I went through it once years ago, but I thought certain sections of it were quite pretty, like the area around Nashville (where the Dillinger Museum used to be). The parts of Indianapolis I was in didn't particularly impress, but I didn't think it was that much worse than any other Midwest city I drove through. In common with most of the Midwest states I was in, it's a flat landscape with farms and fields...which isn't my idea of "beauty" or "excitement"...but it meant for me that I was that much closer to Chicago, so I enjoyed it more than I did...let's say...Ohio. The city of Gary did indeed look hellish as I drove past it, but I was born in Newark and raised in Paterson...so "hellish" probably holds a different meaning for me than it does for most other people.

The parts around Bloomington are actually pretty nice, it's somewhat rocky and there are hills and I like that kind of terrain. The rest of it is about as generic as you can get.

I found Indiana rather lovely for about 30 minutes, but that was mainly due to the fact that I arrived at the state line just before dawn. Beyond the sunrise, the formulaic red barn + soy crop + giant farm equipment got a bit redundant.

Boring in a soul-crushing kind of way. . .flat, dull, and uninspiring.

Also loses points if you have to get to Chicago via (drum roll) Gary, Indiana. . .truly one of the worst cities in the first world. . .

Scenery-wise there are two distinctively different parts of Indiana. From about the center up you will mainly see predominately flat farmland – providing about as much excitement as a Mormon drinking party. The most scenic areas are the hilly woodsy areas of southern Indiana – which are nice in the summer and absolutely gorgeous in the fall. However, to be honest - if I had to spend much time on the road in either part of the state during the winter or early spring I’d be ready to slit my wrists before very long (I could say the same for many agricultural areas). But fear not if you find yourself passing through – it doesn’t really take all that long.