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.
