It has been a good month for wandering. One day, it is spring, the next, it is winter. It might be sunny and warm, or we might have a deluge of rain or even tornados. Salem, Williamsport, Terre Haute, Columbus, and much more.
We got an update on the Monon South Trail Project. This trail is coming along and is going to be an awesome and fun walk/run/ride opportunity for all. So glad that Banning Engineering was allowed to be a part of the survey and design team on this fantastic project. Check out Salem and The Depot Railroad Museum. This is a fantastic museum and recreated village of historic structures right along the Monon South Trail. Indiana has such fantastic Courthouse Square Communities and Salem is one of those. My travels took me to several over this past month.
Before we discuss these Courthouse locations, wanted to shout out to Hoosier National Forest and the Charles C. Deam Wilderness. If you haven’t traveled through this area located south and east of Monroe Reservoir, then you are missing out. Make sure you are prepared for some gravel and dirt road adventures. I found several dead-end roads into the Reservoir or into some older areas that have become backwater and floodway areas. It is so awesome getting off the beaten path and checking out some of the older communities that are basically ghost towns, old cemeteries that seem to be out of place, or old bridges that were once a throughway that can no longer be crossed.
Question for those who live in the area. Houston, the little community east of Deam in Jackson County. How do you pronounce it? I’ve been told that it is pronounced “Houseton” not like the Gatlin Brothers sang in their song “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You)”. Help me out and let me know.
The Beef House in Covington (Courthouse community). Have you been there? Fantastic! It’s a great place to have an anniversary dinner. We enjoyed it. Take a trip northwest on I-74 or the way we wander, on US 136 and visit another one of those Courthouse communities – Crawfordsville. While in the Fountain/Warren County area, you have to take in other points of interest. Fall Creek Gorge is an off-the-beaten-path location to hike. It’s too bad that the Potholes is closed. That was one of our favorite destinations in the past. We were in Williamsport (Courthouse community) observing the Indiana’s Tallest Waterfall. This visit we actually had water to see. There is a really nice hike into the valley as well while visiting. Great place to take in.
Go to Attica across the Wabash River and check out some really interesting and historical districts with beautiful homes. River communities seem to never disappoint. I know a lot of people enjoy Badlands Off Road Park which is nearby. You can do your off-road four-wheeling at this place. South of Attica is a fun and unique spot. Check out Portland Arch, yes a natural arch and really off the beaten path. Bear Creek Canyon has another hike that is worth taking as well.
I was fortunate to be able to lead a senior-level class at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology one day recently. It was great to get in front of students and to give them real-world perspectives regarding the true working world. While traveling back from Terre Haute (Courthouse community), we just had to take several of the original sections of the Old National Road. Driving on these sections of the road takes you back in time. The older homes located along the route. In some areas, you can see some of the older pavement and bridge sections. It makes you wonder how people traveled back in the day. Thomas Jefferson helped forge funding for the Cumberland Road from Washington DC to Vandalia, Illinois. This is such a great historical route to follow.
I couldn’t let the rainy deluge day go by without heading south and checking out the flooding. The intent was really to get to the Ohio River and ooh & aah the redbud trees. Well, the best-laid plans don’t always work out and there is always a reason. Traveling south on I-65 in the pouring rain is not something I would wish upon anyone. Besides being really dangerous, it just isn’t much fun. Time to reroute is what I said. We decided to check out Columbus (Courthouse community) and Wow!! The flooding was unbelievable and we were not even there at the worst time. Heading south on SR11, we had to drive through several inches of flowing water in a couple of places. Just north of Seymour (Courthouse community) the White River looked like a reservoir with its banks definitely overtopped.
Thus started our adventure of avoiding or attempting to avoid flooded roads. It’s hard to get off the beaten path out in the country and find good traversable roads along flooded rivers. We did our best to take it all in. We followed along the Muscatatuck and White Rivers in several areas. We checked out Jackson Washington State Forest and Starve Hollow State Recreation Area. We attempted to get to Medora and Tunnelton and Fort Ritner. That wasn’t happening. We went across the river and got to Buddha and headed up to Bedford (Courthouse community), to Clear Creek to Bloomington (Courthouse community), and ultimately to Martinsville (Courthouse community) for dinner. Gather Around BBQ was the evening fare. Wonderful food, good portions, and highly recommended.
While in Martinsville and staying with the flooding theme, we were able to check out our Martinsville Levee project. It was working well – holding back the flood waters from the West Fork of the White River. Great job team! The design appears to be a success in this particular storm event even though the project is still not complete. Protecting the citizens of Martinsville was accomplished.
Where should I wander? Always looking for places to visit, places to see, and places to eat. Let me know.
– Jeff Banning
