Today’s post is 1300 words, 20 photos, a 6-minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
For the past few weeks, I’ve been posting reruns from my travels to Austria and Germany last year. Frankly, I ran out of writing material plus my life has been incredibly busy. This week I’m back with some new writing and photos. I’ll take you on the road to State College, Pennsylvania, where we visited The Eldest and The Son-in-Law and attended the Wisconsin/Penn State football game.
Before we get started, if you missed last year’s three reposts, click here, here, and here.
The Trail to State College
We drove the 715 miles from Madison to State College in our Buick Regal. We considered driving the F-150, then checked gas prices and left it at home. We drove most of the miles on the interstate highway system in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio charge tolls to use their main roads. The round-trip toll bill was $69.87. The drive there and back was smooth, except for heavy, slow traffic through parts of Chicago.
We left around noon the first day and stopped to spend the night in Elkhart, Indiana. Elkhart is about 100 miles east of Chicago and is known as the “City with a Heart.” Elkhart has a strong heritage in the recreational-vehicle and musical-instrument industries. The city also offers museums, historic neighborhoods, parks, and a vibrant downtown that reflect its blend of industrial history and Midwestern community life.
When I asked the hotel check-in clerk for a restaurant recommendation, she quickly said, “Everyone I’ve sent to the Chubby Trout has loved it.” She was right. Even though the place was packed, service was quick and the food was delicious. It’s worth getting off the tollway for a meal at this interesting and lively restaurant.
We stayed in Elkhart because my Traveling Partner wanted to shop for baking supplies at the Amish grocery in nearby Shipshewana. We’ve been to this area several times over the years; we met The Eldest and The Son-in-Law when they needed us to dog-sit while they worked abroad. Last year, we rented a nearby house and spent Thanksgiving together with The Youngest. 
After the shopping spree was complete and the trunk full of groceries, we were back on the Indiana Tollway heading east to Ohio and Pennsylvania. Before leaving Indiana, we filled the car with gas. Most stations in Indiana were $4.09 to $4.29 a gallon; I found one at $3.99. But look at the price of diesel! We saw higher diesel prices on the way to State College. On the way back, prices dropped by 10-25 cents a gallon. It’s interesting to note that I-80/I-90 has a lot of truck traffic. At one point on the drive, we saw 3-4 trucks for every car. It’s no wonder diesel prices show up in the stuff we buy. 
Our only stops were in Ohio to use the restroom at the travel plazas. Indiana had better food choices, just saying.
We arrived in State College in the late afternoon, just in time to join a Zoom meeting with a committee we chair. In the meantime, The Eldest went to the gym to work out. We spent the rest of the evening with a nice dinner and conversation.
State College
The next morning, The Eldest was off to teach one of her classes at the University. When she returned, we were ready for the day. She had a meeting in the afternoon, so she dropped us off at the Penn State All-Sport Museum located in Beaver Stadium where we would attend the Wisconsin/Penn State football game in a couple of days. 
The museum has no admission fee. A friendly attendant asked where we were from. When we replied, “Wisconsin,” she welcomed us and said that she had traveled to our state earlier this year. She showed us photos of some of the places she stopped. Then she briefed us on the museum layout. I was interested in the photo exhibit by a long-time team photographer. She told me where to find those photos. As we were about to set off, she told us a couple of volunteers could take us up to the 4th floor so we could see the stadium with none of the 106,700 seats filled. Here’s what we saw.
We were told that this stadium has real grass, none of that fake stuff. Some grounds guys were repainting the letters, numbers, and down markers for the game. A cool breeze blew, reminding us to dress warmly for the game.
Back in the museum, we walked through the many exhibits of all the sports played at this University. Our first stop was the showcase of the original Nittany Lion, Penn State’s mascot. There’s quite a story about the travels of this taxidermied mountain lion and how it became the mascot. Click here to learn more.
The Penn State “We Are!” tradition dates to 1948, when the football team was preparing to play the University of Miami in the Orange Bowl. The Penn State coach reportedly introduced the team to the idea of answering the question, “Who are we?” with “We are Penn State!” The phrase quickly caught on with players and fans, becoming a powerful expression of Penn State identity and unity. Today, the call-and-response “We Are! Penn State!” is one of the university’s best-known traditions. And I can attest that it is said with passion and volume!
At Penn State football is more than a college sport—it is an important part of the university’s identity and the State College community. The program dates to 1887 and has a long tradition of success, including national championships in 1982 and 1986. After Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1990 rivalries have developed with other major programs such as Ohio State and Michigan. For students, alumni, and fans, Penn State football represents tradition, community, and generations of shared memories. I’ll have more to say next week when I’ll take you to the game.
This LEGO representation of Beaver Stadium shows how massive it is, the second-largest in football.
I enjoyed seeing the photos by Pat Little, who began taking photos at Penn State while working for the college’s newspaper. After college, Little worked for the local State College newspaper as a full-time photographer. Later, he worked for the AP and Reuters while giving back to his alma mater as the photo advisor for the college newspaper. Now retired, he continues the creative pursuits of writing and publishing his large catalog of photos.
The Joe Paterno Room at the Museum highlights the career and legacy of Joe Paterno, who coached Penn State football from 1966 to 2011. The exhibit includes photographs, memorabilia, awards, and other items from his long coaching career, offering visitors a look at the program during his tenure. It also reflects Paterno’s emphasis on academics and his “Grand Experiment,” the philosophy of developing student-athletes both on and off the field.
Paterno’s career ended abruptly in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, with questions about his role in reporting the abuse to higher authorities. The scandal profoundly affected the University, bringing national scrutiny, investigations, leadership changes, and an examination of governance and culture. The University faced huge fines and a four-year postseason ban, which led to major reforms in the athletic program. It’s taken years for the University to recover.
At the end of our visit to the museum, we walked past the big We Are sculpture to the Berkey Creamery, where we enjoyed large dishes of ice cream for me and sorbet for her. There is one size and it sells for $6.00. Trust me, it’s a lot of ice cream!
The Eldest met us at the Creamery. We walked to her office, where we met some of the other staff and students. She is an Associate Teaching Professor of International Agriculture. 
The main campus has over 49,000 students, about 42,000 undergrads, and 7,000 grad students. The campus is fairly compact, as you can see from the map below.
That’s all for this week. Join me next week for Part 2 of State College.
But before I go……
THE FIVE SENSES PLUS ONE
Saw – The countryside between Madison and State College, Beaver Stadium, Penn State All-Sports Museum, Joe Paterno memorabilia, State College
Heard – tires on the highway, trucks shifting gears
Touch – doors and railings, shopping cart, museum exhibits
Smell – Coffee at travel plazas, food cooking at the Chubby Trout,
Taste – fish tacos, breakfast at the hotel, pizza that I made myself
Learned – the storied history of sports at Penn State and around the country, Paterno’s emphasis on academic achievement for athletes, the origins of We Are!, and the mascot.
Until then, happy travels,
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM