"Breaking Away" to Southern Indiana

I am not certain if it was our original intent to extend Fall into a two month affair, but between early fall travels northward to the current trip, we have managed to do so. Beyond fall color, there were several other good reasons to visit southern Indiana. First, it offered a chance for Kristen to visit her alma mater, Indiana University. Second, it was an opportunity to catch up with friends Julie and Jason.

Bloomington's IU campus has long been known for its beautiful limestone buildings and leafy quads, but the city itself is also quite attractive, with a lovely town square and the b-line making it a quaint, walkable downtown. We especially enjoyed visits to the Runcible Spoon, Farm Bloomington (biscuits to die for) and Upland Brewing.

We headed out to Brown County State Park to see the fall color in all its glory (trail #5 is a must do) and to meet some beautiful old growth trees, including the tulip tree (Indiana's state tree), sycamore, yellowwood, beech and shagbark hickory.

This theme was continued a bit farther south at the pioneer mothers memorial forest, the lone remnant of true "old growth" forest in the state (and, where we had a feline trail companion whom we dubbed "paw paw.")

We spent the final two days visiting our friend Julie and Jason in Evansville, and they graciously showed us the local sights, including charming Newberg and the impressive Audobon state park in Henderson, KY.