Today, Tanya and I left Valparaiso, IN and began our journey back to Southern California. While our initial plans were to spend the night in Hannibal, MO we got a little distracted along the way. We came across the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in hopes on finding Lincoln’s tomb. As it turned out, he was not buried there. We hit up Google and discovered Abe was buried in Springfield, IL. Since it was on the way to Hannibal, the detour was made. Turned out to be a great idea. Many thanks to Ashley at the Route 66 Hotel; and to Lisa K and TJ at D’Arcy’s Pint for the great service and refreshments. A thumbs down to the guy in the orange shirt that refused to let us try their carrot cake. We may return anyway.

The first time I visited Valparaiso, IN was 2007. My girlfriend was new to the area, so neither of us had a clue as far as any of the good restaurants in the area. It seemed that in order for us to find fine dining we had to drive an hour north to Chicago. Luckily, we happened to drive past Gaucho’s on Highway 30. Not only was the food good, the service was great. At the end of our meal we went into the cocktail lounge. Tanya had recently been introduced to Mai Tais and wanted one. The bartender did not know how to make one, but with a little guidance from me, she provided a tasty beverage. The fact that she was willing to give it a try impressed me enough that we return there almost every time I come to Indiana. Justin was our server yesterday, and he maintained the high quality of service that we have become accustomed to receiving.

Day 10 of our road trip started off in Jonesboro, AR after spending a lovely evening with some friends that live there. We really did not know where we were going to travel to today, but as we were less than 600 miles from Tanya’s home, there was a good chance that this would be the last day of this leg of the trip. We ended up headed to Missouri and the Mississippi River. We took some side roads and drove along a levee which gave us an opportunity to see things we would have missed if we had taken the interstate. It was a very long day, but we ended up in Valparaiso, IN which will be home for Buddy and I for a couple days, anyway. The question is, will Tanya drive home with us? Stay tuned.