Indiana

Year of First Visit – 1976
Point of Entry – I-69 near Angola

Even though I was only 6 when it happened, I remember clearly crossing the border into Indiana the first time. We were on our way taking my oldest brother to start school at Park College in Missouri and it was the first time I’d been out of the state of Michigan.

We spent the night at a hotel near Angola and I still recall how strange it seemed to watch a public service announcement from the Indiana, rather than Michigan, police on the TV.

For a couple years in the late 80s, my other brother and his family lived in Lowell. We visited there and also stopped by when Mom and I drove out to take me to start school at Park College. I also flew in (via Chicago Midway) to visit them and meet up with Mom and Dad one Easter.

Other than that, Indiana has been primarily a “thru” state for me; it wasn’t the destination but something to check off as I drove someplace else.

This was true even when my son and I got off the Amtrak in South Bend. Though our ticket showed Indiana as a destination, it was just the place where we would met up with family who took us to their home in South Haven, Michigan.

At this point, I don’t have too many reasons to go back to Indiana. Maybe I’ll find a place I want to stop and visit if I need to drive through it again on my way someplace else.