m. stopped for gas, Love’s, Sikeston, Missouri
- 9:42 a.m. entered Illinois
- 11:58 a.m. rest stop, Grayville, Illinois
- 12:36 p.m. entered Indiana
- 2:30 p.m. stopped for lunch, Dairy Queen, Loogootee, Indiana
- 5:23 p.m. arrived at CFC campus, Greenfield, Indiana
As we drove, we listened to an audiobook, No Ordinary Dog, pausing often for conversation. I decided to keep tallies, but I wasn’t sure what to tally this time, so my list is kinda random.
- Dollar General stores – 27
- Amish buggies – 3
- turtles – 2
We also enjoyed seeing quirky things as we drove through small towns. Our favorites were “Big John” and “Little Giant,” who seemed to be guardians of their respective grocery stores. They are similar to Muffler Men, which we started noticing on our Big Adventure in 2021.
We enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and taking a sunset walk across the campus where we met all those years ago. The campus is no longer a Bible college (it’s a church campground now), but the heritage remains.
Saturday, July 19
As activities were winding down on Saturday, we made it a point to pose for a picture on a particular bench we remembered from our student days. The first picture, taken in September 1983, was during the first week we were dating. When we returned for the 2008 reunion, we posed there again. And of course, we had to continue the tradition this time. (We keep forgetting we were looking at each other in the first picture. Oh, well. Close enough!)
Sunday, July 20
On our way out of town, we drove through the subdivision some of my uncles developed a few years ago. One of the streets is named for them. I thought that was cool.
I thought we would be on the Interstate most of the day, so I didn’t keep a travel log or tallies. I should have. We got off on the wrong route through St. Louis, but that turned out to be a happy accident because we had a better view of the Arch than we would have with the other route.
We took a little side route to visit Caledonia, Missouri, which has a fun old-timey mercantile and other cute shops. After that, we ran into a road closure, which ended up keeping us on back roads longer than we had planned. Not that we minded, but that’s why I should have been keeping a log.
It was a fun little trip, but much too short. Maybe we can go on a longer one soon.
