A Mid-West Vacation: Part I

Last week, Andrea, Kellie and I visited South Bend, Indiana to visit Jessica Zekus, a friend and fellow alumna of Alfred University.  Currently, Jessica is a graduate student working to get her MFA and works with ceramic art.  Back in March of 2010, Andrea and I came to visit her, and this was Kellie’s first trip out to Indiana.  As we traveled, I did my best to blog and remember as many of the more notable details.  All the pictures in this installment are used with permission from Andrea.

Day 1: Monday, May 23, 2011 – Travel Day

The journey from Binghamton, NY to South Bend, Indiana encompasses about 655 miles and times out at just under ten hours if you drive non-stop.  Needless to say, it takes a bit longer to get there considering gas breaks, food breaks and bathroom breaks.  Before even hitting the road, Kellie had her stitches taken out while Andrea and I put air in the tires.  But at 10:45am, we were on our way. 

Apart from the typical roadway hazards and annoyances (like construction, rush-hour traffic and poor driving), the most notable event occurred just as we arrived on the Ohio Turnpike.  A hailstorm was making its way across the highway along with some intense wind and rain.  At one point, we were unable to see more than a foot or two out our windows.  Taking the lead of my fellow drivers, we pulled off to the side if the highway and waited the storm out, which only lasted about five to seven minutes.  I regret not taking pictures of the storm and its marble-sized hail, but I had become preoccupied in scanning for potential tornados.  The rest of the trip was actually quite pleasant and clear weather-wise.  In fact, Andrea produced some sweet pictures of the Ohioan landscape, including this beauty.

A farm in Ohio at dusk

But all in all, the driving wasn’t too bad, and it was lovely to be greeted so warmly when we finally reached Jessica at Notre Dame University.

Day 2: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 – A Day on the Campus

After a good night’s sleep and a wonderful breakfast, Jessica gave us a tour of the campus.  When Andrea visited last spring, it was still a bit chilly and very few of the flowers or other floras were in bloom yet.  This time the campus was in full blossom, and along the backdrops of the campus architecture, the entire university becomes a delight to the eye.  Apart from visiting the typical sites like “Touchdown Jesus,” the four of us also monkeyed around a bit in a low-branched tree.

"Touchdown Jesus" gets its name because the mural is centered
between the two uprights of Notre Dame's football stadium 

 

South Bend is actually home to three different higher education facilities.  Notre Dame University gets most of the attention, but tucked away is Holy Cross College, a liberal arts school with an emphasis in Catholic tradition, and also St. Mary’s College, which is an all-women liberal arts school that focuses on having their graduates make meaningful and spiritual impacts on the world after graduation.  All three of these schools neighbor each other and between them are two small, but gorgeous lakes.  Our afternoon was spent on walking around the lake trail, observing wildlife, and making conversations.

When the grand tour of the campus concluded, we bought some groceries to last us the week, had dinner, and played Sequence and ate ice cream for the rest of the evening.  It was an awesome first full day.