Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

escobarshighlandfarm.com

Enjoy this link to the Indianapolis Zoo Light Show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y427GP0wzgs&feature=player_embedded

 

I have enjoyed our adventures and hope to continue to go places to share.

I hope you have enjoyed our time and come back often to visit.

Indiana is a great State to live in or to visit.

So no matter if you want to go camping, fish, or take a hike...Indiana has it all!

 

 

                                                                                                       http:/tleeblogs.blogspot.com



http://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fishingboating.htm

http://www.lakemichigantowns.com/mia-and-grace-muskegon/

 

EVERYONE IS WELCOMED IN INDIANA!

 

                                                     

Christmas in Indiana!

 

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM

SPENCER COUNTY INDIANA

 

Did you know that we have a

Santa Claus, Indiana?



http://www.santaclausind.org/events/details/640

Down in the southern part of the state there is a small town full of activities for you and your family.

Here is the link to a great time!

http://www.santaclausind.org/santa-claus-attractions

Tis' the Season!

Another must stop is  St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, IN.


www.SaintMeinrad.edu

The Archabbey welcomes visitors regardless of your religious affiliation. It is the home of about 100 monks from the Benedictine community.  It is one of two Archabbeys that is located in the United States.  Worldwide, there are only 11!   I have stayed at the retreat house and it is quite an experience.  You will find peace and acceptance.  I highly recommend you visit this treasure - again - you do not have to be Roman Catholic to enjoy the grounds or tour the Archabbey.  There is also a wonderful gift shop!   You may be lucky enough to be there when you can  join the monks in prayer and song.

Highly recommended.

Merry Christmas to all!

ONE FISH, TWO FISH, BLIND FISH!

Yes, blind fish!

http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/springmill/

Where else can you go spelunking  and see blind fish in an Indiana?

For those who love exploring caves, this is your park. 

        SPRING MILL STATE PARK

Located in Mitchell, Indiana. In the southern part of the state, south of Bloomington on highway 60.

                                           http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/springmill

 

What is there to do? 

• A must visit to the Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom Memorial, honoring America's second man in space

• Spend time at the restored Pioneer Village, dating back to the early 1800's and visit an operating gristmill.

• A list of naturalist activities

• Cave tours- of course! Don't forget to bring a flashlight.

• Hiking to your hearts content. 

• Swimming

Don’t go home too fast, there is a

historic 74 room Inn that you can stay at too.

                                    http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/springmill/about.html#dd

 

 

And because they don’t want you to go hungry, they offer a

full service dining room which is open year 'round.

http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns 

The food is always hot and delicious –

you can take my word on that!

                                                                                                        

 

                                                                                                                   

A SMALL DETOUR

We are headed south on US 231

to another Indiana State park.

If you don't mind, we are going to make a small detour to a little unknown destination. 

 

We are going to stop at the author’s home town of Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Have you ever heard of Ben Hur?

Ben Hur was written by  Lew Wallace, actually General Lew Wallace.  This is one of many novels that this author is famous for.

Most people remember the movie. 

Ben Hur is an epic movie from 1959 which was casted with actor Charleston Heston.  

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum is a worthwhile stop. 

I was very impressed with the quality and details that the museum holds.  The grounds are also beautiful with some of the largest holly bushes I have ever seen.

 

 

Stop and enjoy one of Indiana Historial sites. 

 

Meet you in the car because we still have a drive ahead of us!

Are you ready for another adventure?

  Grab your gear!               

         Come with me to Pokagon State Park!

                 http://www.indianaaudubon.org/Birds/BirdingSites/PokagonStatePark/tabid/201/Default.aspx

This adventure will take us to Pokagon State Park located in the north east corner of our Hoosier state.   It takes just a few hours on the Indiana toll road to get to this Indiana gem.   This is a land of many waters. It boasts a diverse number of recreational opportunities.   Looking for relaxation? Then this may be a great haven for those that seek solitude with nature. For birders, this is a perfect area so don't forget to bring your binoculars.

