NORTHERN INDIANA — With the election just days away, Indiana's primary is the talk in nearly every town across the state. But is that talk the same? Or are voters split on different issues, in different areas? WSBT turned the Indiana Toll Road into the "poll road" to try and find out.

We climbed aboard the WSBT StormTracker H2, and headed west from South Bend toward the Illinois border.

LAKE COUNTY

About 2 hours later, we pulled up in East Chicago -- about as far west as you can go in Lake County without crossing into Chicago. Our first stop was -- naturally -- the "Up For Grabs Cafe," where we met the lunchtime crowd, and Hugh O'Donnell.

He lives in Whiting, in the shadows of Lake County's numerous steel factories and oil refineries. It's also right in the heart of the mighty Chicago media market.

There's no doubt, he says, that it's "Obama country."

"It does help him, yes," he said. "The Chicago stations hit us, and he's an Illinois senator."

But take a drive around town, past Hammond, Gary or Hobart, and Hugh says you'll notice something else too: campaign signs for Hillary Clinton.

"I think it's split," he said. "[I don't think it'll be an automatic win for [Obama], no, I don't. Whoever wins, it'll be by one or two points."

And he says those shadows he lives in are a big reason why.

"We're losing too many jobs, especially in the major industries," he said. "In this area, it's steel."

And Clinton, he says, is the only candidate who's offered a plan to bring them back.

"That's why I'm voting for her this Tuesday," he continued.

And everyone we spoke with in Lake County agreed that the economy is the number one issue.

"Jobs are a major problem," said Jerry Schweiterman, also of Whiting.

"It's the economy," agreed his friend Al Spilly, sitting across the table. "It's employment."

PORTER COUNTY

The picture was pretty clear in Lake County, so we began our trip back east. As we passed toll booth number two, the campaign signs began to pop up in Porter County.

We got off the road in Portage and stopped at "Hair Rocks" hair salon, where exactly who rocks is the only subject on customers' minds these days.

"We all talk about that," said one stylist.

Our next question: Were we still in "Obama country" in Porter County?

"I'd say we're right on that fringe area," said Doug Burge of Valparaiso. "It could go either way."

But shop owner Pam Bright wasn't so sure.

"I think Hillary," she said, when asked who her customers have been backing. "And I do ask."

One thing is clear though: the big issues here might not be quite the same.

"Health care and the price of gas," said Burge, when asked what his priorities were.

And on that one, Bright agreed.

"As the gas goes up, business gets slower," she said.

In fact, it's slowed so much that she's now afraid she won't be able to keep the doors open at her 30-year-old salon.

"I worry about that, I really do," she trailed off, holding a silver comb in her hand.

It's one reason why she's backing Hillary Clinton too.

"She seems strong and aggressive. I like her. I think we need a woman," she said.

But will it come down to gender, or -- for that matter -- to race?

We continued our journey east to try and find out.

MISHAWAKA

Our next stop was much closer to home. We got off at the Mishawaka exit, and stopped at Burton's Laundry, where we met Demond Arnold of South Bend.

His response to both issues?

"The black issue isn't important. The woman issue isn't important at all either. As long as we get someone in office that's going to help the country better itself and see a change."

And he says it doesn't matter who brings that change, but his top issue is better health care. He says he'll vote for the candidate that delivers it.

MIDDLEBURY

We headed back out onto the Toll Road, and made a "middle of the state, middle of the trip" stop.

So, what better place than Middlebury?

And what better place for a story about driving, than the driving range?

That's where we met 18-year-old Sam Harrington, of Middlebury, who will be voting for the first time this election.

"I think a lot of people will want to see change," he said.

The top issue for him?

"Being a teenager? It's gas prices," he said.

But he's still undecided about who will bring that change.

As for the race for Indiana governor? Well, Sam admits, he isn't even sure who's running. But he knows he doesn't like the guy who switched Elkhart County's time zone.

"[I'm] not a fan of that," he said. "That would be an issue to me, oh yeah."

Darrell Ott, of Goshen, wasn't sure who he was backing either when we caught up with him on the green at hole number 2. In fact, he thinks all the candidates are "missing the mark."

"I'm basically totally undecided," he said. "But if I had to make a choice, it would probably be Hillary Clinton right now. Being a president's wife, I think she has a lot of knowledge about what goes on."

But as for being "totally sold" on her?

"No, not really," he said.

What he is sure of are the issues he's watching.

"My problems are property taxes and gas prices," he said.

He does like what Gov. Mitch Daniels has done to try and fix the state's property tax problems. But, is it enough?

"I don't think anyone's fixed it," he said.

LAGRANGE COUNTY

Back on the Toll Road it was clear just how far we'd already come. The odometer read 143 miles from Lake County. But the landscape told the real story, now dotted with cows and corn instead of factories and foundries.

So, who better to talk to than Frank and Richard Sherman?

They're brothers, lifelong farmers, and lifelong LaGrange County residents, who say they know the "pulse" of Howe and LaGrange about as well as anyone.

Life runs a little slower here in this Republican stronghold than it does on the opposite side of the state. And while both brothers are, as Frank put it, "pretty well Republican," they're not the country's biggest John McCain backers.

"McCain's not my favorite one," said Rich. "But the other two scare me!"

"John would be a status quo man," agreed Frank. "I think we need change. But I don't know if we need drastic change."

Except, that is, in one area.

"These fuel prices are devastating everything," said Frank.

"Diesel fuel is just terribly high," nodded Rich next to him.

In fact, the Shermans have seen their expenses rise by more than 1/3 in the last six months alone. If the price at the pump gets much higher, they say their combines might have to be shut down.

"They keep offering solutions, but I don't see how they're going to do anything," said Frank.

As for the gubernatorial race?

Both brothers think Mitch Daniels has done a "pretty good" job. And, as for complaints from neighboring counties about the lease of the Toll Road or the time zone change?

"A good leader is not always liked," said Frank.

STEUBEN COUNTY

As we climbed back behind the wheel of the H2, it was clear we were nearing the end of the road, literally. As the sun began to fade, signs began to warn us of the approaching "last exit before the Ohio Turnpike."

That meant our last stop would be in Angola, a sleepy town of about 7,000 residents which -- according to Cynthia Mitchell -- can be summed up in two words:

"Extremely Republican," she said with a smile while getting her nails done at a local beauty salon.

And she says she's usually a "party line" type of voter. But in this election, she isn't so sure.

"We've got a lot at stake right now," she said. "The war in Iraq is a big deal. I'd like to see it come to an end. I have some really close friends that are in Iraq right now, so I guess I'm touched by it. We've lost so many innocent people that didn't need to be lost."

But she wasn't completely sure who she was casting her ballot for quite yet.

What she was sure of?

"I'll be voting. If I don't vote, then I can't make a difference."

As for the gubernatorial race?

She didn't feel strongly either way. But she certainly didn't like that Gov. Daniels had played any part in leasing the Toll Road.

"That really does not rest well with me," she said.

REFLECTIONS

At the opposite end of our polling journey, jobs didn't seem to be "issue number 1" anymore.

But gas prices still seemed to be a universal "Hoosier hornet's nest."

As we turned the H2 back west and headed home, it was time to reflect on what we'd learned. Admittedly, while we did speak with more than two dozen voters (many of whom were not included in our story as we edited for time) and our sampling was fairly random, it was certainly far from a "scientific" or "conclusive" poll.

But after 9 hours, 9 toll booths, and 351 miles, we did learn at least one thing. Perhaps Demond Arnold, who we met the closest to home, put it best:

"The only thing we might all agree on this Tuesday is that you can't complain if you don't vote," he said with a smile.