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| where I went this month |
Almost everyone I met was friendly and pleasant and helpful. I was interested to note that in southern Indiana, many people spoke with very strong southern accents, which reminded me how close it is to Kentucky.
Everyone told me they liked living here, and many told me they loved it. But even of those who are happy here, some said they'd rather live somewhere that's not so flat and has a connection to the ocean. Which is about the way I came to feel about it.
Hoosiers (a term they prefer, likely because it's easier to say than Indianans) are proud of their state and its history, and the younger ones are amazed that folks outside the state know so little about it.
They certainly have some big cities - well, they really just have the one, Indianapolis, plus others that are definitely decent-sized, like Ft. Wayne and South Bend. But my impression is that most of these folks are farmers, or are farmers at heart - self-reliant, community-oriented, sturdy. So they don't present the big exuberant image that a more urban state might produce. They seem quiet, though friendly. That sort of person. Very nice people.
The land & Life here
I can tell I'm moving farther towards the Plains states by the land. Maybe it's the contrast with West Virginia, which was only 2 months ago, but I can tell Indiana is flatter than Ohio, which seemed pretty flat to me. Though, like Ohio, Indiana worked itself up to some really pretty hills in the southern part, and that area, closer to the Ohio River, seems much greener and more attractive.
I'm told this is fertile land, and it's certainly being cultivated. I don't know the percentage of Indiana's land that's devoted to agriculture, but it looked to me like at least 65% and likely more. Yeah they've got towns and industries and scenic beauties and waterways. But the overwhelming impression I get from Indiana is farming.
I don't think I've mentioned a word this month about Indiana's caves, but I should have because they've got quite a few. One of them, the Wyandotte, I really wanted to visit but just didn't have time for. The Wyandotte is one of North America's largest caves and contains what's likely the largest underground mountain in the US.
Indiana seems to have a lot of water, though I think most of it is rivers; their lakes mostly seem pretty small. I think they don't have dams on most of their rivers, so they don't have the reservoirs that other states have. On the other hand, they've got beautiful, full-flowing rivers all over the state. I'm actually surprised I haven't seen many businesses that cater to rafting or kayaking - I guess either these rivers aren't conducive to those activities or Hoosiers just aren't that interested in tourism.
They do have some beautiful state parks, though, and these are heavily used by Indiana residents. But now that I think of it, I don't think Indiana is really focused on tourism. Most towns and counties have glossy brochures at welcome centers that encourage folks to come to this museum or that shopping area. But I haven't seen the massive numbers of hotels in these towns that you'd expect if there were high tourist traffic and there aren't as many campgrounds here as I've seen in other states.
I'm back to thinking that most of these folks are really more focused on their communities and on the farming lives so many seem to lead, than on drawing in people who are passing through.
Driving here
Drivers here are a mixed bag - they're perfectly happy to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph or more, just like in the urban states, but they're also very polite and generous. They can be counted on to move to another lane to let in merging traffic, and they do it as soon as they see you, even if you're a ways ahead, so you don't have to wonder if they will.
I think I only heard one horn blowing this whole month, and that was when somebody kept sitting at a green light (probably texting) without moving ahead. Actually, I don't remember seeing anybody at all talking on phones or texting, though I'm sure they were.
Indiana isn't the greatest on posting signs that actually help motorists new to the area, but it's certainly not the worst. I got lost often, partly due to missing or inadequate signage. And I ran into a lot of detours, many of which were water-related - flooded roads or bridge repairs. I guess that's the result of Indiana having so many waterways. But their highway exits are well-marked, which is definitely not the case everywhere.
The road surface on their main roads is almost as bad as Ohio. But on their state and county roads, which is mostly what they've got, the road surface is as good as anywhere else. Having mostly just 2-lane state and county roads is probably a result of it being such a farming state.
Indiana, the Crossroads of America, claims 13 interstates running through the state. The fact is, though, they mostly run east-west and mostly either through Indianapolis or along the northern border. The main north-south road is a US highway, not an interstate, though it seems like it could have been since it runs from Kentucky to Michigan. I guess the states just didn't bother to coordinate to get the funding for it.
What I didn't see that I wanted to see
I really made an effort to be more organized here so as not to miss as much as I've done in other states, and it paid off. There was still much I missed, but you can see from the map above that I managed to cover the state more thoroughly than I've been doing elsewhere.
But I missed Evansville entirely, which I hadn't intended to do, including an African-American Museum there that they're proud of. And I could have been there for their Juneteenth celebration, which I'm sorry to have missed.
I wanted to see the campuses of colleges I've heard of for years: Ball State University in Muncie (a town I also wanted to visit), Purdue in West Lafayette (another town I wanted to visit), Notre Dame in South Bend.
I'd have liked to visit Dr. Ted's Musical Marvels in Dale, the steam-driven train in Connorsville, the Thor RV factory in Elkhart, and the Studebaker Museum in South Bend. There's also that chocolate factory that offers tours in South Bend. And there's the Wyandotte Cave with its underground mountain that I hadn't intended to miss.
Finally, I missed tasting a signature Hoosier delicacy: the breaded pork sandwich. Apparently the best places that serve this pound the pork tenderloin until it's the size of a dinner plate and bread it and fry it and put it on a bun with lettuce and tomatoes. I guess when you know that this dish and the sugar cream pie (Hoosier pie) are the culinary specialties of the state, you've got the flavor of this place. (Just a little pun.)
Conclusion
I liked Indiana a lot. It feels comfortable, undemanding, easy-going. The people seem pleasant, the towns are attractive, the way of life is laid back, though hard-working. From the point of view of whether I could live here, though, I think it's a real shame it's so flat and so far from the ocean. I just couldn't do it, after spending half my life in the mountains by the ocean and loving it. But I do like Indiana.
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