If there’s one thing I’ve learned traveling through the Midwest, it’s that you never know what you’ll see. I’m on the road again, this time on a 12-day jaunt through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. Most of my stops are smallish towns, so it’s a good chance to witness the heart of middle America, at least through these states.

Today’s drive took me to Griffith, Indiana, where I found this misplaced moose atop a taxidermy and outdoor furniture store. He was quite authentic looking, so I’m pretty sure he is (was) real. Still, no small feat to get him up on the roof for all the world to see his splendid rack. And like those eerie paintings whose eyes tend to look right at you regardless of where you’re standing in the room, this moose dude seemed to keep an eye on me while taking his picture from the sidewalk below.

Tomorrow I head off across Illinois, my destination just east of St. Louis. I’m hoping that area has recovered their electrical power lost from the recent example of another great Midwest tradition: vigorous summer storms. I’ll be sure to keep the camera ready on the passenger’s seat while I travel down highways braced by fields of tall corn plants. Who knows what I’ll find, but if it’s interesting, I’ll post it here.