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Down By the Old Mill Stream

by Richie

Spring Mill State Park
Mitchell, IN
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There’s no denying that we are State Park enthusiasts. The parks are usually dedicated around some feature that we enjoy, like a historic site or a geological wonder. Many are thoughtfully laid out, with plenty of green spaces and a network of hiking trails. The larger parks also have a hotel with a dining room that we look forward to visiting.

We found on our first trip to Spring Mill State Park that it was loaded with all these amenities, plus some unique attractions to boot.

The Inn
Grindstones

Spring Mill’s central feature is a working mill, complete with water wheel, grindstone, and water-powered sawmill. The mill’s awesome wood and iron engineering is demonstrated every hour, fascinating to watch.

 

The mill is centered in a large complex of pioneer village structures, each housing old-timey artifacts and many offering living museum demonstrations by expert craftsmen. We encountered the blacksmith, leather worker, broom maker, weaver, and herbalist – all bustling with the activities of their trade.

 

 The small, clear spring which feeds the mill also winds prettily through the main picnic area, and we saw lots of folks unable to resist the temptation to kick off their shoes and go for a wade. This was good summer fun at its finest!

This area is threaded with underground springs, and the park has several wet caves. We took a $3 tour on a small boat through Twin Caves, guided by a park ranger who gently pushed us through the cavern and spotted with a flashlight the odd formations and blind water creatures.

The astronaut Gus Grissom is a hometown hero, and a good size museum is dedicated to this space pioneer. Grissom was an early space program veteran, piloting missions for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. He died tragically in a fire on the launch pad while conducting a routine test for Apollo 1 – a prep mission for landing on the moon.

There are numerous hiking trails in Spring Mills, including one that winds through old-growth forest where some trees have reached 300 years old. But alas, we ran out of time and couldn’t see it all in one weekend. Which begs for a return trip!

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You Gotta Regatta!

by Richie

The Madison Regatta
Madison, Indiana
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All eyes are on the skies as 50,000 fans wait for the rain to stop. The start of the Madison Regatta H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series race is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 pm, but officials are keeping an anxious watch on the Ohio River. For several days a steady line of rain coming from the Gulf of Mexico has dumped inches on a wide area, and the river keeps rising.

To launch the monster H1 boats for the Regatta, the Ohio River must be below 29’ here in Madison. At the Markland Dam, just a few miles upstream, the Corps of Engineers is trying to hold back the deluge. Reports say the river is now flowing over the top of the dam, and the little town of Vevay, IN, on the wrong side of the dam, is flooded.

Meanwhile, ten race boats and their crews are lined up on Vaughn Drive in downtown Madison waiting for a chance to launch. This gives fans a rare opportunity to see the hydroplanes up close and watch the crews prep their machines.

The rain held off yesterday and thousands lined Main Street for the annual Fourth of July Parade. Appreciative fans cheered the teams as each impressive H1 boat was driven slowly through town. The crowd’s favorite, locally owned Miss Madison, received a rousing reception and crew members perched atop the boat waved enthusiastically.

 

 

But the forecast is grim for Saturday’s race start. Up at Clifty Falls State Park, a capacity crowd of campers waits impatiently for race news. We are hunkered down in our motorhome with the motorcycle under tarp, hoping we’ll get to see the giant boats race today, as well as the fireworks show scheduled for later this evening.

Or, we may just have to pack up our soggy gear and go home.

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Winter Camping

by Richie

Clifty Falls State Park
Madison, Indiana
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We like to squeeze in one last camping trip in early December, and luckily in our region there have been some splendidly warm days to enjoy late in the season. The biggest joy is having a giant state park and hiking trails all to ourselves.

 

Nearby Madison is a truly unique town filled with turn-of-the-century architecture and busy shops. This is Small Town USA that’s done something right – nearly every store was occupied, nary a vacancy to be seen. Madison sports a thriving Main Street of retail and specialty stores, not the dereliction of consignment and pawn shops usually seen in declining mid-west downtown areas.

Madison was bustling on this warm day, and every storefront was decked out for the Christmas season. We saw a kitty in a lolling in a shop window, and I was asked to babysit a poodle named Mr. Right while his owner slipped in for a latte.

Something else that struck me as unusual here in Madison was the proliferation of fraternal organizations. Seems that every corner has a lodge or post of some affiliation –  a few look active, while others have seen better days.

 

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New Harmony

by Richie

Harmonie State Park
New Harmony, Indiana
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We took a drive out to New Harmony, Indiana a couple of weekends ago, and it was well worth the trip. We stayed at nearby Harmonie State Park, and were pleased with the spacious site accommodations and layout of the campground. Electric service is available, but water service is not. Spigots are located throughout to fill your tank. We didn’t consider this a problem, as most campgrounds turn off water service in Fall anyway.

