One hundred yards of (pure) Michigan

Since I was making good time on my trip home from Pittsburgh, I decided to exit the Indiana Toll Road and venture into Michigan. The state line was literally 1,500 feet from the ramp and, as with Alabama a few weeks ago, I had no clue when or if I will ever have a reason to go to Michigan in the future. A summer camping trip to Ontario, via Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, was in the works but that plan fell through, so I thought I may as well venture into the Great Lakes State while I had the chance.

I got off at the Howe-LeGrange exit. The toll from the Eastpoint plaza (just west of the Ohio state line) was $1.90 and I needed to insert two bucks into what was essentially a vending machine. (It was not literally a vending machine but the process was similar. Indiana privatized the Toll Road six years ago or so and it was unsurprising that the little toll plaza was completely automated. Machines do not need health insurance or a pension fund.) I took a left and soon came across the above welcome sign.

Michigan!

About 100 yards down the road (if that, even) I turned around in the parking lot of what appeared to be an abandoned auto repair shop and headed back into Indiana and got onto the Toll Road again.

Though quick, it was a meaningful excursion. Michigan officially gets me to 25 states — halfway, baby.