The Midwest

So the next morning we took off from Promised Land State Park in NE Pennsylvania before 7am and drove all day.  We made it to Ben and Abby's house at 8:30 that evening. In the process we drove through Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio on our way to Indiana.  Long drive.

Ben and Abby's seven acres of paradise has a lovely home with lots of grass and trees that surround it. Maddox has a place to ride his collection of vehicles, which he does. We found wild strawberries in the grass on the hillside, and a robin's nest in one of the smaller trees.  But the biggest surprise was the Hawk nest we found in one of the larger trees. When we spotted it, it looked like there were two baby hawks.  However, after a closer look at the picture that George took, we discovered that there were, in fact, three.  Cooper's Hawks, we think. What a cool find.

We spent 4 days and nights at the John Hartford Memorial Bluegrass Festival. This event is held annually at the Bill Monroe Music Compound, in Bean Blossom Indiana. Since Bill Monroe bought the property in the early '50's, it has been the site of music festivals, concerts, workshops and barn dances. The place fairly reeks of music. We heard performances by the Dillards, the Travelin' McCrorys, and dozens of other
bluegrass ensembles, some with national renown, and some just bunches of local folks. We heard a 15 year old girl, a banjo player from Macon Georgia, and Sam Bush, who must be pushing 80, with his band. Ben and I got a chance to play our instruments in informal jam sessions that lasted well into the night. We thoroughly loved this place, and this experience, and we will be back.

We rolled through Crawfordsville Indiana, looking for the house where George lived while his father was on the faculty at Wabash College. The campus is much bigger, and with lots of newer building. We couldn't find the house, and headed West through Illinois.

We crossed the Mississippi River at Hannibal Missouri. We stayed at a campground located on the site of the caverns, discovered in 1813, featured in Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  There is a burr oak tree, almost 300 years old, that was certainly there when young Samuel Clemens explored the place. We strolled through the historic district of downtown Hannibal, among vintage buildings and along the riverbank, trying to soak up atmosphere. Then we climbed back into the truck, and drove about 485 miles, all the way across Missouri, and most of the way through Kansas. 

Today, we are headed to Greeley, Colorado to visit some family there.