The Backroads of Heaven
I don’t remember exactly when Michael Knies, my friend since before Kindergarten, transformed into the Big Kahuna . The nickname (along with Kahuna for short) immediately stuck. The label embodied the “bigness” of this tall, athletic guy who had a huge laugh and an even bigger heart. In fact, just about everything about Kahuna was large. Even his car. In high school, he drove an enormous red Impala presumably crafted sometime in the 1970s specifically with Kahuna’s larger-than-life personality in mind. Nothing would make him happier than stuffing the giant vehicle with as many friends as possible. Friends like Jill (Sermersheim) Sicard, myself and a half dozen others would pile into the car and let Kahuna guide us on our next voyage. We would sing along to music, explore new backroads of Southern Indiana, cruise the “lap” in our hometown of Ferdinand, and jump out of the car at the town’s one stoplight and...
