A View of History -- New Harmony, Indiana

When I planned my trip this summer, one of my destinations was New Harmony, Indiana A planned.  community started in 1814 by a German speaking religious group who wished to maintain their way of life. I stayed with my Hip camp hosts in Evansville, Indiana and took the Road Queen on a rather strange and twisted ride to get to the town as my route was missing some rather informative signage due to construction along the way. On both the way to and from, I found myself in Kentucky ... I know, the map woman was misplaced once again but, hey, it's part of the adventure, yes? LOL 

Eventually I did make my way to the town that has been preserved for all of us to learn from. Started by the Harmonists  who relocated from Pennsylvania, they were truly ahead of their time. They built homes in the 1800 with glass windows and wood siding and they were all the same ... a truly early version of tract homes. Every one had the same floor plan, the same window and door layout. No matter the size of the family, they all got the same size and layout of a house. The Harmonists built a whole town in an amazingly short period of time, including clearing trees, processing the lumber and building the homes. They were a very industrious community, however because they felt that the rapture was eminent, they eventually all took an oath of celibacy and quit procreating, thus eventually leading to their own demise later in years when they had relocated back to Pennsylvania where they originally came from.

When they left their town in Indiana, they sold the entire town to a pair if industrialists who had an idea to create a utopian society. The town already had housing, a lumber mill, a production facility for cloth, clothing, food, water (after all, the settlers originally came there on a river) and seemed the ideal place to pursue their passion. They gave every employee a house. They treated women and men equally. They educated all children, both boys and girls! 

From Wikipedia, here is a small sampling of the innovations that came from this utopian experiment: New Harmony changed American education and scientific research. Town residents established the first public library, a civic drama club, and a public school system open to men and women. Its prominent citizens inc Owen's sons: Robert Dale Owen, an Indiana congressman and social reformer who sponsored legislation to create the Smithsonian Institution; David Dale Owen, a noted state and federal geologist; William Owen, a New Harmony businessman; and Richard Owen,^[5] Indiana state geologist, Indiana University professor, and first president of Purdue University. The town also served as the second headquarters of the U.S. Geological Survey. Numerous scientists and educators contributed to New Harmony's intellectual community, including William Maclure, Marie Louise Duclos Fretageot, Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, Joseph Neef, Frances Wright, and others.

Unfortunately, not every citizen was a willing participant and socialism only flourishes in an environment of complete buy in. Eventually, the utopian experiment failed and the town became a historical treasure for the gifts the two groups had given it. It is a beautifully kept town, with a mix of original historical buildings and added ones that fit into the the rich cultural heritage of the past. There is a fantastic visitor center and our tour guide, Heidi, was a wealth of information and extremely interesting. I took a two hour shuttle tour with various stops and tours of buildings around town. It was well worth the afternoon.

Coinicidentally, Heidi and I spoke when I signed up for the tour and she knows Troy and Jubilee! She texted them to let them know we had met! I would have liked to have spent more time in town and if and when I get back that way, I will go again to see what I missed. Hopefully, next time I won't get lost! LOL

On to my next adventure, I left on Thursday morning and found my way across the Mississippi river to the town of Cape Girardeau, in Missouri, which I have to assume also has some history associated with the name. That, however, is for another adventure.

Friday morning and I am heading to Arkansas to camp for the weekend in Flippin at another HipCamp facility. This one is larger and is a family oriented private campground in the Ozark Mountains, that my Buffalo and I fell in love with over and over again. Looking forward to seeing my beloved Arkansas and visiting where I spread some of Buffalo's ashes.

Peace all. 

Bobbi

Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they're yours.

Richard Bach said these prophetic words in Illusions, a book that my Buffalo shared with me over thirty years ago. Those same words hang in a frame when you walk in the side door of our home, a calligraphy I gifted him when our house was complete. It is a simple concept. We are all responsible for our own destiny, our own success, our own failure. 

So it was with a great deal of apprehension, that I approached my current adventure. You see, Buffalo and I spent many motorcycle rides camping. We spent a good part of our honeymoon in a tent, exploring the redwoods in Northern California. But once he moved on to another place, once I lost my soul mate, I didn't have the courage to camp alone. I was alright with riding my motorcycle to destinations unknown and exploring this great land of ours as a solo adventurer. I was just uncomfortable with sleeping in a tent by myself. 

