Southern Indiana - Sep 16-18, 2024
Day 1 - Monroe Lake Loop
My first stop was at the old ranger tower just a couple miles from camp. It was open to climb up, but the cab was closed. Nevertheless, still a good perch for taking a couple photos.
BCSP North gate, SR 135 S to Freetown (GOOD)
Out the north gate and south on SR 135 to the tiny town of Story. A very old and rustic inn and restaurant made for a good photo op. Carmen and I dined here 20 odd years ago, but now the restaurant is by reservation only. They added an outdoor BBQ and bar area that I suspect is active only on warm weather weekends.
Looking at GPS maps earlier I saw a Mt Nebo Rd that kinda parallelled 135 for a few miles. It looked interesting, so I decided to take that. Big mistake as after a few miles it turned to gravel and started steeply uphill. I slowed and ground my way through the rough gravel a few more miles, heavily dusting my rear wheel and freshly oiled chain, much to my chagrin. Oh well.
I finally got back on 135 and stopped at Dollar General in Freetown for some hay fever meds that I forgot to bring. The clerk said there is a gas station on SR 58 on the east end of town. Sure enough, there was a very old country store with two nearly antique gas pumps. I filled up, ate an ice cream bar and chatted with two old-timers sitting outside.
Freetown to SR 446 (OK)
Freetown SR 58 west to SR 446 had fewer hills and curves as the road hugs the flat edge of the hilly region to the north.
SR 446 north to Bloomington (GOOD)
Best riding on this road is a few miles before and after you hit the lake, as the road curves and winds its way through the lake valley, otherwise the roadway is very wide and the grade levels out. The “Scenic View” restaurant is a good photo op on top of the valley on the north side of the lake. Unfortunately the restaurant is open on weekends only.
SR 45 to Bean Blossom (GOOD)
In Bloomington, I picked up SR 45 just a few blocks from SR 446. It goes NE out of town. Lots of curves and hills, and lots of houses (ie traffic) until you get past Unionville where it gets more rural. In Helmsburg there is a country store perhaps worth a photo stop.
SR 135 to Nashville (EXCELLENT)
Almost immediately after heading south on SR 135, hang right on Covered Bridge Rd for about ½ mile to the covered bridge.
The road turns to gravel on the south side of the bridge, so I turned back to 135. 135 to Nashville rides along a tree-lined ridge with lots of cottages and B&B’s along the road. Just beautiful. Nashville is a very quaint tourist town, but very few restaurants were open on Monday, so supper will be chicken & dumplings at the Abe Martin lodge at BCSP.
Day 2 - Resort Towns & Marengo Cave
After breakfast in the camper and a 3 mile jog, I got underway around 10am.
SR 46 west to Bloomington, 446 south to Chapel Hill Rd (GOOD)
Took the west gate out of BCSP, then headed west on SR 46. A busy road as it connects Columbus to Bloomington, but has good scenery and plenty of curves. Before heading south on SR 446, I went an extra block or two for gas at the Circle K. Might as well make it a coffee and donut stop too! Backtrack 2 blocks, then head south on SR 446. Again, SR 446 is mostly level graded and wide until you hit the lake valley. After crossing the lake, go about 3 miles and turn right on South Chapel Hill Rd.
South Chapel Hill Rd to Bartlettsville Rd (EXCELLENT)
This a mostly tree-lined, forested road lined with country homes and small farms. The road surface was in excellent condition and was plenty curvy for a great ride.
Bartlettsville Rd to SR 58 to Bedford (GOOD)
The road surface deteriorates a little, but still a good run before it straightens out and hitting SR 58. Turn right on 58 going west into Bedford. Work your way west through town and pick up SR 450 on the west edge of town just off the junction of US 50 and SR 37.
Bedford SR 450 to US 150 (EXCELLENT)
This road was the highlight of the day. Great road surface, lots of ups, downs, mostly gentle curves and not much traffic. Great scenery and a couple tiny towns to break things up a little, most notable being Dover Hill, where there are 9 quick, sharp curves within the small hamlet, making this the curviest town street in America (per capita) ?? Indiana’s Tail of the Dragon - ??
