Figuring it out, before the snake bites you.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
I know I have proclaimed it before, and I am here to say it again!! Spring has sprung in Indiana!! The forecast was for partly cloudy skies to give way for full sun, and the mercury was to draw near 70!!
Part one of today's voyage was up Shadeland Avenue to near Castleton for a Sunday Morning Breakfast with the boys. Ok, I am the closest thing to a boy, but some of those old farts read this blog, and I want to make them feel good.
I returned home for a brief moment, and then headed back out. The trip to breakfast was in about 41 degrees, it felt chilly, but very tolerable. Coming back at 52 felt nearly balmy!! So it had climbed up into the upper 50's before I headed out.
I started going east on Tenth Street, then veered north on German Church. After just over a mile, I continued back east on 21st Street. If this is sounding like a familiar path, then you know I am on my way to Fortville Road, a favorite of mine. I was going all the way into Fortville, rather I turned to east, and cruised on Highway 234.
As I approached New Castle, I pulled off onto some back county roads. It was here that I came upon the Washington Public School. One thing I have noticed about Indiana, it seems when the school has been outgrown, they just build a new one, and tear down the old. In other states, they seem to add on to the existing building, leave a proud historic facade. Well, it appears the classic facade is being left here, but I think School is out of session for a while.
I continued on into New Castle, Indiana, and then took SR-3 south through town. At the southern end of town, I veered off onto another old favorite stretch of pavement, Old Spiceland Road. If you have ever had Red Gold Ketchup, this is one of the towns were the tomatoes are grown. It is a nice curvy road, and shows off some Indiana's typical, and best farmland, check it out!
I crossed the National Road, US-40, and continued south on some back county roads, on my way to Connorsville, Indiana. A stop for gas was necessary, as well as a bathroom break in Connorsville. I drove south through town, looking for highway 121. This is another nice and twisty stretch of road in eastern Indiana. There usually is little or no traffic on the road, but today would prove different. Besides several cars, another group of bikes pulled out, and got split by the car in front of me, and myself. At the end of SR-121, I took a right when everyone else took a left, and ventured up into a graveyard I knew was on this road. It had to have had a great view, as it was the highest place in town! You know I would never tantalize you without a picture!
It was just a few more miles until I would arrive at my destination city, not my destination, just the town. SR-121 joined up with SR-52, and I took it east for a few miles until I arrived in Metamora, Indiana. This a quaint little Indiana town full of shops and eateries. In the summer it is abuzz with people looking for gifts and decorations for their house. I think most motorcyclists come to eat!
Yep, they have a mill! They also have, and you probably have guessed! A Covered Bridge!
I am told, that this is one of only two Covered Bridge Aqueducts ever built in the world! This is a Covered Waterway, over a body of water. It was part of a canal system that Indiana set out to build that became obsolete before it was completed. And we though that was a recent thing!
But that was still not my destination! Nope, I was on a quest for a treat! As I walked along the canal, headed to my treasure, a thought rang in my head. I searched the skies, beautiful blue with wonderful wispy clouds. It hit me, this is an absolutely gorgeous day!! A perfect day to be outside, anywhere. But being in a little burg like this just made it all more so enjoyable. If this day was a snake, it would have bitten me long before I finally realized how nice it was. Ok, for you glass half empty folks, sure it could be better. It could have been a touch warmer, something I can't control, and it would have been nice to have someone in the passenger seat to share the miles of splendor. But I am here now, and my cup runnith over!!
So I drew my journey to a close at this place:
This is one of those throwback places that looks just like the old soda jerks back, not in my day, but my parents, and maybe even their parents day! Beside nostalgia, they serve some of the best ice cream cones around, and I had to get me one!! So, I got a chocolate covered waffle cone filled with Cookie Dough and Chocolate Ice Cream. Sometimes it feels so good to be bad!
After my treat, I took one more photo:
Then The Black Pearl and I sat sail for home. SR-52 would be the bulk of the route. I took it a little further into town than I needed, taking Arlington North to Washington Street, and then heading back east to home. Now I just hope I can get the helmet off over this smile?