During the winter, the refrigerated toboggan ¼ mile, double lane, run is a fun way to spend the day. This is the #1 activity that draws people from the entire region.  It is not depended on snow; rather, the refrigerated toboggan run extends the season for toboggan enthusiasts.   In 2012, according to the DNR web page, the toboggan run will open Friday, November 23rd and operate on weekends through February 24th.  There are extended hours of operation during the Christmas holidays. Here is the link to the DNR site so you can refer to the 2012-2013 schedule of operations: <http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/sp-toboggan_schedule.pdf>

 

Some of the highlights are:

·         The Potawatomi Inn

                        Stay in this wonderful haven to extend your time and experience in the park.

                                            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Potawatomi_Inn_Pokagon_State_Park.jpg

 

·         Lake James

                                     Have a boat?  Hangout on Lake James sandbar.

panoramio.co                                      

                                                           http://www.panoramio.com/photo/


·         Toboggan Run

                                 

         Bring the family, friends, and neighbors to a ride on the famous refrigerated tobaggan run!

 

                                         http://www.flickr.com/photosflickr.comflickr.comflickr.com

Michigan Escape

Fall is here.

 

The days are getting a little shorter and cooler.  The leaves are becoming more beautiful with different shades of crimson and yellow.  This is a perfect time of year to take a short ride over to Michigan.  Are you ready?

 Let’s go!

It is a beautiful drive to anywhere you want to go in Michigan.  A great destination and a good day trip is to venture to Warren Dunes State Park.  Yet, if you travel just a few miles north there is another great park that is often overlooked; Weko Beach. 

                                                               http://servantcare.com

                                                              Welcome To Weko Beach

Weko Beach in Bridgman, Michigan boasts to be one of the most popular city parks. I love to walk the extensive dune boardwalks.  It also offers a campground, for those that are interested in staying a little longer.

http://www.stellaeventdesign.com/blog

                                                                  

                                                                 

Weko Beach Boardwalks

                                                              http://www.panoramio.com 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

A Hiking We Will Go, A Hiking We Will Go, Hi Ho...

 

 

Crossing Over!

 

Turkey Run State Park 

http://www.vivarevivalblog.blogspot.com

 

Okay, I must admit that it was difficult to leave the comfort of the inn but there were trials to explore.  Our adventure begins once we cross over the famous suspension bridge. 

Throughout the years, I have trudged through the parks’ many trails, but Trail #3 has always been our favorite. Trail # 3 is rough and tough, no wimps allowed. There are vertical ladders that must be conquered to triumphantly complete this trail.  There is no doubt that Trail #3 is challenging because there is even a T-shirt that you can purchase to declare that you are a “Trail # 3 Survivor”!   I have always enjoyed the adrenaline of taking this trail but I also enjoy some of the other trails as well. 

Turkey Run State Park Trail # 3

                                                  http://www.vivarevivalblog.blogspot.com

 

Those other trails also include wearing shoes that you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. We always pack yuck shoes so we can walk through the streams and wade in the cool pools. It is always fun to watch the newbie hikers as they attempt to step around the mud and water to try to keep dry. They soon learn that they should have left their new pair of shoes at home.  

I have some advice for new hikers:

• Take a map (even when hiking in the most familiar hiking trails – a map is invaluable)
• Wear appropriate hiking shoes
• Carry drinking water
• Stay on marked trails  

Visit this site for great information about the Trails at Turkey Run State Park:

http://www.turkeyrunstatepark.com/hiking_trails/trail3/index.htm



                                              

Starting the Day Off Right

Day 2  

Turkey Run State Park

“Wake up!”

