Michigan's in the rear view now

On New Year's Eve, me, Dan, Jay and Ric drove down to middle-of-nowhere Indiana to spend the eve with some college friends. We left about mid-morning and made it in perfect time to stop in South Bend for Chick-Fil-A for my birthday :)

We drove through basically ZERO traffic and took lots of not-often-traveled roads. When we were about twenty miles away, we drove into a Wind Farm. And let me tell you...it was CREEP.Y. It was a really overcast, cold, dreary day and we were just driving through miles upon miles of these ginormous metal windmills. Very UFO-ish. Finally, we arrived, to find that Ryan & Anne live on the very edge of said Wind Farm. (Needless to say, it is VERY windy there.)

We decided to take a ride over to Anne's parents' farm and take the Gators out for a ride. (Anne's dad owns a TON of land and has a big - and I mean BIG - storehouse for tractors, cars, gators and a HUGE combine.)

Here's the combine - a big hit with all of us children :)


Very from the top. Pretty darn huge.


Jay and Ric - oh, how my life wouldn't be the same without this Dynamic Duo...


Me & Dan in the driver's seat. (WHOA, close-up of my face. Sorry.)


Beautiful Indiana farmland


Looking out of the barn, into the Wind Field across the street from Anne's parents' house


Hearing them turn in the middle of nowhere is pretty unsettling


Gator ride! (Sadly, me and Dan were given the windshield-less one. It. Was. COLD.)


Man love. Pure and simple.


Driving through the harvested corn fields


We stopped the Gators and made a trek up a small hill (no easy task in Birkenstock clogs) to some railroad tracks and a small bridge.

Jay & Dan (notice Dan's flannel lined jeans and remind me to tell you how OBSESSED with them he is)


Beautiful winter


Railroad bridge. (I never came close to walking onto it.)


More Wind Farm

All in all, it was a good trip. We left Sunday afternoon, and unfortunately ran into a snow storm about an hour from home. But on the up-side, we got supper from Joe Chicago and had a splendid deep dish in the warmth and comfort of home :)

My favorite picture from the trip (and possibly my favorite picture of all-time)
Dan and Jay, good buddies