Published: May 22, 2009 04:11 pm      

Around the world in 80 days... or at least it felt like that

Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. Sometimes having them go awry is the best thing possible. And sometimes having no plans is the best option.

Pretty much all of those scenarios have proven to be true over the past two weeks.

Over a stretch of 10 days, my wife I stayed in four hotels, for six nights, in four cities, in two states, in three time zones, and for three different reasons.

We started off by journeying to the land of the Mormons in Salt Lake City. Originally headed out there for business, we decided, having never been to Utah, to tack on an extra day and see if we couldn’t discover the adventure that is a valley holding a giant body of water with no fish. This proved to be a very educational and intriguing journey.

We were able to go up to Olympic Park. Being a native Hoosier used to flat country and corn fields, I had never been closer to winter Olympic sports then my TV and my Wii. We took a tour of the park and were fortunate enough to gaze down both the bobsled and ski jump venues. Leading to the obvious conclusion that these people are nuts! Eighty miles an hour in what basically amounts to an oversized bullet is not sane. Or in the case of the ski jump, hurling 90 miles an hour down a sheet of ice only to be launched through the sky while hoping to land smoothly on a man made glacier.

Salt Lake City also blessed us with my very first encounter with an “Escape Polygamy” billboard. Enough said.

Upon returning to Indiana, our adventure was far from over as we began playing “tourist” in our own state. We started in Floyd County with a quick business trip and pleasant lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen since high school. This trip verified what I had previously suspected. Take just about any exit into any town in Indiana and within five minutes you can find a Mexican restaurant serving the same food we have at home.

On Friday, the entire family headed up to Amish Country. (If you are keeping score at home, this is our second pilgrimage to a major religious center in a week’s time.) For dinner we visited the Essenhaus Inn and Restaurant — definitely on my list of recommended eating. And while you’re up there, take a quick jaunt over to Shipshewana to visit the Amish and Mennonite museum. It is really worth the $7 price of admission. Of course, it does make you wonder why chicken and noodles taste more home cooked at an Amish restaurant then they do in your own kitchen.

After a little bit of business on Saturday morning, we began eating our way across Northern Indiana. Blue Gate Restaurant for lunch, afternoon snack at the South Bend Chocolate Company, followed by steak in Michigan City.  Of course, we also had to squeeze in a visit to Notre Dame. After the Mormons and Amish we felt we should also pay a visit to the Catholics ... just to be fair.

By the time Sunday rolled around we were all bored with Indiana, so we headed off to Chicago. We spent the day at the Museum of Science and Industry followed by — you guessed it — DINNER at Navy Pier.

Besides gaining 10 pounds on the weekend, we also learned about the U-505 submarine captured during World War II and how coal is mined in Illinois. Yes, I am a history buff, but I think anyone would agree that standing inside a German U-Boat rocks!

By the time we got home on Sunday night, the entire family was officially wiped out.

So, what did I find out? The Great Salt Lake — really cool. Park City Utah — Gorgeous. New Albany, Ind. — a pleasant place to visit. Amish Country — very entertaining. Indiana Dunes — beautiful and windy. The museums — worth the price of admission. Doing it all at one time — not recommended.

— Kirby Kirkpatrick is a freelance writer and owner of Success Express. Read more and/or contact him at www.KirbyKirkpatrick.com.