US 150 to SR 56, West Baden Springs Hotel (VERY GOOD)
At US 150, turn left and head west to Shoals for gas or a snack. Continue east on US 150. Although a US route, traffic was light. Road surface was good. It is mostly tree-lined and has lots of curves. Turn right on SR 56 into West Baden Springs. The big historic hotel is on the right shortly after turning. Enter under the archway on the brick driveway and drive all the way to the back, past the valet parking to the self-parking lot. I walked right in through the foyer right into the grand rotunda room. It is truly awe inspiring! There’s a dining area to the left. Expensive, I’m sure, but I did not check the menu or prices.
From here, I continued south on SR 56 to French Lick, just 1 mile south. There’s another big old hotel here (I did not visit), and a bigger “downtown” area. At 1pm I had a beer, burger and fries at the “33 Brick St” restaurant. That really hit the spot!
French Lick to Marengo Cave (GOOD)
After lunch, I headed south on SR 145 to South Liberty Road. This section of 145 is relatively straight, level, and boring. Turn left on South Liberty Church Rd, and things get more interesting. Turn right on S County Rd 490 W which turns into S County Rd 450 W which eventually turns into S Brownstown Rd to SR 64. These roadside oddities appeared on SR 64.
Turn left (east) into the small burg of Marengo, and the Marengo cave entrance is about ½ mile past the signal on the left.
I had 15 minutes to spare to catch the short tour at 3pm. Cost was about $22, but well worth it, as this cave has rather large rooms, some outstanding water features, and stalagmite, stalactite, column and frozen waterfall formations. This tour lasted about 35 minutes. As a side note, there are lots of outdoor activities for kids, so it’s a great place to take a young family.
Backtrack to BCSP
After this, it was about 3:45 PM and time to head back. GPS showed the easiest route was SR 64 east to SR 135 north back to BCSP, but I opted to take S County Rd 375 E from Marenco to SR 37 N into Paoli, then US 150 west to backtrack my way to BCSP.
In Shoals, I thought I’d take a shortcut from the middle of town north back to SR 450. Well, this didn’t pan out as the road circled around back to Shoals. 20 minutes wasted. Doh! I should have checked the GPS map first!
I got back to camp around 7:30PM, just before sunset. Supper at the camper consisted of a ham salad sandwich, chips, and a skunk brew
Day 3 - Brown County
Brown County State Park (EXCELLENT)
Camp checkout is 2pm, so this will be ½ day of riding. Ate breakfast at the Abe Martin lodge, and decided to check out the major roads in BCSP. There are two loop roads, and the long road to the west gate. All the roads are hilly, curvy and mostly tree covered. There are many “lookouts” alongside the road to stop and take in the scenic views. The hills aren’t all that tall (200-300’ or so?), but the views are expansive. The leaves were just starting to change, and when the sun angle was right, made for some nice photo opportunities.
Nashville and Brown County Secondary Roads (EXCELLENT)
While in Nashville, I parked and had a chat with an older fellow waiting for his wife in one of the shops (not an uncommon sight!). I mentioned I was looking for coffee and a donut, and he recommended Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls just a couple blocks away. Expensive, but well worth it!
All of the secondary roads in and out of Nashville, and the roads running north/south to the east of Nashville are all excellent roads. Most were nicely paved, tree-lined with many cabins, cottages, and small farms along the road. Notable roads include Helmsburg Rd running west out of Nashville and on the east side, Greasy Creek Rd, Clay Lick Rd, Gatesville Rd and Hoover Rd. To finish the day, I rode SR 46 just ½ mile shy of I-65, then zigged-zagged south and west on back roads until I got on Bellsville Pike. I rode this west until it hit SR 135 back to BCSP.
Back at camp around 1:30 PM where I wolfed down another ham salad sandwich, loaded the bike, and departed at 2pm.
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