Harmonie is a good-sized park, threaded with many well maintained hiking trails. We spent several hours exploring the woods along easy paths, marveling at the autumn flora. A couple of trails end at a pretty picnic area along the Wabash River.

 

 

Just a few country miles from the state park is the special town of New Harmony. Once the site of a utopian settlement, much like the Shakers, it is now a sweet tourist destination.

We stumbled on several delights in New Harmony, including a large boxwood Labyrinth (which I’ll admit to cheating on a bit), the New Harmony Inn that offers both hotel rooms and cottage rentals, and the splendid Red Geranium Restaurant – a must for brunch!

 

New Harmony also boosts a few unique attractions. The Roofless Church is a walled garden with an unusual pavilion in the center. A museum and gallery is located at the end of town, and there’s a historical library a few blocks away.

New Harmony has a tradition of electric golf carts as a preferred mode of transportation. You’ll see many residents going about their daily business in these carts, with dogs and groceries loaded in the cargo hold. Golf cart and bicycle rentals are available at the Inn. Walkways down to the Wabash River permit electric cart traffic, or you can just hoof it like we did.

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Wander Indiana

by Richie

Columbus, Indiana
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We cruised all the I’s today – Iowa, Illinois, Indiana. This was a big day on the road, and for the first time we couldn’t find a place to camp overnight. We made it to Indianapolis, much farther than I thought we’d have the stamina for, only to be shut out of the two campgrounds in town. Indy doesn’t have a lot of choices, and neither did we. So we had to continue moving south, which kept us on the road well after dark.

It’s been a bit of an adjustment coming from the sparsely populated western states back to the bustling Mid-West. We got used to having the wide open spaces to our self, seeing mostly RVs, motorcycles, and cowboy pickup trucks on the road. It felt like a camaraderie – yeah, we’ve all spat with the rattlesnakes and shat with the grizzlies. There’s dust on our tails from the long, long trail.
But now that we’re back in the citified world, we seem out of place. Rolling slowly along in our cumbersome coach, wearing grubby jeans and a flinty look in our eyes. We get stares instead of a nod, honks instead of a friendly wave.
We left on our Wild West excursion in late summer, and are now returning at harvest time. Farmers are busy with their giant corn picking equipment, leaving the fields shorn and stubbly.

Frequently Asked:
We’ve been asked a bunch of questions about our trip already. Here’s the most popular –
Did you have a good time?

Boy howdy!

Did you meet any interesting people?

No. Two reasons why –
1. Campers are on the move. They pull in, eat dinner, and close the curtains.
2. We’re not friendly.

How did Shadow like being on the road? 
He hardly complained.

 

Didn’t you get on each other’s nerves?
   Seldom was heard a discouraging word.

And then our favorite, from strangers in various towns…

Did you ride that scooter all the way from Kentucky? 
Nope, only halfway!

 

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Lake Rudolf

by Richie

Santa Claus, Indiana
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 H-Hour. D-Day. On our way!
Please assume driving positions.

After a flurry of silly last-minute activity, we finally left town mid-afternoon under dirty blue skies and temperatures in the 90’s. A couple of easy road hours later we arrived at Lake Rudolf RV Resort Park.

The campground is attached to Holiday World, a regionally popular amusement park located in festive Santa Claus, Indiana. As you might expect, Christmas is the main decorating motif around here, and there seems to be no limit to the imaginative use of the theme.

We paid top dollar (a hefty $58) for the “premium site” which turns out to be just a concrete pad. A bit disappointing, but it is an improvement over the unkempt gravel and crabgrass parking of the regular sites. The back of our site has a big drop off, so the scooter is hanging out in space, and won’t be unloaded tonight.
But hey, no worries! We are thrilled to be on the road. We’ve got frosty drinks in our hands, a lovely lake view, and a fully stocked fridge.
The hardest decision of the night has been, “What’s for supper?” Tim decided that a little bit of everything was in order!.
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Lincoln State Park

by Richie

Lincoln City, Indiana
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A State Park & National Memorial Park all together in one handy scooter-ride area.
This was our second trip to this lovely area, and we enjoyed it just as much as last year!

We walked the lake loop trail until we thought the dog would expire from heat exhaustion.
Fortunately, an afternoon storm arrived – giving us all an excuse to nap in the coach for a few hours!

The campground sites are a bit close together for my liking, but there’s plenty to do around the park. Saw a darling little camper – the smallest Fifth Wheel we’ve ever seen. More like a 1/5 wheel!

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