Dave
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- First: Camino Francés 2002; most recent: Norte/Primitivo 2019
I'm in Chicago tonight, having crossed into Illinois earlier today and then taking a train from Matteson into the city to visit friends for a couple days. This means I've now crossed Indiana twice, following first the southern branch and now the northern.
How do they compare? Well, a quick survey of the posts below will underscore that the southern route is much longer, spending considerably more time in Indiana. The walking is far better in the north, with the majority of the miles spent on a variety of different rail trails, from the Cardinal Greenway early on through to the Pennsy Greenway at the end. By contrast, significantly more of the southern route is spent on roads, sometimes with a good bit of auto traffic.
I found the towns on the southern route to be more interesting and memorable. And varied. I mean, you've got some great historic spots (like Corydon), a religious enclave (St. Meinrad), and a tourist trap (Santa Claus). On the flipside, hospitality has been really encouraging on the northern route, including a really warm welcome at Stepler's Café in Amboy and a covered shelter provided by the police in Hebron.
Here are my write-ups from each of these journeys across Indiana:
Southern Indiana
(The first chunk and the last chunk of walking in Indiana are folded into posts focused more on Ohio and Illinois.)
How do they compare? Well, a quick survey of the posts below will underscore that the southern route is much longer, spending considerably more time in Indiana. The walking is far better in the north, with the majority of the miles spent on a variety of different rail trails, from the Cardinal Greenway early on through to the Pennsy Greenway at the end. By contrast, significantly more of the southern route is spent on roads, sometimes with a good bit of auto traffic.
I found the towns on the southern route to be more interesting and memorable. And varied. I mean, you've got some great historic spots (like Corydon), a religious enclave (St. Meinrad), and a tourist trap (Santa Claus). On the flipside, hospitality has been really encouraging on the northern route, including a really warm welcome at Stepler's Café in Amboy and a covered shelter provided by the police in Hebron.
Here are my write-ups from each of these journeys across Indiana:
Southern Indiana
- August 7, 2019 - Lawrenceburg to Friendship - Post
- August 8, 2019 - Friendship to Clifty Falls State Park - Post
- August 9, 2019 - Clifty Falls to Lexington - Post
- August 10, 2019 - Lexington to after Bennettsville - Post
- August 11, 2019 - After Bennettsville to New Albany - Post
- August 12, 2019 - New Albany to after Corydon - Post
- August 13, 2019 - After Corydon to after Leavenworth - Post
- August 14, 2019 - After Leavenworth to St. Meinrad - Post
- August 15, 2019 - St. Meinrad to Santa Claus - Post
- August 16, 2019 - Santa Claus to after Boonville - Post
- August 17, 2019 - After Boonville to Evansville - Post
- August 18, 2019 - Evansville to the Wabash River - Post
(The first chunk and the last chunk of walking in Indiana are folded into posts focused more on Ohio and Illinois.)
