After a full week on the road, my wife and I went our separate ways for Day 8. She went to a pool party while I joined two buddies at Rackz BBQ. As it turned out, several of the servers were once at G.T. South’s, our favorite before it closed down a few years ago. I went with pulled pork, but didn’t eat it all, knowing there would be a second lunch in less than two hours. I then ran some errands and got gas at 3.84/gallon. Lunch number two was at another tenderloin joint, my third since arriving in Indianapolis. This was with two DNA cousins that I had initially met two years ago.

We had originally planned for a dinner, but decided to hit the road to Decatur, IL, our home a decade ago. This was a relatively last minute detour from our initial route. Storms were headed our way, but despite the rain we arrived at a friend’s home at 9pm with the time change and a quick stop at the Covington Beef House. A late-night cocktail and conversation allowed us to catch-up on where our lives have taken us after at least five years apart. They had come to see us in Portland but then Covid and other health issues prevented contact. It was another fun reunion that extended into the next day. Stay tuned.