I'm certain that the car has never been this dirty
The Michigan Space and Science Center. The outside is the best part.
Science Central: an interesting looking place
The campsite I was in in Detroit was at the end of a 1-mile dirt road. The car has never been dirtier. The motorhome, however, doesn't look all that bad, since it saw mostly paved roads, and the heavy rain did a decent job of taking off some of the bugs.
The plan for today was to head south towards Indianapolis, with a couple of interesting-sounding stops along the way. The first stop was at the Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame, which is located at the Novi Expo Center in Novi, MI, just 6 miles from where I was camped. I got everything packed and the BMW loaded, and headed off for stop #1.
They were setting up the Expo center for some big event. There was a sign on the door of the Motorsports Hall of Fame that said, simply, "Closed." I was bummed! Shoulda squeezed it in yesterday.
So, I got on the road. Through Ann Arbor, then a stop at the Michigan Space and Science Center, in Jackson. Entirely forgettable place. Not worth the detour. But this route took me right near the Michigan Speedway, one of the fastest race tracks in the country. Done lots and lots of computer laps on that track! Now I know where it is.
Then across the border into Indiana. First thing I noticed: much better roads. Second thing I noticed: much cheaper gas. Cheapest diesel I've seen: $1.15. Too bad I'm pretty much full (spent over $1.30 in Ann Arbor, whoops.)
Next stop: Science Central in Fort Wayne, a "hands-on science and technology museum for all ages." It was quite fun, actually. When I bought my ticket, the woman at the counter said, "Wow! I'm impressed that you're doing this alone." I told her that I was seeing the whole country alone, and that turned into a 2-minute conversation.
As you walk around the museum playing with the exhibits, the rule is, if you want any information about anything you see, or want to figure out how to use something, or whatever, just find a staff person. It was a slow day, so there were plenty of staff people around. They all talk to each other via walkie-talkies, and it turns out that they were all talking about me. See, there was this one guy who was taking me up to ride the bike (in a second, I'll get to it) and he said, "So, are you the guy travelling around the country alone?" It was kind of amusing.
So, the bike -- they have this bike suspended on a rail about 40 feet or so off the ground. Hanging from it is a 250-pound weight, so it really can't tip off the rail. That's teh big attraction for most fo the kids, I guess. They also get to play TV weather-person, learn about power plants, rainbows, hot air balloons, magnets, evolution, dinosaurs, and just about every other sort of scientific thing you can imagine. The museum isn't all that big (compared with, say, the Exploratorium) -- it's in an ex-power-plant, but it sure is packed full of interactive exhibits. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't really call it a must-do. But they didn't sell refrigerator magnets in their gift shop.
After that, it was off to Indianapolis. I wanted to see the museum at the Speedway, but with rush hour and everything, it was about 5:15 by the time I got there. The gates were already closed. No major loss anyway, since the entrance looked too small for the motorhome anyway.
So, I decided to spend the night here. The AAA software shows no campgrounds really all that close to downtown, where I wanted to be, but the Woodalls guide said that I could camp at the state fairgrounds, right near downtown. Cool! So, off to the fairgrounds. Turns out they have no pull-thru sites, and not even any long ones, but I was already here. So, I took the BMW off the trailer, detached the trailer, and hooked up the motorhome. It's a good location. And the price is right, only $12.60 with full hookups. I'm amazed.
Tomorrow: wash the car, go to the Speedway, then get hooked up and head out towards St. Louis, via Springfield, IL (and all of the Abraham Lincoln sights).
Anyone know of anything I might accidentally miss in this part of the country?