I know I have proclaimed it before, and I am here to say it again!! Spring has sprung in Indiana!! The forecast was for partly cloudy skies to give way for full sun, and the mercury was to draw near 70!!
Part one of today's voyage was up Shadeland Avenue to near Castleton for a Sunday Morning Breakfast with the boys. Ok, I am the closest thing to a boy, but some of those old farts read this blog, and I want to make them feel good.
I returned home for a brief moment, and then headed back out. The trip to breakfast was in about 41 degrees, it felt chilly, but very tolerable. Coming back at 52 felt nearly balmy!! So it had climbed up into the upper 50's before I headed out.
I started going east on Tenth Street, then veered north on German Church. After just over a mile, I continued back east on 21st Street. If this is sounding like a familiar path, then you know I am on my way to Fortville Road, a favorite of mine. I was going all the way into Fortville, rather I turned to east, and cruised on Highway 234.
As I approached New Castle, I pulled off onto some back county roads. It was here that I came upon the Washington Public School. One thing I have noticed about Indiana, it seems when the school has been outgrown, they just build a new one, and tear down the old. In other states, they seem to add on to the existing building, leave a proud historic facade. Well, it appears the classic facade is being left here, but I think School is out of session for a while.
I continued on into New Castle, Indiana, and then took SR-3 south through town. At the southern end of town, I veered off onto another old favorite stretch of pavement, Old Spiceland Road. If you have ever had Red Gold Ketchup, this is one of the towns were the tomatoes are grown. It is a nice curvy road, and shows off some Indiana's typical, and best farmland, check it out!
I crossed the National Road, US-40, and continued south on some back county roads, on my way to Connorsville, Indiana. A stop for gas was necessary, as well as a bathroom break in Connorsville. I drove south through town, looking for highway 121. This is another nice and twisty stretch of road in eastern Indiana. There usually is little or no traffic on the road, but today would prove different. Besides several cars, another group of bikes pulled out, and got split by the car in front of me, and myself. At the end of SR-121, I took a right when everyone else took a left, and ventured up into a graveyard I knew was on this road. It had to have had a great view, as it was the highest place in town! You know I would never tantalize you without a picture!
It was just a few more miles until I would arrive at my destination city, not my destination, just the town. SR-121 joined up with SR-52, and I took it east for a few miles until I arrived in Metamora, Indiana. This a quaint little Indiana town full of shops and eateries. In the summer it is abuzz with people looking for gifts and decorations for their house. I think most motorcyclists come to eat!
I decided it might be a cool idea to snap shots of the sign on Post Offices of the towns I have ridden too, something new to do in 2008!
Yep, they have a mill! They also have, and you probably have guessed! A Covered Bridge!
I am told, that this is one of only two Covered Bridge Aqueducts ever built in the world! This is a Covered Waterway, over a body of water. It was part of a canal system that Indiana set out to build that became obsolete before it was completed. And we though that was a recent thing!
But that was still not my destination! Nope, I was on a quest for a treat! As I walked along the canal, headed to my treasure, a thought rang in my head. I searched the skies, beautiful blue with wonderful wispy clouds. It hit me, this is an absolutely gorgeous day!! A perfect day to be outside, anywhere. But being in a little burg like this just made it all more so enjoyable. If this day was a snake, it would have bitten me long before I finally realized how nice it was. Ok, for you glass half empty folks, sure it could be better. It could have been a touch warmer, something I can't control, and it would have been nice to have someone in the passenger seat to share the miles of splendor. But I am here now, and my cup runnith over!!
So I drew my journey to a close at this place:
This is one of those throwback places that looks just like the old soda jerks back, not in my day, but my parents, and maybe even their parents day! Beside nostalgia, they serve some of the best ice cream cones around, and I had to get me one!! So, I got a chocolate covered waffle cone filled with Cookie Dough and Chocolate Ice Cream. Sometimes it feels so good to be bad!
After my treat, I took one more photo:
Then The Black Pearl and I sat sail for home. SR-52 would be the bulk of the route. I took it a little further into town than I needed, taking Arlington North to Washington Street, and then heading back east to home. Now I just hope I can get the helmet off over this smile?
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