Standing in three States!

This last road trip that Meg and I took was a series of moments where we asked ourselves "We are close so why not go?" I mean when you are on a road trip that covers six states and over 1000 miles what does it really matter if you add 20 miles here or 20 miles there. The plan started out as being to travel to St. John, Indiana and then from there we began adding stops.

For example there is a large Celtic Cross carved into a singe stone at the Blue Heron Winery in Cannelton, Indiana. But before we got there we traveled through the town of Dundee, Kentucky- home of the goat! Now you may think we stopped and noticed the town because of the strange slogan "home of the goat". But we didn't even notice that. We stopped because of this building:

Yeah, we drove past a giant abandoned school that looks like it should be on a list of haunted locations. I believe the school opened in 1931and served as the elementary and high school. I can't find when it closed but it does look to have been a while ago. It was when we were pulling out after taking this photo that we saw the sign saying Dundee was the home of the goat. The town got its start in the 1800s as mills opened up along the Rough River. Warren Hines was one of the mill owners and the town of Hines Mill got a post offie in 1846 but closed a little under thirty years later.  Then in 1898 the Dundee Post Office opened. The name change was due to the goat, well goat weather vane from Scotland. An article by Berry Craig in the Kentucky New Era October 26, 1992 explains the debt the town has to the Goat. The goat found its permanent home on top of the Masonic Lodge in 1902 and has been there ever since except for a short time when it was taken down to repair bullet holes caused by bored locals.

Also apparently there was a bank robbery as well in 1978. A 27 year old man eventually pled guilty to the robbery where he had stolen $15,000.





After crossing the Bob Cummings bridge we reached Cannelton, Indiana and the Blue Heron Winery. We pulled up to the Winery Tasting room and were greeted by Lynn Dauby, co-owner of the winery along with her husband Gary.  Lynn showed us around the main building and told us about their concerts during the summer and the cottage rentals.

Then we went inside the tasting room to try some of the wines. She asked what style we preferred and I answered a dry red wine. The first wine we tasted was my favorite it was the Twin Towers silver cap. The name is to honor Perry County's first National Historic Landmark, added to the registry in 1991. The Twin Towers are a striking feature on the large mill, one was a fire escape and the other stored water. Since it's closing the mill has been turned into a low income apartment complex.

The labels on the wine bottles match the names of the wines. On this label is a beautiful black and white picture of the old mill. My other favorite wine was a blueberry wine called Four Blue Stars in honor of their three children and son-in-law who serve in our military. I purchased a bottle of each for when we arrived home from the trip. Just a note the winery does not take credit cards so bring cash because you will want a bottle after tasting.

Lynn was also very happy to tell us about one of the most striking pieces of art on the winery property: a large hand carved Celtic Cross. The Celtic Cross with it's intricate designs has always been one of my favorites. This Cross was commissioned by Lynn and Gary and carved to perfection by self taught sculptor Gary Harris. Gary is a local artist who has created a number of other beautiful artworks including the doors seen in the photo above.   The Cross was carved by Gary in a 20'X22'X4 stone. At first it was going to be smaller but Gary asked if they could dig the stone out further. He worked faithfully six days a week no matter the weather for months. The detail work is beautiful and the lines were so smooth and straight.

Next on the list was a quick drive through the heart of Lafayette, Indiana to see a a statue of a family of farmers made of old farm equipment, mostly tractor parts. The sculpture was plainly visible on the corner of Main street and Fifth and a short distance away from some beautiful old buildings, I believe one was a court house or city hall.




Our next stop was the main reason for the trip as we visited St. John the Evangelist In St. John Indiana. More about my visit to the Church will be in a different blog that I will link here when it is completed.

From there we crossed over the border in to Crete, Illinois to visit Evil Horse Brewing and get some dinner. The brewery is dog friendly and the restaurant next door, The Loft, delivers food. We got a couple of flights to try several beers and since it was Friday in Lent we both got the Shrimp Po' boy for dinner. I loved the set up and decor at Evil Horse. There was a rustic look with lots of reclaimed wood. The night we were there live music was playing in the corner and both singer and guitarist were very talented. We did get a growler and on the lid of the growler was a sticker that gave the name of the bartender who filled it. I thought that was a nice touch. From talking to the bartenders I could tell they knew and appreciated their beers but it says something to be willing to put your name on it. As we sat there a table nearby apparently took an interest because one gentleman came over and sat with us. He asked what brought us to town. I told him I was visiting seven Churches in seven States for Lent, kind of a pilgrimage. He responded by asking if I work . .. which was a little strange but ok. Happily I told him I work four tens so I have three days off a week to road trip. Afterwards I kind of wished I had come up with a better more sarcastic answer or something but what can you do?

Now originally this was the end of the trip. We would start driving back and sleep in the car before finishing the trip home. But it was cold, we were pretty far north, so I didn't think sleeping in the car would be a good idea. And Gypsy Rover and Domino were taking turns annoying each other and needed some space. So I looked for a hotel and found a LaQuinta for a mere $68 a night. Well I couldn't pass that deal up so we drove over there to rest for the night.

Domino lying in the middle of the seat so Gypsy can't lie down. Alternatively Gypsy standing over Domino to annoy her.

