Brown County Indiana

"...Baby I love you..." Aretha Franklin blares out of my rattling, old, scratchy speakers of Bessie (the name I have coined my car). Windows down, wind blowing my hair, the scents of fall waft in and out as I drive down the orange tunnel of a road. Smells of hay, trees, nature and the occasional scent of burning wood coming from inside someone's house come and go. I drive along, wishing I could be cuddled up inside my house with a fire burning inside a fireplace with a cup of fresh hot apple cider, and a good book.



Today I decided to go for a drive. I've been inside working so much I guess I barely realized it was fall. This looks to be the peak weekend around here in Southern Indiana. Taking off East out of town on Route 45, a small, winding, very beautiful road. The road bends and dips, motorcycles go whizzing by in the other direction headed out on their dream stretch of winding road.

Driving along East I realize that Route 45 is one of those winding roads I saw from up above in the airplane last weekend. The kind of road I looked down upon and wished I could drive along, no destination in mind, just drive to see where the road takes me. Route 45 appeared every so often to get a bit narrower and it was only because the trees hugged the road so tightly. There above, they hung so softly, shining their vibrantly, beautiful colors of fall. Orange, fire red, brown, dark green...changing the road below the different colors of the leaves. It seemed at some points to be so vibrant that I felt was wearing orange colored glasses.

Smiling I drove along. Driving to an unknown destination, turning corners and having my breath taken away by the sight before me. Not thinking it could get any more gorgeous I continued down my path as it never ceased to amaze me...


My eventual path and winding road led me to Bean Blossom, the birthplace of Bluegrass. Bill Monroe started the Bluegrass band and from there it led to the Bluegrass movement. I stopped in the small town grocery store to get another cool Bean Blossom shirt for Allison but they weren't nearly as interesting as last time I was there.

Driving south from Bean Blossom I ended up in Nashville, Indiana. There I found antiques, kitchy craft stores, and throngs of people out walking the streets of Nashville. Two years ago Mom and I were driving around Bloomington and ended up in Nashville wandering the streets, in and out of the small shops.

As I drove back to Bloomington I took different road, Route 46, making a loop from where I started. This road wasn't nearly as breathtaking. There were advertisement signs up on the side of the road, really taking away from the beauty of the nature surrounding.