Just as we were leaving this morning the clouds thinned out and patches of blue started to show in the sky, so we decided to take the scenic route back. With an eye toward visiting a quilt shop that is off the main route we usually take, we headed in a generally southeastly direction and meandered our way home.
The southern quarter of Indiana is filled with rugged hills which make driving the back roads an adventure. But, oh, the things you can see. With all our recent rains the countryside is lush and green, the wild flowers are in bloom, and the rivers and creeks are running high and fast.
We stopped at a convenience store in a little town to get directions to a covered bridge that was mentioned on the map we had. The girl in the store told us where it was and then stopped and asked someone if the river had flooded. Someone answered, "No, they haven't put the flags out." It was close, though. The river was almost up to the level of the road.
This covered bridge hasn't been in use since 1972; the new bridge is right next to it in the picture.
My husband climbed down the hill to get a look at the inside.
Then, we drove around to the other side. By this time the clouds were becoming ominous and we could hear thunder in the distance.
Somehow we managed to miss the worst of the rain and wound around through the hills to Salem where we stopped for lunch. I even managed to find a little deli called the Cheddar Depot (no website) that a friend has mentioned and we had a sandwich and coffee sitting on the front porch.They had a beautiful display of Amish baskets and I couldn't resist this Lazy Susan which is now on my kitchen table.
After that, we drove over to the quilt shop and I spent a good amount of time checking out what they had (the only boring part of the trip, according to husband). Of course, just a little of what they had needed to come home with me.
After that it was supposed to be a straight shot home. We were on a state road that practically leads to our front door. Ha! Just a few miles down the road we came upon a line of traffic that had completely stopped and seemed to go on for a long way. We ended up turning around and backtracking a few miles while my husband checked the map for alternate routes. Our "alternate" route took up high up in the hills again along a road that turned either 90 degrees to the right or the left every half mile or so as it sketched the borders of farmers' fields.We arrived safely--our scenic route took more than twice the amount of time than our usual direct way, but it was a wonderful way to spend the day.
4 comments:
Diana,
I found your journey interesting - it had me referring to my map. That seems a long way to go -How far?
Why was the old bridge covered? It is lovely.
Don't you just love those country back roads? We have an old covered bridge near us that is now a regional park. Covered bridges are pretty rare in California. I'll have to post about it one of these days.
Thanks for sharing your little daytrip. Very enjoyable.
First of all thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. I'm glad it lead me to this post as I was just thinking about a Southern Indiana covered bridge that I crossed in a school bus every day for many years -- it was near Versailles, Indiana. I don't know where the bridge is that you show but it's a lovely one. I enjoyed reading the post and also looking at some of you beautiful quilts. I also like traditional/contemporary and kind of bounce between making different types. The blue one is great.
I will be very near Salem this weekend...any good quilt shops in the Spring Mill area? We have a couple of covered bridges down here too. I am glad they have been preserved.
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