Riding in Indiana - some new discoveries

Saturday, July 24, 2010.  Hot day for a ride (temp 97, heat index 107).  Great as long as you're riding, but oh so hot when you stop (jeans, boots = hot hot). 

Took the backroads of east central IL to Indiana.  Rode through Hillsdale and Montezuma.  Stopped in Rockville ("Covered Bridge Capital of the World") for lunch.  Was very quiet on the square of Rockville - unlike the craziness of the Covered Bridge Festival.  Had a decent lunch, then rode around the corner and discovered where all the bikers were eating.  Next time....

Route 231 south led us to a town named Cataract.  Saw a big sign - Cataract Falls (state sign, indicating it was a state park of some sort).  When I'm riding solo, I generally take frequent detours to check out these sorts of things.  Didn't stop on this ride but did check it out on the web when I got home.  Learned this is the location of the state's (Indiana) largest natural waterfall.  2 sets of falls on Mill Creek.  There is a covered bridge.  On my list for a future ride.  Note:  one reference said its a very romantic spot.  Maybe this could become the new Turkey Run for high schoolers post prom (where we always went when I was in high school).

Passed a sign "Miami Nation of Indians".  I wasn't aware there was such a location in that area of Indiana.  Another Google search - learned they aren't  federally recognized but they are recognized by the state of Indiana.  Migrated south from Wisconsin mid 17th to mid-18th century.  "Miami" = downstream people.  Not sure I need to make that a future stop, but it was some interesting trivia to learn.

From 231, we took 46 and headed south to Bloomington.  During the ride, near Bloomington, we saw a large man-made stone structure (was a Kodak moment....I missed it!).  Learned Bloomington is home to the highest quality quarried limestone in the U.S.  They started the quarry in 1827.  The limestone from here has been used to build many famous buildings, including the Pentagon, Empire State Building, Washington National Cathedral and  35 of the 50 state capital buildings.  The picture below is the quarry where they obtained the limestone for the Empire State building.

We saw some small limestone structures decorating the landscape around the Bloomington Harley-Davidson shop.  Reminded me of pictures of Stonehenge.

Rode back towards home on 46 to Terre Haute where we stopped to check out the radar. 

Rather than head west into the storm, we decided to head north and, hopefully, make it to the Beef House in Covington, IN (just a little east of Danville on the map) to sit out the storm while having dinner.  We made it, barely, had a great dinner, then had a nice break between two storms for the ride home.  It was a great ride in spite of the heat.  Out maneuvering the storms made it all the more interesting.  Riding with radar has sure changed things!

Favorite signs:

"Happiness can be taught, caught, sought, but not bought"

"Pasturized chickens - no antibiotics, no hormones".  (now I'm assuming this means the chickens are running around free, not in cages or small chicken houses.  In the big cities, they would be referred to as "free range".  I think this farmer is meaning to convey these chickens are in a pasture, not that they are actually "pasturized" like milk.  Pretty cute.

More missed Kodak moments....gotta get the other riders to slow it down a bit.