Tag: adventure

Indiana State Park Travel Guide Series, Podcast - Indiana Places and History

McCormick’s Creek Fire Tower

Used as an active fire tower from its construction in 1935 until 1967, the McCormick’s Creek Fire Tower now serves as a popular observation site for park visitors. Constructed by CCC Company #589, the tower is located on Trail 4 near the park Office. The elevation of the land the tower sits on is 770 feet above sea level. The eighty-six-foot-tall tower’s lookout cab measures seven feet along each wall with windows containing nine panes on each wall. The National Historic Lookout Register registered the tower on November 12, 2008. The tower underwent an extensive renovation in 2017. The park has opened the tower to the public.
Indiana Lookout Tower System Continue reading McCormick’s Creek Fire Tower

Podcast - Indiana Places and History, Road Trip Indiana Series

Nine Penny Branch Nature Preserve

At 121 acres, Nine Penny Branch Nature Preserve offers a delightful trail along cascading Nine Penny Branch to a charming waterfall at trail’s end. The Preserve’s large parking lot accomodates buses and cars.
Local lore suggests two sources for the name, Nine Penny Branch that traverses the preserve. One suggests that it used to cost travelers with wagons nine pennies to cross this route. Another suggests a worker once lost his day’s wages, nine cents, in the creek. Whichever is the source, the preserve is a pleasant spot to hike and bask in the lovely woods, stream and waterfall. The land which forms the preserve was once part of Clark’s Grant, which was eventually handed down to Faris’ great great grandfather, John Work. The historical marker for John Work is on Tunnel Mill Road about a mile east of the Preserve’s entrance. Continue reading Nine Penny Branch Nature Preserve

Exploring Indiana Series, Podcast - Indiana Places and History

Visiting Indiana’s Public and Botanical Gardens

Indiana possesses a wealth of botanical gardens, allowing plant researchers to study the plants growing there as well as provide casual visitors a place to learn about, and enjoy, them. Readers of Indiana Botanical Gardens will discover the history of botanical gardens in addition to listings of the world’s, United States and Indiana’s botanical gardens. Continue reading Visiting Indiana’s Public and Botanical Gardens

Podcast - Indiana Places and History, Road Trip Indiana Series

Visiting Hayes Arboretum

The Nature Center, located in a former dairy barn, offers plenty to do for an afternoon’s relaxation. A bird viewing room is equipped with comfortable chairs and a large window overlooking a bird feeding station. Birds of all kinds and squirrels can be seen actively feeding at the various types of bird feeders. The Nature Center is located in an old renovated dairy barn that was originally constructed in 1833. Continue reading Visiting Hayes Arboretum

Podcast Indiana’s Timeless Tales Book 1, Road Trip Indiana Series

Whitewater Valley Railroad

Constructed as part of the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act of 1836 signed by Governor Noah Noble on January 27, 1836, the Whitewater Canal was to form an integral part of southeastern and eastern Indiana’s transportation system. The ambitious act, in concert with the Panic of 1837, bankrupted the state and brought a major political party to its knees. Continue reading Whitewater Valley Railroad

Road Trip Indiana Series, Video

Video – Hickory Ridge Fire Tower

While on a camping trip to Brown County State Park, we took the opportunity to use our camping sticker to inspect the campground and facilities in the Paynetown Recreation Area on the northern shore of the lake. Paynetown has an electric and a non-electric campground, hiking trails, boat docks, boat rental and picnic shelters.
State Road 446 crosses a bridge that carries the highway over the lake. We crossed this and turned right into the Cutright Recreation Area, which consists mostly of another boat ramp. Continue reading Video – Hickory Ridge Fire Tower

Podcast - United States History Timeline, Timeline of United States History

Podcast – Sebastián Vizcaíno Exploration in California

Five months out from the beginning of their voyage from Acapulco, Mexico the expedition headed up by Sebastián Vizcaíno reached a bay that an earlier explorer, Rodríquez Cabrillo, had called San Miguel. They entered the bay on November 10. The expedition of three ships entered the bay and anchored. Continue reading Podcast – Sebastián Vizcaíno Exploration in California

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The Vagabonds

My wife and I started camping about 3 years ago. Researching the camper we would use spurred me into writing another book, which will be a reference book for those wishing to enter this fun recreational activity. Continue reading The Vagabonds