And we’re on our way

Indiana Day 1

As we prepared and packed for the 2026 PPC Tour, we wondered out loud what the trip would be like. After all, it was Indiana. Would it be as interesting and picturesque as Door County Wisconsin? Would it be flat like Central Illinois or as hilly as South Dakota. There were some lakes but certainly not as many as Iowa.

We were going for 10 days this tour which was a little shorter than past trips. In addition to our requisite activities such as kayaking, bike riding, and hiking we scheduled a few special activities including: a train ride, a baseball game, and a concert. We both agreed the schedule and variety of activities would be good.

We started out the trip heading west which was the wrong direction. But just for a few miles. We needed some ‘traveling’ coffee so the first stop was Revive Coffee and Roasting, a shop located in Goodfield, IL. We often stop there when we travel west or south. The coffee is really good. We also picked up a bag of ground coffee to use at our AIRBNB.

A quick stop and we hit the Interstate going east. Our coffee stayed hot and lasted for a couple hours but after noon, we started feeling hungry. Well, let’s try one of our favorites for a snack, Best Friends Coffee and Bagels in Brownsburg IN.

Once again, we were quickly back on the road. The Airbnb was the next stop, less than two hours away. Little did we know about the last five miles of the drive. Well, we were warned about the gravel road, but in central Illinois, there are few of these and if we see one, it’s likely to be flat and straight – not so in this case.

We got off the Interstate at Bloomington IN and headed east for about ten miles then turned south. When we reached the gravel road, we found a narrow, winding and dusty road. Five and one-half miles of loose rocks and washouts.

Twenty five minutes later, we were at the cabin.

Ok so the view was great and once we got there we had everything we needed. But at that point we realized we would need to plan our trips into town or to an activity to limit gravel time. It would be a challenge for the rest of the tour. But we were up for it!