Teddy Makes A Friend & Other Hikes

We have a new furry member of the family, C’s pup Dipo, aka Dippy, because when she texted to me what his name is, I read it as Dip-O, when it actually is Dee-PO after Victor Oladipo of IU and Pacers fame. Finally we were able to introduce them, picking a neutral location, another recently “reimagined” Carmel park, Meadowlark Park. It’s not large, only 19 acres, but has a lot to offer, including trails, a fishing pond, pickleball courts, basketball courts, a playground all with easy access to the Monon Trail and a short walk to Carmel’s Arts & Design District. It was our first time visiting this park and my overall impression is that it’s a lovely pocket park nestled in a quiet Carmel neighborhood.

After a brief introduction by the playground the five of us ventured off on the trail that leads to the fishing pond. Teddy and Dippy did the normal dog thing; respectfully sniffing and checking each other out. For the most part it seemed like they enjoyed having a walking companion. Our hope is that they grow into enjoying hanging out together, that still may take a little time as they both have a lot of puppy in them.

The walk around the pond was fun, even had time to take some cute fall photos of C and Dippy.

Our big hike for the week was at an old favorite, Turkey Run State Park. It has been a long time since we have visited Turkey Run. We typically visit a different nearby park, Shades State Park and the area next to it, Pine Hills Nature Preserve. The State Parks are connected by Sugar Creek. We love the trails and creek stomping at Pine Hills so have often made that our destination, it was fun to revisit Turkey Run and cross the suspension bridge again. We plotted out a path that would combine some rugged and moderate hiking along and near Sugar Creek. This was our first time including Teddy on a rugged hiking trail; for the most part it went well. He navigated many steps up and down, and several steep ascents and descents on trails and didn’t take G off balance which what I was concerned about so he passed with flying colors. He was rewarded with some time to splash around in the creek before returning to the car and then he slept the whole way home!

Turkey Run is the State’s second state park, established in 1916, and now offers 2,382 acres of hiking and camping fun. “Historic accounts suggest that large numbers of turkeys lived in the area, prompting the name. One story adds that wild turkeys, finding it warmer in the canyon bottoms, or “runs,” would often huddle there to avoid the cold.” We passed an old entrance to a coal mine on our trail. Coal was mined here in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The interesting terrain found in the park was created during the Pleistocene Epoch when the eroding action of the melting glaciers that moved down from Canada. Some boulders found in the park were carried all the way here from Canada. The park pamphlet also notes that Turkey Run is the final resting place for Col. Richard Lieber, considered the father of Indiana State Parks. “His foresight allowed Indiana to become one of the first states to preserve significant natural areas in a system of state parks.” ~ Thank You Col. Lieber!

It was on our trip to Turkey Run, taking all quaint rural roads, that I finally put together what the difference is between the Illinois and Indiana corn fields that I noted in my last blog. The wooded groves could be seen across the massive fields of corn, breaking up the view to the horizon line. It was beautiful driving through rural Indiana, mile after mile of farm land some harvested some still waiting. One small town after another, some showing their age while others were still doing well. We don’t have the majestic mountains to climb or the waves of the ocean to get mesmerized by here in Indiana, but for me, I find beauty in our landscape and deep appreciation to the men and women who work the fields that provide food for us. ~ Thank You farmers of America!

Our last hike of the week was walked in small steps as we were blessed to have our eldest grandson with us. G, W and I headed to Eagle Creek park on yet another beautiful Indian summer morning. Our first stop was the Ornithology Center. Hoping to spot some migrating birds we scanned the Bird Sanctuary area with the outdoor binoculars. Then we visited inside to look at preserved birds that assist in identifying the real ones. Being aware of a 4 year old’s attention span we made our way to Lilly Lake with little delay. The highlight for W here was to watch his shadow and to make footprints in the crushed stone trail that circles this smaller lake. We collected huge leaves and made some new memories. Again, gauging the attention span, we moved on to a playground area that not surprising held W’s attention far longer than a walk around a lake. The dewy morning left the slides wet, but we only found that out after W dried one off going down it. I’m glad his damp shorts didn’t cause him too much discomfort. After checking out all the equipment, pausing long enough for me to catch some photos of him, and playing in the field we headed home with a tired out boy. ~ Feeling Thankful for treasured time with W!

Deep into the month of November already, a month we set aside to have an attitude of gratitude. I will conclude this post by offering a big Thank You to the friends and family who have offered words of encouragement this year as I continued to write reflections and post photos of our hiking adventures. And a special Thank You to G who patiently waited for me as I stopped over and over again to snap pictures and collect information about our hiking locations.