ARGOS, IN

I pack and prepare to depart early in the morning and I visit with Dale, the proprietor of the liquor store, where I slept in the backyard, while I wash up in his restroom. After a quick breakfast of beef jerky and cashew nuts which is all that was available in this little town, I say my thanks and farewells and head back down Old Hwy 31 to Plymouth and on to La Paz, IN.

The morning starts nice and dry and a very comfortable 65 degrees. However, as the day progresses and I approach Plymouth, the weather turns overcast and humid. I am prepared for rain.

As I enter Plymouth, it looks like many of the other towns I have passed thru along this trip, but with the leaves now turning and many maple leaves lying on the ground with the crisp smell of fall in the air, I anticipate Halloween. Speaking of Halloween, many of the towns thru IN could have been used as the backdrop for John Carpenter's masterpiece "Halloween" which was set in a fictional Haddonfield, IL. http://www.seeing-stars.com/locations/halloween/index.shtml I expect to see Michael Myers around any corner.

Plymouth's downtown sits off the major hwy. Hwy 31 has been rerouted in the past several decades and now the old remnants of this hwy now pass thru a number of older towns. Plymouth appears to be doing very well, but I think this is due to the old hwy runs directly into Rochester, IN and many of the local residents use this route over the 4 lane new hwy because it is shorter and a much more direct route. This would include all the towns between South Bend to Rochester. As I pass beyond Rochester this theory will be put to the test.

I take a few pictures of Plymouth, a very nice town with a population of around 10,000, and then move on. http://www.plymouthin.com/

Note: Old Hwy 31 doesn't even appear on my GPS. My route is set just off of the new hwy.

After 16 miles and I will admit I am feeling tired, I arrive in Argos, IN. I walk down the mainstreet and it looks as if it is barely surviving. I take a few pictures and as I do a young lad, probably 10 yrs old, on a bicycle approaches and asks innocently what I am doing. I explain I am passing thru town and am walking to FL. He questions this with, "are you going to walk the whole way?" My reply is of course and emphatic, "yes" and he immediately remarks with a quip of, "you're not going to make it." Very funny kid. He moves on and I am left pondering his remark and then realize I have to find a place to stay for the evening, it is already 6:00 pm.

I spot the one and only establishment that appears to be open which is of course the local watering hole, "The Bear's Den." http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/172/984070/restaurant/Indiana/Bears-Den-Argos

I enter and meet a whole lot of nice people. First there is Karen and Lucky followed by Christi, Cory, and Andrew. This leads to an introduction to the owner, Ray. I ask any and all of them if there is a place to pitch a tent and Ray offers that I could walk further down the street and find an open garage with a bunch of guys drinking beer and this would be Don's place. Ray feels certain Don would allow me to sleep in his backyard. With that said, I start to put on my pack while thanking all of them and this is when Cory approaches me and asks where I am going. She and her boyfriend Andrew then offer me their backyard and asked if I could wait a few minutes while they finish their dart game and they would then escort me to their residence which ends up being only two blocks away.

We depart, I set up my tent as dusk approaches and then they further extend their hospitality by offering me a shower. I absolutely accept, clean up, and we all head back to the Bear's Den for the evening. Andrew and I shoot some pool, have a few beers, and then they all must depart because they work in the morning. I choose to stay for another beer and take time to visit with the bartender, Julie. As we discuss the town and the "goings-on" within its small population of just over a thousand people, a nice lady named Jackie sits down and starts to explain how my presence in the town has already spread throughout this small population because a friend of hers had mentioned to watch out for a "weird man who is in town." She further explains that all the children had also been told to be cautious of me. Interesting. The townsfolk have already made a snap judgment, yet a young couple have already offered for me to allow this "weird" stranger to sleep in their backyard, allowed me use their home to clean up and had also joined me for an evening of entertainment. I am now starting to feel a little like Michael Myers from Halloween. I guess, 'tis the season.

Anyway, after a discussion about how the town has suffered from the rerouting of the hwy and why I would choose to visit Argos, I say goodnite to all and retire to my tent for the evening. It is a pleasant nite and it is VERY quiet. This is the first I have camped away from a major highway. However, the trains still seem to run throughout all the towns I have visited this entire trip. I hear them everywhere I have stayed during this journey.

I am awakened by Cory as she is preparing to go back to The Bear's Den with her friend Tina, who I am cordially introduced, and they inquire if I would like to join them. I state that once I am packed, I will meet them there for breakfast. As I have mentioned, this establishment is the only place to get food and drink in the entire town. They depart, I pack my gear, and in a short period of time, I meet them for breakfast and coffee. Indiana has the BEST coffee. It has seemed to improve the further south I go.

After a breakfast of bacon and eggs and a couple of cups of coffee, I say my farewells to all and move on down the road to Rochester, IN.

This small town was full of fantastic people. All were more than helpful if not a little suspicious of the "weird stranger." I don't blame any of them for feeling like this. I do fit the moniker because all of these citizens cannot comprehend what would bring a man into their little town and further, why would he stay? I definitely have given them all a lot to talk about and I am certain there will be many myths created, but only a few that have met me will know the truth behind the stranger that passed through their midst this fall of 2009.