I’ve ridden past this sign many times over the years, but never thought much about it. But today I noticed that the chain across the entrance was down, so I decided to ride back and take a look.
The dirt path dropped down to the fields pretty steeply, and my street tires found no purchase for most of the way. After that it was about a quarter to half a mile back to the river between two bean fields. Along the way I met up with a heavy duty pickup pulling a large cargo trailer. I jumped over to the side to let it pass, and the driver stopped and said “Can I help you?”
This gentleman seemed about sixty years old and was pretty surly, with a wife that looked about the same. I answered that I was just getting some exercise, and he replied that “it gets to be private property back there”.
Of course, that made me want to see more. I promised to be careful and we each went our separate ways.
Near the river the fields ended and I entered a wooded area. There was a pair of steel poles with hardware for another security chain, so I’m guessing that this was where it was getting to be private property, but I continued.
The photo doesn’t really capture the lushness of the trees and undergrowth – a very pretty area.
The path met the river and turned to follow it for a ways. At the end of the road was a small building with a TV antenna flanked by RVs and pickups. A fire was burning behind a dirt mound. I decided that I was close enough to the private property and didn’t go any closer.
The Wabash is quiet here.
This is the path heading back. The tree line in the distance is at the edge of River Road. Click any photo to jump to the Flickr page where I’ve geotagged each shot.
In other news, the Wabash River Ride was held a couple of weeks ago, and their Dan Henrys are still clear on the pavement. I may try one of the routes soon.
This fence on 300W used to surround a shack that presumably held airplane navigation equipment. It was taken down last year.