Before leaving for California, Dad and I toured around Madison, Indiana to take in the sights and see some places prominent in Dad’s childhood.
The fountain in Madison, Indiana. It is normally off in the winter time.
The main drive through downtown Madison, Indiana.
This bank in downtown Madison, Indiana was robbed when my Dad was but a lad. Not sure it’s a bank now.
A bunch of crows decided to hold a conference atop one of the buildings in downtown Madison, Indiana.
A unit of barges is pushed upriver on the Ohio River shorefront of Madison, Indiana as my Dad watches in the morning light.
A view of the bridge that crosses the Ohio River from Madison, Indiana to Kentucky. It is Federal Highway 421. A really interesting drive.
An interesting structure, raised up because this is part of the area that floods regularly when the Ohio River is really full.
Some kind of flood monitoring station along the shore of the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana.
A view of the bridge over the Ohio River from Madison, Indiana into Kentucky from the eastern or upriver side. FYI, the river was high this day, but not in any kind of flood stage. I’ve seen it much higher and much lower.
A view of the bridge over the Ohio River from the nearby hills of Kentucky.
Dad looks out at the Ohio River and Madison, Indiana from the hills of Kentucky.
A picture perfect view of Madison, Indiana and the Ohio River while another set of barges is pushed upriver.
Crossing the bridge over the Ohio River from Kentucky, back to Madison, Indiana.
Dad points down to the area where he and his friends used to make a swimming hole in the creek. That creek is coming out of a tunnel from underneath the old Madison Railroad Incline Cut. at 5.89 percent, it was the steepest line-haul standard gauge railroad track in North America. It was last used in 1992.
What is significant here? Well it used to be a sand quarry and as a young boy, Dad and friends decided to dig a cave in it. Well the cave collapsed with Dad in it at the age of 7. A large rock was on top of him and it took hours to dig him out. He has a scar on his head to this day from his accident. That scar is the result of more than 30 stitches.
This is the Madison Incline. It was the steepest line-haul, standard gauge railroad track in North America. Opened in 1841, the incline has been in existence for nearly 180 years. At 5.89%, this incredible feat of engineering proved to be a challenge for its operators and was last used in 1992. Today, the incline has become a popular hiking trail and can be accessed from dawn until dusk.
A view looking down at the bottom of the Madison Railroad Incline.
One of the buildings of nearby Hanover College in nearby Hanover, Indiana. It is a beautiful campus.
A view in the early morning downriver of the Ohio River from the campus of Hanover College.
A view of the Ohio River from Hanover College. Below this point is where Dad used to horse around a bit in his younger days.
Hanging Rock Falls on Indiana State Road 7, not too far from the Eades Antique Shop (which is on route 7 too) in Madison, Indiana. People used to be able to park their car underneath the falls and wash them. Not any more. Too many rocks come down.
My car inside a covered bridge over a stream in nearby Scipio, Indiana.
This picturesque covered bridge, which you can still drive through, is over a stream in Scipio, Indiana. Up the road on state route 7 from Madison, Indiana. There is a modern bridge on the other side of the covered bridge now used by most traffic needing to cross the stream.
I end this post with this quote seen next to a grave marker in a cemetery on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, where I took scenic pictures of Madison, Indiana. It seems somehow fitting for this journey with my Dad.
A terrific quote.