September 2013

Outside Cincinnati

You’ve heard about it, read about it, and seen it on TV…The Epic Traffic Jam.

Yup, we were one of those poor schmucks stuck in a legendary snarl. Six hours at a dead stop on the Interstate. Most fortunate that we were in the motorhome – potty and refrigerator at hand!

We were heading up north, cruising merrily along on a beautiful day, when around 4:30 the traffic came to a stop. Aw, it’ll clear up, just a little fender bender. Ohhhh…but noooo. After a while of no movement at all, folks started getting out of their cars, stretching, complaining on cell phones, peeing in the margins. We turned off the engine and waited.

Hours stretched by. Nowhere to go. Can’t turn around. No exits in sight. We took the dog for a walk. Made a snack. Laid on the couch. Watched some TV.

Every 60 minutes or so a bit of hope would arise. Truckers would start their rigs, everyone would jump back in their vehicles, and we’d move…about 100 feet.

Afternoon gave way to night. Our side of the highway was a line of dark cars and semis – everyone conserving gas and batteries. Knots of stranded folks formed in the aisles, trading what little news there was about our situation. Surprisingly, people were pretty calm.

Word was that a tractor trailer had overturned, then caught fire when it was being hauled away. It was carrying a load of powdered animal fat that kept igniting and spreading across the pavement. It got so bad that airport crews were called in to foam down the wreckage.

Around 10:30pm we had crawled to the site of the accident. We picked our way through police, firemen, excavation crews with backhoes, and a quarter-mile line of dumpsters. What a mess!

Finally made it to my folks house at midnight, six hours too late for supper.

Epic, I’m telling you. A legendary traffic jam.

Here’s hoping once was enough!

Spring Mill State Park
Mitchell, IN
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There’s no denying that we are State Park enthusiasts. The parks are usually dedicated around some feature that we enjoy, like a historic site or a geological wonder. Many are thoughtfully laid out, with plenty of green spaces and a network of hiking trails. The larger parks also have a hotel with a dining room that we look forward to visiting.

We found on our first trip to Spring Mill State Park that it was loaded with all these amenities, plus some unique attractions to boot.

The Inn

Grindstones

Spring Mill’s central feature is a working mill, complete with water wheel, grindstone, and water-powered sawmill. The mill’s awesome wood and iron engineering is demonstrated every hour, fascinating to watch.

The mill is centered in a large complex of pioneer village structures, each housing old-timey artifacts and many offering living museum demonstrations by expert craftsmen. We encountered the blacksmith, leather worker, broom maker, weaver, and herbalist – all bustling with the activities of their trade.

The small, clear spring which feeds the mill also winds prettily through the main picnic area, and we saw lots of folks unable to resist the temptation to kick off their shoes and go for a wade. This was good summer fun at its finest!

This area is threaded with underground springs, and the park has several wet caves. We took a $3 tour on a small boat through Twin Caves, guided by a park ranger who gently pushed us through the cavern and spotted with a flashlight the odd formations and blind water creatures.

The astronaut Gus Grissom is a hometown hero, and a good size museum is dedicated to this space pioneer. Grissom was an early space program veteran, piloting missions for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. He died tragically in a fire on the launch pad while conducting a routine test for Apollo 1 – a prep mission for landing on the moon.

There are numerous hiking trails in Spring Mills, including one that winds through old-growth forest where some trees have reached 300 years old. But alas, we ran out of time and couldn’t see it all in one weekend. Which begs for a return trip!

Epic Jam

Down By the Old Mill Stream