I hear those two words with a sharp poke through the covers.  You got to be kidding me! It is Saturday morning and I intended to sleep in on this first full day.   I recognize the voice as she persists, “Are you awake now?”.   I roll over in the direction of the alarm clock, which I should add, had not be set to go off this particular morning.  As I squinted to see, I could make out the luminous clock’s hands which were aiming at 6:35 am.  “For the love of goodness, why are you waking me up at this hour?”, I asked.  The tone in the reply was eager and forgiving, “We are ready for our morning hike. Come on, get up!”

                                  Morning Hike                                      
msugeology.tumblr.com
 

After bellowing a big moan, I got up and changed quickly for our 1.5 mile hike. Before leaving the room I opened up the curtains, I was surprised to see that the sun was just peaking through to greet the day. I then remembered that 6:35 am Eastern time, was really 5:35 am Central!

 

It is tradition; we always take a hike before breakfast. This activity just gets us in the mood for a big breakfast.  As we headed down the inn’s back stairs, (our room is located on the third floor) I could smell the aroma of coffee wafting through the lobby from behind the yet, closed dining room doors.

 

Breakfast begins at 7 am and ends at 10:30 am. We will certainly make it back to have that great breakfast buffet. Did I mention that they have hot drop biscuits with warm apple butter? Just thinking of it makes me hungry!

                                                 Hot Drop Biscuits and Warm Apple Butter

peterandrewryan.com



Labor Day Weekend - Day 1



Turkey Run State Park Inn 
http://scienceblogs.com/sciencewoman/

Day 1   

September 1, 2012

We got up at the crack of dawn just to get our things into the SUV.  I must say up front that the number of bags that went into the vehicle for this trip was embarrassing. Although, I can attest that with the contents in stow, we were prepared for any type of weather or situation that could arise.

 As we headed down the road in the early morn, the sun was nowhere to be found. Rather, the clouds looked ominous and began to darken steadily with every mile.  Within an hour of our departure, the clouds released their gifts in forms of a torrential downpour.  This of course, did not deter us from continuing on our journey.  We did arrive a little soggy but our spirits were high for our quest.

After a quick sign in process, we were assigned a very comfortable room in the inn.  The room had all the necessities to make our next few days comfy including a small refrigerator.  The refrigerator, even though it was small, is always a big plus during any stay because I always take snacks and extra soda.

After acquiring a baggage cart, we emptied the contents of the vehicle onto this wonderful pushcart. Push we did; up the ramp, through the lobby, and onto the elevator. All the while, the inn’s other guests that we encountered during this task seemed in awe of our array of bags and paraphernalia. Well, I must admit that I enjoyed a ride on the pushcart as we were taking it back down to the lobby!


Turkey Run State Park
http://www.svs78.com/class_profile.cfm






Labor Day Weekend Adventure.

Plans are set for a Labor Day adventure.
Actually, these plans have been in the works since last year when I made reservations at our favorite Indiana State park, Turkey Run.

I have pulled the suitcases from the basement and they currently are sitting in my bedroom waiting for the appropriate clothes. A family member just called and has informed me that rain is in the forecast. Well, that is part of the adventure, right? So, back downstairs I go to get the stored water shoes. The trails are usually wet anyways, so what will a little rain do  to us or our plans? I am prepared for the worst and the best of weather.

So what is there to do at the park? Hike, swim, canoe or float down the river, camp, ride horses, or just relax. For those of us that can't wait to spend time at the park, you can extend your visit by actually staying at the inn or at one of the cabins. Yes, you can camp too but I need some comfort and perfer to stay at the inn if I am lucky enough to get a reservation. This year, I was lucky!

Have you ever been to Turkey Run State Park?
If you have not yet had the pleasure to visit this State park, I urge you to put this on your next travel agenda.

Here are some links to explore if you would like to join me on this adventure:
Turkey Run State Park: http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2964.htm
Turkey Run State Park Inn: http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/turkeyrun/index.html

Are you ready?

 

We are going to embark on a quest for adventure!

 

Together, we will find places to visit, enjoy, discuss, and share.

 

So get packing and don't forget to stop the mail!