Roadtripping: Enjoying the Journey

As many readers of this blog already know, A.D. and I are big fans of roadtripping and most of our vacations involve moving from point to point along our route.

Prior to getting together around 12 years ago, neither of us really took vacations.  It took us a while to even get to think about it.  Nearly 7 years into our relationship we planned our first road trip out west.  It was life-changing.

During that first trip out west, we ate mostly fast food, dashing from stop to stop and I gained nearly 20 pounds in two weeks.  We were different people at that time and had a different stance on food and sugar.  We look back at the pictures from that trip and are stunned at our size.  Two years later, we were taking our second trip out west and with different ideas on food, we made our first days drive to Indiana.  By chance we stayed near Chesterton.

Roadtripping:  Our New Fave Stop

I don’t recall how we ended up at the Octave Grill, but we did and we had one of the best burgers of our lives.  It is a quaint and cozy, artsy little place that serves some of the best quality local fare available.  This might have been the spark that ignited a trend of searching for great restaurants and food experiences, I’m not sure, but it is an experience that sticks out as a point of change.

It’s funny to me that we have visited a small restaurant nearly 9 hours away from home three times in the past several years, but every experience has been so delightful that we continue to find accommodations nearby so that we can continue to return on each trip.

Last night, I adventured with the Figgy Piggy Burger, a grass-fed patty with fig jam, goat cheese and bacon on a brioche bun.  I don’t typically like goat cheese, but I knew that if the folks at Octave put the flavors together, that it would be amazing, and I was not disappointed.

I encourage everyone to think about their relationship with food and travel.  It is likely much more difficult if you are roadtripping with kids, but it is a good question to ask yourself overall:  Is your vacation nurturing your mental and physical health or is it a point of compromise?