Indiana With Eric



Janice (DragonLady), her daughters and TSD met Eric
at the restaurant Christo's in LaPorte, Indiana.
Thanks for the good times, girls, it's been fun!







Eric seems like a nice guy, so I thought I would pay for his dinner
at Christo's to get off on the right foot. Hmmm, maybe I could
catch up with Eric later and go home with... No, no, no,
I'll behave while I'm in Indiana!







Home-sweet-home for the next week or so.
Looks like there is plenty of room out here
so I won't have to use a litter box for a while.










Got to Eric's house and found a soul mate right away.
I am sure we will have some interesting conversations.
He was fascinated by the stories of my road trip so far.
 

















Well now we're talking!
Eric's wife comes home bearing beer!
Nice lady, but dude...
Ya never did tell me how she got the black eye!



Eric introduced me to Notre Dame football with their game against Georgia Tech.
It was kinda interesting, but I can take it or leave it.
"TSD, the game is over. Let's watch something else!"
"No it's not! There are still two seconds left!"



Sunday morning Eric woke me up to go for a little ride with some other
people getting together at the fairgrounds. We got there and, what do you
know, there was another Marauder. This is Dave from Mishawaka,
right next to South Bend. He has owned his Marauder since 1997
but didn't know about MIGdom.
So we told him and he said he would try and look us up.

Hey Dave!





The "little ride" turned out to be more than 4,000 bikes riding
for Muscular Dystrophy (Jerry's kids) sponsored by ABATE
of Indiana. Here is a view from our place in line!



It was a great social atmosphere and there was plenty of time to mingle.
There was a 45 minute wait from when the ride started until it was our turn to go.
Ok already, let's ride!




After the ride we went to the other end of town and got acquainted with a
different group of people. The Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians
was having their annual Powwow, and here are two of my new friends.
I really liked their feathers but didn't think they would do well in the
wind on a motorcycle. So I got an Indian necklace instead.



With all of the riding earlier and then dancing at the Powwow,
I was ready to eat! Eric said "No, problem, I'll be right back."
Now this really hits the spot for a tiger---buffalo meat!
Ok, ok, it was a burger, and they cooked it! But it was still buffalo
meat. With a side of corn soup and sassafras tea.
Simple, but interestingly different.




Ah, we finally got to Labor Day and this is the life.
What is better than relaxing, grilling some steaks and drinking some beer?



Ok, there is something better, but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
I guess with a 14 year-old daughter in the house, I have to choose my
words more carefully than saying, "If only I had a good-looking doll to share this with"!




Eric told me that Notre Dame was playing Penn State this weekend, so I thought
I would go over and talk a little strategy with Charlie Weis, Notre Dame's
football coach, about how to deal with Nittany Lions. Can you believe it?
This nice lady wouldn't even let me in to see him!
But I am a tiger, and not only that, I am TSD!
Man, is Charlie ever going to be upset when he finds out!



Eric had a better strategy for preparing for the Notre Dame game, anyway.
Let's go to an Irish pub with live music!




...and of course good beer on tap.
...and some Irish stew to make the experience complete.







So Saturday arrives and Eric says he has tickets to the ND/Penn State game
and we will ride there. A bicycle wasn't what I was expecting,
but this way we got to park right outside of the stadium!
And a two-wheeler is a two-wheeler, no matter what the engine is.



Now don't you guys start thinking it was all fun and games with Eric.
When I visit someone I make myself useful to thank them for their hospitality.
And after all, friends, even new friends, help each other out.
So when I noticed Eric's pool was a little chilly and he told me he hadn't
got his heater going yet this year, I jumped right in and helped him get it started.


Eric also had some new chrome pieces for his bike that he had not got
around to putting on, so I offered to wash his bike and clean it up so
everything would be nice and shiny.


Once the bike was clean, then I added the new parts.
The chrome for the back of the sissy bar does add a nice finishing touch.
I liked the gold bolts on the engine case, too.
Eric is hoping to add a lot more gold accents this winter.


In the midst of all the great times with my travels,
there are sobering moments for remembrance and reflection.
September 11 was one of those times.
Five years ago, even though I wasn't around yet,
our world changed.
To all who died and all who responded,
we will never forget,
and we can never repay, your sacrifice!



As a farewell to Indiana, we went to the local brewpub,
the Mishawaka Brewing Company. Rather than choose one type,
Eric said we could sample all of their beers. But they only brought
these little glasses! What's up with that? I straightened the
waitress out and showed Eric what a real sampler was!

It was finally time to move on and leave Indiana for Ohio to meet new friends.
But I got to see an old friend too! Eric took me to Toledo to meet Bob,
who would take me on further east, and Train Wreck Steve came down from
Michigan to say hi as well. We had a nice lunch at a Steak N Shake,
and swapped stories for a while. All good guys.
Take care, TWS, it was good seeing you again. Thanks for everything, Eric.


And now it is on to new adventures with Bob!
Ohio with Bob