Fresh off the spring OOIDA Board Meeting in Grain Valley, MO, next for Marty Ellis and the OOIDA Tour trailer is Gary, Ind.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker are scheduled to be at the Petro Truck Stop in Gary Sunday through Tuesday, April 24-26. The Gary Petro is at exit 9 of I-80/I-94.

The Gary Petro has parking for 405 tractor-trailers. The Iron Skillet is ready and open for business. It is west of the I-94 interchange with I-65. It opened in 2013 and the interior commemorates the town of Gary, also known as “Steel City”.

The last time The Spirit stopped by Gary was two years ago in 2020. Gary is about 25 miles from downtown Chicago.

The town is adjacent to Indiana Dunes National Park along Lake Michigan, just 10 miles from the Gary Petro. The park hugs the southern shore of Lake Michigan for 15 miles and covers 15,000 acres. There are beaches, hiking trails, and other amenities. A pass is required to enter the park.

city ​​of steel

It is known as Steel City because Gary was founded in 1906 by United States Steel Corp. US Steel Gary Works is located there. The city is named after the founding president of US Steel, Elbert Gary.

US Steel laid out the original town and paid for a water and sewer system for a town of 200,000, according to a historic Indianapolis Star report. Heat and gas for the city were by-products of the steel mills.

Stop when you see the Spirit

If you see the OOIDA tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks forward to visiting you to learn about Association activities and current issues. There are copies of Land Line Magazine to pick up there. You can join or renew your membership for $10 off the regular price at The Spirit. Face masks are available at The Spirit for anyone with a commercial driver’s license.

After Gary, Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer is scheduled to stop in Michigan twice: April 28-30 in Saginaw and May 2-4 in Battle Creek.

Here is the program of The Spirit. LL