Last Hurrah

    

   

They say time flies when you're having fun. The way this summer went, I believe it! We've visited 10 state parks, made lots of trips to the beach, seen many sunsets, traveled a lot of miles, been in three states, seen many beautiful places and made more memories than we can keep track of. But all good things must come to an end. An amazing summer is no exception. Last week we had one last chance for adventure before the school year started.
   
   

When Drew got home from work Thursday evening, we took off for the lake for one last summer sunset. Sunsets always have a way of resetting my brain and getting me back on track. Add in the soft beach sand and the sound of the waves kissing the shore and my mind is transported to a place of serenity and calm. Thursday night was no exception. We saw a beautiful sunset and I enjoyed some time just relaxing in the sand. By the time we got home and settled in for the night (and sorted through our plethora of sunset photos), it was almost 2:00 Friday morning when we got to bed! 🤣 That meant we got started a little later on Friday than we normally would have. But we still packed a lot of fun into our day!
     We typically go someplace different each week and revisit places we enjoyed or want to see more of on a weekend or the next summer. But there was one place near where we were going that we liked enough to visit again before summer break ended. France Park in Logansport, IN has a beautiful waterfall that is relaxing to just sit and watch. While Drew sat by the waterfall, I hiked a trail to get to the other waterfalls that lead to the big one. The trail was steep, narrow and rocky. But the waterfalls were worth the hike! The smaller waterfalls are just a beautiful to watch and the big one. You just have to work a lot harder to get to them. 😃 After spending a little time there, we headed to our next spot.

    The Peru Circus Winter Quarters was the winter home for multiple circuses in the 1920s. The grounds once contained more than 30 buildings. Now only two barns remain, along with the corn crib, some of the old circus wagons, the trapeze practice area and the lion taming practice ring. There are signs marking the locations of buildings that no longer exist. It's a fabulous snippet of Indiana's role in the great circuses of America. It was truly amazing to walk the grounds, realizing that nearly a century ago, some of the greatest circus performers in our history walked those same paths and practiced all the ways they would entertain many people! There may only be a few of the original structures left, but it's definitely worth the trip!
   
     From there, we headed to One Eyed Jack's for lunch. Drew had his eye on their tenderloin. I'm not ashamed to admit I was happy to go there when I found out they had tater tots on the menu. Let me tell you that I wasn't disappointed! The tenderloin was beer-battered which Drew isn't crazy about. But he said it was still good. He also enjoyed their fries while I enjoyed a mushroom swiss burger along with my tater tots. We both also got a side of grilled asparagus. Pretty sure I came close to licking the plate! Delicious food in a relaxing atmosphere. We had one more place to get to before we made the trip home.
   
     Since this has been our state park summer, we wanted to make sure we got to a state park before I headed back to school. Tippecanoe River State Park was the perfect spot to end our adventures for the summer. Like the other state parks we've visited, this one was beautiful and clean. Trails are well marked and the camping areas are well taken care of. The trail I chose to hike led to a 90' fire tower! I'm not sure why, but when I'm at a park with a fire tower, I feel the need to climb it. I typically have achy muscles after that. This time I learned a tough lesson: after spending four hours at the lake Wednesday, mowing two properties and walking the beach Thursday then hiking two moderately intense trails, it's probably not the ideal time to climb a 90' fire tower! 78 hours later I'm still struggling to walk well. But the view was worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I don't give up easily!
   
       It was a wonderful adventure to end this summer break. I'm thankful for this new school year and look forward to making memories with my students. But I admit I'm already thinking about our adventures next summer and will spend the next few months looking through the thousands of photos we took over the past 8 weeks. I'm thankful for a husband who is patient with me and is willing to push through pain to go on our adventures. Stay tuned because I'm sure there will be some mini-adventures until we become winter hermits. Please give us a follow! We're crazy but we sure know how to make life fun! Besides, everyone needs something to laugh at.