Wander Indiana...? Why Not...!!!

Wander Indiana…?  Why Not!!!

By John W. Vander Velden

Sometimes thing just don’t go as planned.  We had intended to go north for a few days this summer…well…  Our vacation got postponed so why not go the other way. 

We set up base camp in a really nice hotel in Edinburg, Indiana.  That’s just north of Columbus.  From there we drove to several points in Southern Indiana…beginning with Nashville…that is Indiana.  Jackie calls it little Nashville.  I don’t think the folks there would mind.  It’s an artsy craftsy sort of place.  Tuesday sent us to Clifty Falls State Park for some hiking…huff…huff…huff…  Trust me these old legs aren’t what they used to be.  I did make it to the creek bed…almost. The nice “young” couple down there told me that the real creek bed was just over the next ridge.  “Cool” was how they described it. “I should hike to the falls.”  They suggested.  “Should make there and back in a couple of hours…or so.”  They told me.  I informed them that I had left Jackie at the top of the trail…(her choice)…that I did not want to leave her for such an extended time…and after all, she had the keys!

Strange the climb up was more difficult than going down.  Three times I stopped to take some pictures…a good excuse to give heart and lungs time to reach me.  As I climbed I heard a car horn…our car horn.  No, Jackie wasn’t leaving she felt certain, since my absence was much longer than I had predicted that I was broken and bloody on the rocks below.  This of course was not the case…sweaty, carried by some rubbery things that had once upon a time been leg muscles, and huffing I reached her in one piece.

The remainder of the day we spent hiking the sidewalks and shops of Madison on the Ohio River.  Is it just me or why isn’t it the Indiana River, or the Kentucky River, or Pennsylvania River, for crying out loud.  Anyway it just isn’t.  But Madison is an old place…old being a relative term…old for Indiana anyway.  The state was settled from the river north.  So the towns on the Ohio are thirty or more years older than the new places like Plymouth.  But Madison is worth the drive…and that’s saying something, ‘cause it’s out of the way.

The next morning found us nearly halfway across the state at Spring Mill State Park.  I told Jackie I wanted to be there before lunch so the light would be right.  You know how picky photographers are.  Well the light was perfect…perfect being a relative term…but as close to perfect as I could have hoped.  A beautiful morning in a beautiful place.  We debated whether to hike…our legs ask for the right to vote…or to press on to the next stop. 

 

 

 

It was so tranquil there I could have easily hiked another 5 miles or so…maybe…but concerned that the light would fail us if we waited we pressed on to West Baden.  What on earth is in West Baden you ask?  Why the West Baden Springs as well as the Hotel that gathered its fame…originally…from those springs. It was the hotel that called us…or me…  We had seen it in the distance years ago.  If you have seen the edifice you would understand.  It is like no other building I have ever seen.  And then it was in ruins.  Not so today.  It is surprising what 129 million dollars can do. 

When we went to see the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, you paid for the privilege to walk the porch and gardens…but to go any further…“verboten”.    So we expected a similar situation here, but were pleasantly surprised to find the building open to the public.  We did pay for a tour though and the information made it well worth the price.  Scratch one place off my “bucket list”.

The following day found us at Metamora on the White Water Canal…or what once was the canal.  It was off season and most of the shops were closed.  The years have not been kind to the “tourist trap”…being murdered by the casinos we were told.  But they have a mill…a scenic railroad…in season, sorry not today folks…and a canal boat ride, which we took…two magnificent Belgians pulled the boat down and back…make it yet an interesting place.  I cannot forget the cookie jar lady who has collected more different cookie jars than any other living being…at least according to Guinness.  And of course the “Smelly Gourmet”, who has one of the most interesting shops I have ever entered.

That took us to Friday…transit day.  We left our nice hotel in Edinburg for an equally nice place on the outskirts of Lebanon.  A hotel so close to I65 they could have charged tolls.  Honestly, the access road you took to reach the place also doubled as the entrance ramp to the Interstate…don’t miss the driveway or you will find yourself Indy bound.   But on the way across the state we made some interesting stops, including Cataract Falls, Indiana’s largest.  The dry weather had reduced the flow but it did not disappoint.  From Cataract we headed to Mansfield, but on a whim detoured to Bridgeton.  It had been years since our…let’s see just how many covered bridges we can find in Park County…days.  That adventure had taken us to Bridgeton, so we wanted to see how the place had changed…dramatically. 

First off…Bridgeton is in the “middle of nowhere”…the mill keepers words.  I can vouch for that for we left town on the wrong road…not on the map…any map…well maybe the county plat map…and it took more than an hour to reach Mansfield only six miles away…though we drove nearly twenty.  On the bright side we found two delightful covered bridges.  Of course the photographer had to stop…and I let him…I mean me.

The light was still good when we reached Mansfield.  The mill there is a gem.  Though Jackie thought it looked better before they painted the place white.  I suppose weathered wood has its appeal.  The mill is a historical landmark and very authentic...paint and all.  I cannot forget to mention that Mansfield has a covered bridge…making it the fifth we had seen that day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Now we come to day “last”.  I had picked Lebanon…not my first choice, but a good one all the same…so we would be near West Lafayette.  We intended to finish our trip by visiting our son on campus.  It was homecoming weekend and felt the need to arrive early enough to find convenient parking. Convenient you ask?  Well yes, it was also a bring vitals to campus run.  You know staples…pop…pretzels…assorted candy…and a great variety of other things Nick just couldn’t live without…and printer paper.  Over the week the cargo had grown to nearly half a carload.  Convenient was important.  Managed to park about a half block from the dorm…All is good.

I had purchased tickets for the game.  Never had bought seats at Ross Aide before so when I printed off the tickets felt alarmed to see we were in Section 105H.  Non-returnable…non-refundable…yada…yada…yada…oh my goodness!  We felt certain that the “H” meant we would be a few rows down from where they cut the notch to allow the moon to pass through the stadium… Oh contraire.  The seats were indeed in section 105.  What the “H” meant I have no idea.  So we settled into seats 114 and 115 fifteen rows up behind the Northern Illinois University Bench on say the 47and a half yard line…or there abouts.

Great seats…great weather…great game…if you were a Northern Illinois fan.  But a great day all the same.

Later we hooked up with Nick and spent a few hours before at last heading home, finishing 1148 miles and never leaving the state.  Who says there is nothing to see or do in Indiana…not I, and on that you can be certain, for we haven’t seen the half.  We had a great time…Wandering Indiana!!!