It is fitting that our cruise begins right in our own back yard. As we made our last drive to Michigan City to begin our journey, we drove through the backroads of Indiana; one last look at the corn and bean field to check their progress, one more chance to see clever additions to a farm house as it passes from one generation to another.

Over the last two years we have driven coast to coast through states from California to Maryland and have learned to appreciate the Indiana farm stead.
Farms in Indiana are tidy. Out buildings mirror the original structures built decades earlier. The 1954 International Harvester is parked neatly next to 2015 Dodge Ram 3500 and is just as well maintained. Its not the same anywhere else.

People often describe leaving a place as" shaking the dust off and leaving the town behind them."

In my case, I can't dust off the rich black earth of Indiana or the determination of those who farm it and feed the world.

You can take the girl out of Indiana but you can't take the Indiana out of the girl.