Nomad Life - Day 164

This morning, I was up at 0545 (before alarm) and started teleworking immediately.  At 0745, I took a break and had breakfast in the Lobby of the Baymont Hotel (South  Bend).  After that, it was back to work (meetings) until 1300.  I'd made arrangements to have a discussion with Eli F (from the Giving Team at Notre Dame) for lunch and we'd agreed to meet at the Ho Ping House, which was just across the parking lot from my hotel.  They had some good (and filling!) lunch specials and we had a good conversation.  I returned to my room at 1400 and continued working for another hour.  It was snowing lightly (overcast, with temps in the 20s) when I left my hotel (1500) and I drove carefully (four miles) north so I could return to the Madeline Bertrand County Park in Niles, MI for some skiing.  When I arrived (1515), I paid for my time on their cross country ski trails and eagerly got on the circuit.  For the next 90 minutes, I was able to make multiple laps of the trail network and log three miles.  Along the way, I got some nice views of the St. Joseph River and encountered plenty of birds.  I met a man named Patrick and we had an interesting discussion about how Bendix (local engineering company) had transitioned to Honeywell; Patrick also wanted to talk about Notre Dame Football.  There were only a few other folks around but I ended up talking to one about my Appalachian Trail sticker and another wanted to tell me about other ski trails nearby.  Almost everyone I met was from Indiana.  At one point, I had a great time with the great conditions in the tracks - following another skier made for a great glaze!  Afterwards (1650), I departed towards the south and explored St. Patrick's County Park (on the Indiana side of the border).  By 1715, I'd reached my hotel again and the snow (which had continued lightly all afternoon) had stopped.  During this time, I received several voicemails from Prince William Surgery Center, which seemed scary because they originated close to where my daughters and friends live.  I ended up figuring out that the Center people were calling my Google Voice number and, eventually, all of my daughters checked in and even told me that they (and even Nicky) were OK.  Whew!  Before departing the hotel for a Notre Dame versus Virginia Tech Women's Basketball Game, I spent some more time teleworking (mostly extra follow up for next week's work trip in New York State).  At 1845, I departed the Baymont and attempted to drive to the Purcell Pavilion (on the ND Campus).  This didn't turn out to be very easy, unfortunately, and I ran into trouble with Google Maps directions that weren't in line with Campus Security. When I tried follow the latter's guidance and use Twickingham to reach the parking lot, I got stuck in a big traffic jam, with no way to turn right, and (eventually) a traffic accident.  Through it all, it appeared that the local Police and Campus Security people weren't concerned about the difficulties (they certainly didn't help...).  When I finally got on Angela Road and found a way into a parking lot near the Football Stadium, I found it packed with cars.  And, like I've seen in all the parking lots in the area, very little plowing had been done.  Somehow, I found a spot and walked to Gate 10 of the JACC.  When I tried to go inside, I was told I'd need to buy a ticket at another gate.  Meanwhile, more and more people were arriving and most of them had already bought tickets online.  After deciding that this game probably wasn't worth the time, effort or cost, I returned to my car and decided to head back to my hotel (1905).  Suddenly, though, I noticed that there was activity inside of the nearby Legends of Notre Dame Club.  When I was a student, this was the Senior Bar and I only ever went there a few times.  With all the changes on Campus, I never considered that it might still be open...  Tentatively, I re-parked my car and walked inside and found that I was able to sit at the bar.  There was even a basketball game on the TV but the staff were unable to get the Irish v Hokies game on there.  During my time in the Club, I talked to the young bartender (Maddie, a local, probably the age of my daughters) who was working behind the bar.  She recommended some local beers (I tried them all) and then made me one of the Irish Old Fashioned with some honey and special orange bitters.  The drink was very good!  Along the way, I heard stories about special packages during Football Weekends and life on the Notre Dame Campus.  Before departing, I ordered a dessert ("Death by Chocolate Cake").  The bar actually closed at 2000 but I was welcomed to stay until at least 30 minutes beyond that.  By then, the only other patrons were employees of ND.  When I got in my car, I made my way back towards my hotel, following Google Maps.  At one point, though, the app took me past the Bookstore and I didn't try to deviate.  Instead, I followed the directions straight past the guard shack and only realized there was someone inside I saw his face.  By then, though, I didn't stop and, instead, made my way across Campus to the exit at the Door Parking Lot.  I'll admit that I felt a bit like a criminal (student mentality never dies at your Alma Mater, I guess)...  After that, though, it was easy to get to my hotel again (via Business US-31).  I was in my room by 2045 and had barely enough time to watch movies.  Actually, staying awake for those was ill-advised but I did it anyway...  Bed time was at 2300.  Another great day in Northern Indiana!