Camping in Northern Indiana is a Must

We spent the holiday weekend in northern Indiana camping, biking, kayaking and eating. It was still summer even though Halloween decorations dominated the landscape. I like Halloween….in October. Beautiful but a little premature.

We parked our home on wheels at Twin Mills RV Resort in Indiana. Twin Mills is a Thousand Trails campground with 551 sites. Some are really rustic, tucked away in the woods and others are near the South Twin River. This is a place we visit frequently. I like it. There are golf cart parades with lights, horns, and candy as well as pool, basketball courts and lots of walking trails. The adventure for this week was figuring out if my work from home set up would have enough Wi-Fi to work from the campsite. My goal is to be able to work from wherever we happen to be. Twin Mills did not disappoint. I was able to take patient calls and work from the camper. To seal the deal a bird flew into the camper while I was talking to a patient. She was so calm. Sitting on the windowsill, I swear, staring at me. At first, I wanted to eeek but I didn’t. She and I were meant to be together in that moment. After enjoying her and ending my call, I opened the camper door and went around to the deck door and opened it. When I returned, she was gone and the feeling of her remained.

My Heybike arrived a week before we left. Much like a kid a Christmas I was impatiently waiting for David to put it together. Once it was assembled, I read the directions (yup, had to read them), donned my helmet and hopped on. Apparently, I did not understand the meaning of pedal assist. I was shocked to pedal and hear the battery engage and the bike move fast. But after a couple minutes in our quiet caul de sac, I felt like a pro. There were no cars or people to get in my way. The first day at Twin Mills campground there were a ton of kids, golf carts and cars. My comfort level was zero. I wasn’t defeated but my confidence was shaken. Luckily, the next day we took the bikes to Pumpkin Vine Trail. 20 miles of mostly quiet trails. Just horses, cows, and farms. On the first leg I was cautious, grabbing at my brakes constantly. I managed the trail well, enjoyed the ride. When we stopped my heart rate was in the 80’s not where I wanted it. So, I adjusted my pedaling speed and, on the way, back my heart rate was in the 130’s. Yay!! As much as I wanted assistance with hills and long distance, I wanted to still get a workout. Goal accomplished! The hills were no longer my enemy. Another bonus was getting on the bike. I have hip arthritis and getting on my old bike was a challenge. The Heybike is a step thru. Getting on it was a dream.

I love water. It is a place of peace and restoration for me. I am also terrified of water. I search my mind for the reason but there is not a definitive one. Those two aspects give me a healthy respect for water. Which is good because we are often on or in water. As is the case on many weekends we took our two-person kayak out for the day, at least part of the day. We developed a successful if not convoluted way to get the kayak to the launch spot and to have a vehicle to get back. This time I drove the truck while David rode the motorcycle to our end destination. We left the bike and took the truck to the launch site. Did I say it was the holiday weekend? The launch site was crowded with a bunch of yahoos. When men are left to their own devices, they will do anything. Several men launched their kayaks from the top of the hill into the water while they were in it. All launches were successful, no men were harmed. We chose to launch the traditional way. This too was successful.

The water of the Pidgeon River was clear and calm. It took awhile to paddle past the crowd. We saw a few turtles and birds but even the wildlife seemed to be on holiday. Paddling and talking was going great. Then I see a sign that I believed to be a real estate for sale. My vision can be somewhat of a challenge. David politely corrects me, “it says danger. The dam is close. Time to get out.’ I knew he said we had to get around the dam. I thought he meant paddle around it somehow. Nope, not the case. We put the kayak on the shore, and he proceeds to search for a place to launch past the dam. I began to conversate with an older gentle with literally two teeth. Despite the image he was full of info about the area and quite friendly. He also had an old pup who sniffed and sniffed everywhere and was fun to watch. David returns, grabs the kayak dragging it to the new launch site just past a recently downed tree. Another successful launch took us on the last half of our trip. Beautiful, quiet almost isolated. The water became super shallow in several spots. Once we got stuck. No amount of paddling could unstick us. David to the rescue. He gets out and drags me and the kayak to deeper water. I have a sense of adventure but his is bigger by a long shot. Tight narrow areas between trees would mean turn back for me. He repositions and navigates us through. The day ends without incident back at the motorcycle.

No trip to northern Indiana is complete without a trip to Essenhaus. Simple comfort food that makes my mouth sing and my butt dance in the seat. We also checked out the Country Corral in Shipshewana. The dining area felt like being at grandmas. Cowboy hats and horse paraphernalia dotting the walls. The waitress was warm and friendly. Only one downfall. We arrived at 1130 starving for breakfast. They stopped serving breakfast at 1100. I am disappointed we were unable to try their food and I look forward to going back. This time before 1100.

We headed to an old standby, Hometown Family Restaurant and Pancake House. The service is always warm, and the food is great. I love the stuffed French toast with strawberries. Although, we check out the eateries in the area, we prepared some of our own meals. We made shrimp linguine with red sauce, country ribs with fried potatoes and corn on the cob and scallops with rice and veggies.

No weekend would be complete without a motorcycle ride in the country. I swear I saw some red leaves emerging. Way too soon for fall. Beautiful ride on the back roads of Indiana. We stopped at Nasby Dam. Watched some people “fishing” for metal. For me it seems like a lot of work for a little yield. But to each their own. The highlight of this stop was otters. Yes, otters. There were three playing, swimming and diving. I was so happy to see them. They were in their home, not the zoo. I love zoos but it is absolutely awesome to see an animal in its natural habitat. Part of me wished they were playing the day we were kayaking…only part of me.

There is something about the Amish community I love. The beauty, gait and beauty of their horses takes my breath away every time. The Amish homes are gorgeous. I am pretty certain I can’t live without electricity, but their homes make me wonder if I could. Every Amish woman must have a green thumb. Their flower gardens all seem full, colorful. I on the other hand kill every plant I touch. Except one. I have managed to keep one spider plant alive since the beginning of the pandemic. Not thriving but alive I probably look like a crazy stalker staring, gawking, and smiling. Hopefully, they aren’t offended.

Northern Indiana is a great place to spend time.