Interesting Indiana

Branson was our primary destination and we had a great time there. Then, it was time to decide whether to circle around and return home or continue eastward to visit Bonnie’s relatives in New Jersey. Not an easy decision. After visiting New Jersey in 2008, we were hesitant to take the motor home through that east coast traffic, congestion and toll roads again. On the other hand, the nice folks in Jersey had invited us to their 4th of July parade in Pitman and a couple annual family get-togethers that were just too much fun to pass up. So, we decided on a compromise solution. We would take the motor home as far as one of our Thousand Trails campgrounds in Indiana, put it in storage, then drive the Honda to New Jersey.

We departed on June 22 and drove to the small town of Cuba, Missouri. It was the second time we visited Cuba on this trip (the other was in New Mexico).

Cuba turned out to be another interesting place, with historic murals depicting the good old days along Route 66.

Cuba had all the necessities, including the smallest Walmart we’ve ever seen and a Post Office. The Route 66 Café was closed and for sale but we found an excellent barbecue restaurant nearby (Missouri Hicks Bar-B-Q) that had great food at unusually low prices.

Curiosity took us a few miles out of our way to see the “World’s Largest Rocking Chair.” As we travel, we like to discover the unique features and personalities of each place, large and small. This giant chair happens to be the pride of Fanning, Missouri.

After several hours on I-70 through eastern Missouri, around St. Louis and across Illinois, we arrived at Horseshoe Lakes campground on June 24. It’s about 25 miles north of Terre Haute, Indiana, near the Wabash River town of Clinton. The campground is in a large wildlife preserve with eleven small lakes, several smaller ponds, thick woodlands, lots of beautiful green grass and birds everywhere. No city or highway noise, no urban light pollution and no traffic.

This was a great place to kick back and relax for a few days.  Ahhhhh

We went in to Clinton a few times for supplies, to look around and to check the rising level of the Wabash River.  It was well over flood stage after a very rainy June.

Clinton seemed to be a very average town with a deteriorating downtown but nice old tree-shaded neighborhoods.

Just north of our campground was the small town of Dana, Indiana. It’s hometown hero was Ernie Pyle. Younger generations may not be familiar with the name, but those who were around during the World War II era probably are.  Pyle was a roving journalist who wrote articles about out-of-the-way places in a folksy style. He was most famous for his articles as a war correspondent and didn’t hesitate to go with the soldiers to the front lines to get his stories. He died in combat on April 18, 1945 and his home state honored his contributions with a museum and historic site near Dana.

We were disappointed to learn that the museum and site were closed and a major debate was in progress about its future. The state needed to cut its budget and this is one of many sites that were closed. It argued that very few people remember Ernie Pyle and even fewer visit the site. A local group is now trying to save it and take over the museum’s operation. We hope they can handle the task. The Ernie Pyle roadside rest area is still open and has a nice covered bridge and monument to this local hero.

Terre Haute is the largest city in this part of Indiana. We drove down there to get some new AAA road maps (no, we don’t use GPS). While there, we spent some time in the nice air-conditioned mall and drove around the Indiana State University campus. Ron was surprised to find Larry Bird Avenue, named for the school’s famous basketball alum.

We’re continually amazed at the many beautiful and elaborate courthouses that dominate the center of mid-western cities and towns. They are often the largest building in town and placed right in the center. Terre Haute is no exception.

The very small town of Saint Bernice was about a mile from our campground. It was mostly residential but had two live businesses, a Post Office and Red’s St. Bernice Tavern. In many of these old towns that are gradually fading away, we’ve noticed that the last business to go is often the tavern. It was around five o-clock so we stopped in for a burger and beer. We were soon joined by a dozen or so Harley-Davidson bikers. It soon became a very lively place. This fairly plain-looking structure is not only a tavern, but also the local restaurant (short menu), dance hall, recreation center, meeting place and who knows what else.  You can't judge this book by its cover.  It’s the town center of St. Bernice. The country folks were very friendly and the food was excellent. We had two bacon cheese burgers, onion rings and four Happy Hour beers for a total of $13. Can’t beat that.

This old antique store across the street was out of business but still full of antiques.

Not too far down the road from Red’s was this old abandoned school building.  It appeared to be beyond repair.

A little farther down the road we came across a small American Legion post. It was closed and there were no signs of any kind, so we returned the next evening and found it open. The folks were very friendly when they found out that Ron was a member all the way from Washington. They urged us to return the next day to attend their fund-raiser to pay funeral expenses for a local guy who recently died. When we returned, the small place was crammed with people and a live country band. They had a barbecue going and were selling raffle tickets to raise money.  There were no advertising signs anywhere, but everybody seemed to know about the event. It was very successful and an unusually pleasant experience for us. The music was excellent, the food a little below average, the people very friendly and we had a good time.

Storms kept rolling through the area and we had plenty of thunder and lightning, along with some nice sunsets.

On June 29, we parked the motor home in the campground’s storage lot and took off for New Jersey in the Honda. More to follow . . .