SE Indiana

Hello all--

We are in Ripley County near the city of Batesville in Indiana. The change in the weather and the geography has been dramatic since leaving Alabama. Our campground is surounded by small farms, most of which have corn planted. As I was out bike riding this morning I thought this was truly a good warm up for Iowa--the roads and terrain will likely be very much the same. I've been learning all of the history of the area quickly and am trying to ride to some of the local highlights. Today's ride went through Milan, home of the 1954 state basketball team which inspired the movie "Hoosiers." Continuing down the road to Versailles, home to a recently renovated covered bridge which I rode across this morning. It was nice to ride through the small towns of this county--very small and historic towns founded in the 1850's.

On the drive north from Birmingham we stopped for one night in Franklin, Tennessee and met Amanda Burnett (BHS 62) for dinner. She recommended the restaurant J. Alexander, which is a chain primarily located here in the southeast. Good food and even better service--so stop by one if you ever see one. She told us some of the history of the area which is quickly growing--Franklin was another Civil War battlefields where the south took a beating. There is a confederate cemetery in town.

Tomorrow we will visit a nearby Libby tourist attraction--Mom! She is in Louisville for a convention with her husband, John. Bill and I will steal her away for a few hours tomorrow for lunch and a visit. The city is not as close as I once thought, but we'll have great scenery to look at. I really would like a chance to explore Columbus, Indiana which we drove through earlier this week. In the middle of a rural setting I was surprised to see modern architecture; which they link together via signs for a tour around town. If we have the time to explore...

Heading west into Iowa next week.
Susan