Gravel Lake is about 130 miles from Chicago, and driving there east on I-94 should take between two and three hours, depending on the weather, traffic, highway construction, and so on. Going at night is usually dramatic–with the fireballs bursting over the steelworks in Gary and the blinding lights of 18-wheel semis in your rearview mirror–and it’s quicker than during the day. About halfway through Indiana the speed limit jumps to 65, and that limit is in effect most of the rest of the way. In the daytime you’ll see trees, billboards, and the occasional highway patrolman. Have fun picking out the other cars with Illinois plates–watch them, freed of traffic, buzz past cars with local identification. You could avoid the car ride and take the train instead–but once you’re there, good luck finding a cab.
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To get to the lake, after about six or seven miles on M51 turn left onto George Street and take it past some fields, which when I saw them were black dirt and seemed to be smoking in the mist. After going around a sharp curve, take a left on Van Buren Street and go about four miles, turning left at Denny’s Marine.
There are other fruit and vegetable stands dotting the area; to present a larger selection, most sell imported produce along with the local stuff. The best of these is Thompson’s (on M40 between Lawton and Marcellus). It’s open seven days a week, in season, until about 7:30 PM. Prices are good, and the sweet corn alone is usually worth the ride. There are also many farmers who open up their arbors to any amateurs who’d like to pick their own fruit. “U-Pick” can be fun: you pay by the basket and eat at the tree for free. Sometimes though, depending on the harvest, you may drive for hours only to find that the place has had its trees completely plucked. If at all possible, call ahead. In Decatur there are blueberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, and all kinds of raspberries at B & J Blueberry Ranch and Farm Market (616-423-8301, go left on Williams Street from M51, follow the signs to 51520 Gards Prairie Road). Regoni’s (616-423-5491, 46101 on M51, about two miles past town) sells, in season, asparagus, strawberries, and peaches.
Decatur, located in Van Buren County, is closer to Gravel Lake than any other town (though three townships claim parts of the lake). It’s a pleasant village with an understated resort feel. Established in 1848, with the coming of the railroad, Decatur has long had a surprising ethnic and racial diversity, due mostly to the variety of migrant laborers who arrive each year to pick fruit and corn; over the years, some have settled here. It retains a strong sense of its history–even in the local pizza place, the walls are lined with antique photographs and kitchen implements used in “old Decatur.”
