West of the State Capital lies another one of Indiana’s least traveled areas, Parke County. Nestled in-between Interstates 70 & 74 it is known for its covered bridges, even being called the Covered Bridge Capital of the World. It would be tempting to ride around Parke County and wander through of all the bridges all while taking amusing tongue-in-cheek pictures by the town signs of Leatherwood, Coxville, and Hudnut, but I wanted to find something more rewarding and interesting in this small Indiana County where Rockville is the County seat. I found some inetersting and rewarding experiences, and ate a fantastic tenderloin too.
The Tenderloin:
The Thirty-Six Saloon is a “biker bar” that sits about a block away from my lodging for tonight. Now, don’t let the “biker bar” moniker deter you if you are some kind of man-child on your quest to find your stolen bicycle in the basement of the Alamo. The place is friendly as can be and you would not have to Tequila Dance your way out if you wander in to make a phone call. The rustic theme yields wooden floors and walls, peanut shells on the ground, and hunting trophies hanging from the rafters. As expected they got beer and whiskey, but I was here to sample the pork tenderloin. Out came a large, flat, crispy, fresh piece of pork with a bun on the side. With it I ordered some hot wing sauce to dip it in as well as one of my favorite appetizers, fried mini-tacos. The sandwich did not disappoint. It had good seasoning on the breading and the pork was tender. Having wing sauce on the side to dip made it a great last meal for anyone heading off to the big house. It is also worthy stop for anyone while driving through or taking a break from driving under all those bridges.
The Town:
You can find the Old Jail Inn on the courthouse square in Rockville, IN on any unique hotel list for the state of Indiana. So, when I wanted to take a hike along the Turkey Run 5 Mile Challenge, I’d figure I would shack up here the night before. What I thought might just be a themed B&B turned out to be something odd, strange, and a bit spooky. Just like a courthouse in the Indiana County Seats, old jails can also be found surrounding the downtown square. Over the years, some are torn down, others repurposed as museums (like the tenderloin visit in Warsaw, IN), but this one has been turned into something between a hostel and a Bed and Breakfast. While the two suites upstairs each have their own private bathroom, the two rooms downstairs share one. The five small jail cells (which contain only a bed within the bars) also contain a single bathroom. The kitchen, laundry, and TV area is shared by all of the rooms. When I showed up on a Thursday night for lodging, I was the only occupant and would stay in the whole jail by myself. So… let me elaborate on the whole mood here this weekday night. I am by myself (no employees stay overnight in this hotel), in a 150 year old building that used to be a jail, in a downtown square where my car is the only vehicle parked on the whole block. So not only is the hotel deserted, but the buildings around the jail are also shuttered for the night. I’m not one who believes in ghosts, but in the middle of the night when you hear the walls creek, a shiver will travel down your spine and you will freeze, waiting to make sure no footsteps or other ghastly sounds follow. But, the hotel is not all scares and prayers, when inhabited with a healthy amount of people it could be a lot of group fun. A Girl Scout troop was there the weekend before and I’m sure those girls had a fun time running around the cells. The bottom two rooms are really nice. They have a large bed and are fully carpeted; you wouldn’t be able to tell from the inside that it was an old jail. The suite I stayed in upstairs, on the other hand, was a bit on the rough side. The Bonnie & Clyde room’s walls are covered with messages from those who have stayed beforehand and the floor a concrete slab. You have a small bed under the built-in cots from the prisoners of yesteryear. The toilet has a curtain for privacy and the jail shower is… a… well… a jail shower. You can close the bars at night and stay locked in like the many good and evil tenants before you. All in all, I really enjoyed my stay at the jail for the night. I wasn’t really scared, but I would describe it as a bit unsettling staying there alone. I’m sure the place would be a blast with a group of friends or even strangers that you may share the jail for the night.
I visited a couple of other food places in Rockville. You are going to get up early staying in that old creaky jail alone. Good thing the little diner called Benjamin’s Family Dining opened up at 6:00. I escaped the jail and headed a couple streets away and had a nice plate of bacon & eggs. It was a really large and tasty breakfast for a low price. Later on in the morning, I stopped off at Wheel House Donuts to pick up a ½ dozen to take home. Here you pick your icing and toppings. We had everything from Oreo, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, to Fruity Pebbles on our vanilla and caramel iced donuts. They are all baked that morning and topped while you wait.
Turkey Run is the 2nd oldest state park in Indiana. The land settled by the Lusk family was put up for auction and, while almost bought by a logging company, it was purchased by the state historical society for us to enjoy today. The five mile challenge (which is more like 7 miles) traverses through some of the most rugged and scenic land in the state of Indiana. You will first approach a giant suspension bridge that crosses the Sugar Creek. The wooden bridge looks stable, but slightly bounces as you walk over the midspan. I bet you wouldn’t think that there are canyons in Indiana, but guess what? You get to crawl around 2 canyons on the trail at the west side of the park. Granted, it ain’t the Grand Canyon, but when you climb rocks inside the gorge you get a good feel of how large even these canyons are. You then come upon steps, 140 of them to be exact. If you are lucky enough to go clockwise along the challenge you will go down them, although a ladder awaits you to climb about a quarter mile later. From there you hike to Camel’s Back, which really isn’t much of anything anymore, to a waterfall and the Punch Bowl. The Punch Bowl is a small formation above the waterfall where water collects in a small hole, it looks similar to a punch bowl, hence the name. The second half of the hike is more of your typical forest trail. You do get some spectacular views of Sugar Creek when hiking along the cliff over the bank, where you pass an old coal mine before crossing the suspension bridge again to complete the challenge. For someone who drives all around Indiana and pretty much sees nothing but corn and trees, it is so refreshing to see that the landscape of the Hoosier State has something more to offer for explorers.
See now, Rockville and Parke County has a lot more to offer than just covered bridges built a long time ago that no one uses anymore. You can traverse some rugged terrain, spend the night in what some believe to be a haunted jail, and eat some really good food whether it’s breakfast, donuts, or nice large fried breaded pork tenderloin.
The morning: Imagine waking up and seeing this
OK, I'll give you one covered bridge. This one is on the grounds of Turkey Run
by Michael Tomko
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