This past month, I enjoyed two really interesting adventures. The B&O Trail Bike Ride and fundraiser in Brownsburg, as well as the Indiana Municipal Managers Association Conference in Clarksville. Read on …
I have participated in the B&O Trail Bike Ride many times in the past. This year was my most enjoyable. It’s always a tough mental sell to drive to a bike ride knowing it’s likely going to rain. Fortunately, I did not talk myself out of this event. It did rain, but the temperatures were perfect, which made for a very enjoyable ride on the approximately 7.5 mile long paved portion of the trail and then on the county roads that parallel it.
I so enjoy traveling along abandoned railroads and interurbans. It really makes you wonder how the world operated before the demise of these corridors. On this day, I was able to ride through communities that, in many cases, are former stops that have, despite having seen better days, each told a story of their past. This was the case on this particular day. I rode through Tilden, Maplewood, and Montclair. And also the only town that still exists, North Salem. These towns, once vibrant, have seen better days. North Salem, though still a quaint little village, struggles. It’s disheartening to witness these formerly bustling communities experiencing a decline in population, with some even on the brink of vanishing.
Northwest Hendricks County is quite rolling and can be challenging on a bicycle. Crossing Big Walnut Creek (formerly Eel River) and its tributaries has multiple beautiful views. One of our SAG (support and gear) stops was at McCloud Nature Park. If you have not visited this place, you are missing out on one of the State’s most beautiful parks. There are many hiking trails, a nature center, and plenty of activities led by naturalists.
Thank you to Jeff Smallwood and the B&O team for envisioning a pedestrian trail that will soon connect to Downtown Indianapolis and is planned to extend further northwest.
Clarksville was a wonderful host for the IMMA conference. While in Clarksville, you should also visit Louisville (and we did, watching a Louisville Bats baseball game), Jeffersonville, and New Albany. I was fortunate to have a hiking buddy while at the conference. Thank you, Tom Klein. Tom and I hiked three different times, amassing nearly 15 miles over two days. The Ohio River Greenway was our first hike. We started on the west end of town, where Origin Park is slowly coming to life. We hiked Buttonbush Trail, which was an unpaved trail into the woods—very scenic and overlooks Mill Creek. Back on the Greenway Trail, we visited many historical sites along the way. There is plenty to see!
George Rogers Clark’s former homestead is along this trail, at least the chimney and foundation of the home and outbuilding are. There is plenty to see regarding the Lewis and Clark expedition, which technically started in St. Louis, but I think many would agree it started here. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (George’s brother) met here, and there are history boards regarding them. Our hike took us to the Falls of the Ohio State Park as well. Unfortunately, we visited before the visitor center was open, and also, unfortunately, the Ohio River had an exceeding high water level, and we could not hike on the fossil beds. This is a unique park and a well worthwhile place to visit.
Our second hike included heading east on the Ohio River Greenway and into Jeffersonville. The stately manors along the riverfront are well worth the visit. Riverfront communities have so much character and history. There are multiple restaurants along the way which afford you great views of the Ohio River and Downtown Louisville. I highly recommend taking in a meal in one of these options. We ventured up Spring Street, which has many shops and eateries. One place to visit is Schimpff’s Confectionary. This is a fantastic store that will take you back to your youth, showing off all of those old candies, toys, and things from our youth.
Jeffersonville is the Clark County seat, so off we set on the search for the courthouse. We were looking for that stately courthouse that we see in most Indiana communities. Unfortunately, the “stately” courthouse was razed, and there is a more “modern” courthouse that was constructed in the 70’s. There is still plenty of history to see around the courthouse. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Warder Park is special. There is a gazebo and landscaped areas. There is a Carnegie Library and a bas-relief sculpture, titled The Timeline of Liberty by sculptor Lorenzo Ghiglieri. The 6-ton, three panel (7 feet tall and 20 feet wide), bronze sculpture traces 2,500 years of human liberty from ancient Greece to modernity. That was an unexpected find. The Nachand Fieldhouse was another historic gem that we found. The Jeffersonville Red Devils have a significant history when it comes to high school basketball.
Hiking the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge is a must. This is an old railroad bridge that was converted in 2014 to its current use and crosses the Ohio River from Jeffersonville to Louisville. In the past, I have crossed and headed downstream. On this trip, we hiked upstream. The City of Louisville has created many opportunities for recreation along its riverfront trail. Things discovered along the way – the University of Louisville Rowing Club, the Eva Bandman Cyclocross Park, and my favorite, the Waterfront Botanical Gardens.
It’s amazing how much you can discover by taking the time to venture and wander and slow down and take a look and see. Where have you gone lately? Let us know. I look forward to finding those places to travel to.
~ Jeff Banning