Day 18: Turkey Run Fun

Indiana has some of the best state parks around, and Turkey Run is at the very top of the list. (I know you agree, Nancy S.!) Seriously, I think the state has done a brilliant job of keeping them a secret from the rest of the country, preserving them for the state's residents. I have many wonderful memories in a couple of them from my college years, and now I have a fantastic day with my family to add to the bank.

We tramped through gorges (with names like Boulder Canyon, Falls Canyon and Rocky Hollow), splashing in the small streams and climbing up significant sandstone rocks and cuts. Our total distance was around three miles, but with all of the ladders, climbs and jumps, it was an impressive work-out. Kelsey blazed the trail for us, and Kendall didn't miss a step (or a chance to chatter incessantly about all she was seeing). After descending a particularly steep section, I commented to her that she was a mountain goat. She replied, "No, Mommy, I'm a white unicorn with a pink horn." Hmmm, how'd I get that wrong?!

Our one mishap on the trail was when we tried to "bush-whack" down to Sugar Creek for a picnic. In our defense, we headed out onto a small but existing track. We knew we were in trouble when we felt stings and cuts on our bare legs, but we pushed on another couple of yards, believing the water was just ahead. It was...but 20 feet down a steeply undercut drop-off. So back through the slicing plants we went. Poor Kelsey caught the worst of it, with some nasty welts that burned for quite a while. We dumped most of our remaining water onto our legs to remove some of the plant oils, but time was the best healer. Thank goodness we weren't more allergic, as we were quite a way from help.

Our shoes may dry out in a month or two...we (especially Kelsey, see last photo below) didn't miss a single opportunity to jump into a rocky pool or splash down a small waterfall. We're wiped out from the fun and will head to bed early. Tomorrow morning we'll pack up the camper and leave it here in Crawfordsville for the next four days while we're in Indianapolis with friends. A change of pace will be nice, but we're really enjoying our home-on-wheels and find it to be as perfect for this trip as we'd hoped.

On the trail

The trails are accessed by a suspension bridge straight out of an Indiana Jones movie (it crossed Sugar Creek, on which we canoed yesterday)