Apparently, and I don't exactly know where, there was a nearby cat convention. Almost every room on the first floor had a pet and most of the rooms were cats :-) The woman at the desk had a huge stack of pet policy forms just ready to hand out. I laughed and said the two dogs live with cats so they won't cause a scene. The room was small but still enough space for us and exactly what we needed. Gypsy Rover slept with me and Domino slept with Meghan so they got a break from each other. In the morning we fed the pups and then went and had breakfast in the lobby. Since we had stopped for the night and were now totally refreshed we decided to see some of the other locations I had originally cut from the trip.

The first stop was a giant "Last Supper" at a Megachurch in Munster, IN. Originally I was going to see it at night but we were too tired and it was better to sleep and see it the next day. The front of the Church had a giant cross worked into the facade. At the top in the "arms" of the Church was the large table with Christ and the Disciples seated at it. Directly below it was a statue of Christ holding the cross.

Now that had been all that I knew of but as we drove down the street we saw a few other interesting pieces of art. First, and you may not consider it art but I do, was a Pepsi plant that had two giant cylinders that looked like a mountain dew and a pepsi can. Next was a crazy multi-colored statue. I'm not sure what he was for but he certainly stood out. Then there was an amazing journalist sitting on typewriter keys outside the office building of the local newspaper, The Times.

We had passed a couple of statues on benches and Meg assumed it was a library but when we turned around we discovered it was the Pepsi plant and the statues were sharing sodas. Once again we took advantage to show off Gypsy's sit/down stay.

Next was one of the "well we are so close we might as well go" moments. Because we were super close to Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. Now if you have never seen a Great Lake I highly suggest you do. It is a Lake so large that it has waves like an ocean. I have seen both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario on a previous road trip but Meg had never seen a great lake. In this picture you can see Chicago.

Next we found three quick statues. An elephant and hippo sit randomly in front of a small building. Across the street a hobo holds balloons in front of a car repair shop.

Then we began driving across Indiana to reach a spot where we could stand in three different states... but on the way we had to make a stop because we were close by and why not? In Goshen, Indiana is a rest area along the highway that looks like a castle. Inside was Subway, McDonalds, and a pretty nice convenience store with an amazing selection of local craft beers and wines. You know I never really thought of Indiana when I thought of wine but now that I know they have a wine tour around the state I think I might have to try some more.



Next we arrived at Freemont, Indiana/Camden Township Michigan/Northwest Township Ohio and a spot where we could stand in all three states. A large stone marker erected by the Hillsdale County Historical Society stands off the road near a good spot to pull over. Then in the middle of the road is a square with an "M" that marks the spot.

Now we were kind of in Michigan but it felt like cheating to count it as visiting the state since it was just barely in the state and it was lunch time and we were hungry. So we looked up a brewery in Michigan and picked the closest one to our location that was dog friendly- Ramshackle Brewing in Jonesville, Michigan. On the way to Ramshackle, actually just a few blocks away, we stopped at a small local restaurant to pick up some food to eat at the brewery. The restaurant was Rosalie's Roadhouse. We ordered Tammy's Quesadilla as an appetizer and then Meg got Rosalita's Fajita and I got the Roadhouse Burger. I had an option of house made chips or fries. I chose fries which were good but if you ever stop in I highly highly recommend the house made chips! They only take cash so be ready for that.

The food was ready quickly and we brought it and the dogs over to Ramshackle Brewing. The brewery front was so narrow I actually passed it and had to circle the block. We found it on the second pass thanks to this sign out front. A sign of the times and the rising fear of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19. Inside the brewery had a few tables at the front by the window and then a bar that sat 8-10 people I think. It was definitely a small place. The walls were lined with artwork from a local artist and they were selling glasses with artwork from the same artist. Beside the bar they had a "buy it forward wall" the bartender told me to look and see if any applied to me because I could use it to get a drink. I looked but didn't really see anything but we did buy two and made one card for the next pair of twins who come in. 

Part of the reason why we chose Rosalie's was because it was 3/14 and we were looking for some place that would have pie on Pi Day. 

Meg got a piece of chocolate pie and I had a coconut pie and they were both delicious! After our lunch and splitting the flight we started on the 7 and a half hour drive home. So one cool thing that has resulted from all the road trips that I have taken is recognizing places I have been too. As we drove down 69 I remembered that we would pass the Nestle Quik Bunny by the Nestle plant, I recognized towns of names like Fort Wayne where there is an automated billboard that looks like sliced bread falling on to a plate, Hartford City where we had a paranormal investigation, and Corydon Indiana home of the Constitution Elm.

The pups fell asleep in the back seat for most of the ride home which was nice. I'd say they really seem to have bonded but Gypsy Rover started annoying Domino as soon as she woke up.  

Sadly this will be the last road trip I go on for a while as the Coronavirus has shut down a lot of the country and stopped unessential travel. I've already skipped a road trip to Arkansas and North Carolina. I also cancelled a road trip to the Florida Keys that we had been looking forward to for a long time. Hopefully as people heed warnings and testing continues this virus will be brought under control so that people can safely gather, travel, work, and just live their lives.

Referenced Road trips:
Paranormal Investigation in Hartford City
Previous Road trip in Indiana