MILES
499
STOPS
5
ORIGIN
Columbus
DESTINATION
St. Louis
DRIVE TIME
8.5 hrs
TOTAL TIME
12 hrs
🛑 Stop 1: Our intent had been to first visit the Aviation Heritage National Park - Wright Brothers in Dayton, OH, but unfortunately it was closed for renovation. However, we did get to visit the the Wright Cycle Company which was a nice bonus. Since we did not get to visit the Aviation Heritage National Park we headed to the National Museum of the USAF. This unplanned stop was a fantastic side trip. We could have spent the entire day here but sadly we only had a little over an hour to tour the four massive hangers before having to continue on. We walked away most impressed by the size of the B52 on display (below). The photo does not do justice to the size and wingspan of this aircraft.
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B52
We walked away most impressed by the size of the B52 on display. The photo does not do justice to the size and wingspan of this aircraft.
🛑 Stop 2: Our original plan had been to have lunch in Indianapolis but during the drive my daughter did some research and recommended we stop for lunch at the “round about capital of the United States,” Carmel, IN. She’s a big Pete Buttigieg (me too) and transportation infrastructure fan, so we did. She was flat out giddy as we drove around Carmel through the roundabouts and filed and photographed them like they were national monuments. Upon arrival we discovered that there was a HUGE CAR show: Artomobilia. We walked around town for a bit, checked out the cars and then just opted for a local Chick-fil-a drive thru for lunch. here were so many people that it was just impossible to find a place to enjoy a tranquil meal. Carmel was definitely worth the stop. Artomobilia was a huge bonus and the actual city is incredibly charming and welcoming.
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Carmel, IN
The roundabout capital of the U.S. is also a cycling friendly city.
🛑 Stop 3: Prior to arriving I had researched our destination and seen a few photos of Trail #3 at Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. Based on the photos I’d seen I knew were in for an interesting outing. Once we ventured into the sandstone canyon we were both mesmerized by the geology and our surroundings. After the crowds in Carmel it was nice to step into nature. Unfortunately, the crowds at Turkey Run were also copious but we still found our way into some solitude and calm moments. This was a big bonus and major surprise. We were incredibly gratified with the hike and absolute beauty of the trail we walked. This is a stop I highly recommend, this was another chatGPT recommendation.
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Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, IN
To get to the trail we hiked (#3) and all the other hiking trails, you will need to cross the suspension bridge that spans over Sugar Creek. Once across you’ll be in the Rocky Hollow-Falls Canyon Nature Preserve which contains a maze of deep sandstone canyons and one of the last remnants of the forest that once covered most of Indiana.
🛑 Stop 4: Our next stop was set for downtown Effingham, IL. The plan was another quick break away fro driving and to walk around to check out Sculptures on the Avenue and stretch our legs. We didn’t see the sculptures, but we did get to walk around and chanced upon another car spectacle. This time around it was a local Effingham cruise night. Auto enthusiasts followed a pre-determined course along downtown Effingham showing off their cars - some really cool and “interesting” vehicles for sure.
🛑 Final Stop: Our final stop for the day would be the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch. The Gateway Arch has been on my bucket list for a long time so I made sure that we had tickets for the first tram to the top on Sunday. We were able to walk around for a bit after we arrived before Park staff found us and made us leave, apparently no one is allowed on the grounds at night. Strange that a landmark such as this would be off-limits for an evening stroll. We settled in for dinner at one of the hotel restaurants and then turned in for the night..
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St. Louis Gateway Arch at night. Ari taking a photo of it.
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St. Louis Gateway Arch at night. Posing for a photo..