Day 23: 2 Hits, 2 Misses

Our longest day yet, but it was worth it. We pulled out of Indy around 7:30 and headed to Crawfordsville to pick up Teensie. Then we enjoyed some of the smaller highways on our way to Vincennes in southern Indiana to take in the George Rogers Clark National Historic Site. George who? you might ask. We did! An older brother of William Clark (the Lewis and Clark guy), George was a brilliant military man during the Revolutionary War; he drafted and led an attack that eventually pushed the British out of Indiana, ultimately opening the west. His campaign was rugged; he and his 180 militia crossed the Wabash River in February to attack the British-held fort at Vincennes. The river was freezing and had flooded to four miles wide. Incredibly, every one of his men survived not only the march (during the whole of which they carried their 10-pound long rifles above their heads) but also the fighting at the fort. In our minds, the Revolutionary War was a New England and Mid-Atlantic event, not a Midwest one. It's great to have a bigger picture as we push eastward in our travels.

We had a near tragedy in the Clark site parking lot...a low branch nearly cost us our air conditioner. Stan masterfully manuevered the trailer, sometimes with less than an inch to spare. Whew! Disaster averted, we pushed on, moving east across the state toward Louisville, picking up the Lincoln Boyhood Home National Historic Site on our way. He and his family lived there in the early 1800s; he was 7 when they arrived and 21 when he moved on to Illinois. His mother died when he was 9; she's buried at the site, near the foundation of the Lincoln cabin. In his growing years in southern Indiana, Lincoln also had his first exposure to the law. The Ohio River is just a couple of miles away, and he built a rowboat and earned money taking passengers to the passing paddle boats. A local ferry company, which transported goods and people across the river, sued Lincoln, claiming infringement on their business. In court, Lincoln responded to the suit, stating (paraphrased), "I only took them to the middle of the river; therefore, there was no infringement." He won the case! It's believed that early foray into the court system led to his future work as an attorney and on into politics.

We were finally nearing the end of our journey, preparing to cross the Ohio River and enter Louisville, when a sudden downpour came out of nowhere. As always, Stan was being extremely cautious and competent in his driving. But there's no way he could have avoided the car on the other side of the highway that hydroplaned and, were it not for the separating guard rail, would have hit us head-on. The car did at least five 360s before it smashed into the rail. Our hearts didn't stop pounding until we were 20 miles past Louisville. We're grateful to be alive and know there are so many instances of God's protection that we don't even know about!

The 80-ft tall Clark Memorial building, erected in 1932, is the largest such monument in the U.S. outside of D.C. The inside features six murals depicting significant scenes from Clark's military career. A statue of Clark stands in the middle.

The offending branch and the conquering hero!

Kelsey and Kendall bagged two more junior ranger badges, this one at the Lincoln Boyhood Home site.

footprint of the Lincoln home in southern Indiana