The Beauty of This Earth!

This quote was part of a sign at Turkey Run State Park in Marshall, Indiana and boy did it speak to me. If you have been following my blog, you know that Jimmy and I have travelled to some amazing places with our Pod. In my opinion, there's no better way to see the countryside. 

We left home on a rainy Sunday morning and headed to Indiana. I was hoping this wasn't a sign of the week to come. We had a five hour drive ahead of us and it was windy and driving, hard rain the entire way. The park was sold out for the week and I couldn't figure out why. It is the middle of October! Come to find out, Indiana schools have a fall break and get a week off school and it was also the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival. Parke County is home to 31 covered bridges and this festival takes place in nine communities throughout the County. They expect more than 2 million people each year! (YIKES!) We were super lucky to get a campsite.

We set up camp on site 62 and called Turkey Run our home for the next four days.  I've spend a lot of time in Indiana as my childhood, best friend moved there in the 8th grade. We have kept in touch after all these years and even though we don't talk every day (or even every month) we have the uncanny ability to pick up right where we left off. They visited on Monday night for dinner and then on Wednesday they took the day off and we checked out the Covered Bridge Festival together. It was so awesome to catch up with these two and enjoy our time together!

When we weren't visiting with our friends, we explored everything that Turkey Run had to offer. The weather was just beautiful for hiking the park. I never realized the beauty that Indiana had to offer. I'm just going to let the picture tell the rest of the story...

Turkey Run State Park - Site 62

The Suspension Bridge

Wow! Jimmy never lets me take his picture!

And a very rare selfie of the two of us!

Sugar Creek

Wow..its Jimmy again!

Just walking through Rocky Hallow

Rocky Hallow

Narrows Covered Bridge in Turkey Run State Park

Can't believe I have 4 pictures of Jimmy on the same trip!

It was a tight fit...

Absolutely beautiful day overlooking Sunset Point.

My childhood friends!
So glad we got to spend this time together.

Our adventures continue as we pack up and start heading back north. To be continued....

A Family That Camps Together, Stays Together

I think I need to use the above graphic and make t-shirts to commemorate 

all of our family camping trips together. 

Our Podding adventures continue into September with a spontaneous weekend with my brother's family at Hayes State Park in the Irish Hills. I think we made plans and booked sites within a week and we had an absolutely fabulous time! The weather was perfect for a late September weekend in Michigan, and definitely appreciated the campfire at night.      

                    

So, what do you with a 14-year-old, 13-year-old and a 11-year-old? Well, on Saturday morning after my brother and sister-in-law cooked an amazing breakfast, we took a long hike around the park and then many rounds of Kan Jam were played. Saturday night we played a good old fashion of game of Telephone (you know, when you sit in a circle and someone makes something up that gets whispered in the next persons ear and it gets passed around the circle to see how well it travels back to the original person). We shared lots of laughs around the campfire that night. Haven't played that game in years and I was glad to see that the kids weren't buried in their phones and tablets all weekend long. 

Hayes State Park - Site 147

My Nephews, Cooper and Conner and Niece, Allison

The very first sign of Fall! My favorite time of year!

My Crew from left to right: Cooner, Allison and Cooper

And don't forget my nephew dog, Louie!
It was a tad chilly and he needed a sweater. 

And the theme continues, where are your feet?