When I retired, I wanted to do an open ended adventure. I wanted to go and not worry about when I had to be home. TJ Johnson, a wind brother with ABATE, did it when he retired and he set the wheels in motion. He lit the fire inside me to go. Because we never know when our health, our family, our lives may place limits upon us that preclude our ability or our opportunity to pursue those passions. And because I wanted this to be an open ended adventure, and I am not a rich woman, I had to explore lodging options that were feasible for my pocketbook.

And so I started to plan. I had tents and sleeping bags and camp stoves and the accouterments to do the journey, but not in the size that would aptly fit on my motorcycle riding solo. I found a motorcycle camping website and became obsessed with finding the right fit for my solo adventure. I found that backpacking gear was ideal for my solo camping on a motorcycle and began to accumulate the things that fit my adventure.

I was hesitant to camp a
lone and so I explored various online options: Bunk-A-Biker and HipCamp were my two preferences. And for my first exploration into this new adventure, I hesitantly booked my first reservation with a HipCamp host in Evansville, Indiana. 

And then I had to listen to all the nay sayers. All my friends and family who were convinced that some weirdo would attack me while I slept in my little tent alone. And, all along, I had my Buffalo in my heart, telling me to Argue for my Limitations and, sure enough, they would be mine...

And call it luck. Or good fortune. Or Karma. But I booked my first HipCamp reservation with two of the most wonderful, genuine, coolest people I could have ever hoped for!

Troy and Jubilee Miller were gracious and fun people, full of the most amazing stories and the most awesome place I could have never imagined! Their listing said an antique barn. Wow! Was that an understatement! Their barn is a music venue and has all the atmosphere of the place anybody would love to be on a kick ass Saturday night. Troy has so many stories about the musicians he has met in his musical endeavors that will wow you for hours. But they are far from braggers about it. They casually talk about it like as if everybody has these kind of things happen in their life. 

Their barn is a fantastic venue that made me long for the opportunity to see a live performance there. The eclectic collection of decor longs for a full house of appreciative patrons. It is truly a pickers dream in there and the barn is a construction wonder in itself, with hand-hewn wood beams. 

Troy is the Warrick County Cowboy, a musician with a collection of guitars to boast his musical prowess, whereas Jubilee felt like a sister right from the start. She is a true artist that has used her creative talents to decorate their home in the most amazing way. Outside is a garden of flowers, vegetables, bee hives and bunnies. And she is such a spirited individual, who appreciates the gifts our planet has to offer and does not want to see them wasted. 

I enjoyed their company so much that I stayed a second night when I had only planned on one. And I like to believe that I have made a pair of new friends. I would recommend that anybody reach past their trepidation and try something new. Seriously. Argue for your limitations. 

Peace All. Life is short. Live it now.

Bobbi

A Run Through Ohio Hill Country

Despite threats of severe thunderstorms by the weather people for July 15th, my planned departure date for my 2024 bike trip, I was still committed to meet my departure date. Fortunately, by the time I had packed up and threw my leg over the Road Queen, the day had a very promising outlook. I had planned to head south west on two lane roads, and work my way down to Zanesville, then head west towards Indiana. My intention was to sneak over to state line somewhere between Dayton and Cincinnati, avoiding interstates and large city congestion as much as possible. 

My first challenge was getting through Dover. For some reason, it seems like every time I ride into Dover, I can't remember how to easily get through to the other side and today was no different... I think I spent a good 45 minutes winding my way through that little town before emerging on the west side. Then I got snafued coming  through Zanesville and had to do some round about rerouting to get back on my intended highway! LOL 

Of course, the mercury was dancing around 90F and the sun was shining, with barely any clouds in site for most of the day. Around 3 o'clock, the color of the sky started to change very quickly and it was clear that the promised thunderstorms were about to make their appearance. I got on line and booked a hotel room 15 minutes away and high tailed it towards the lodging. Nearly there, the sky became black and bolts of lightning danced around the area. I missed the side street for the hotel and by the time I pulled into a gas station, a mix of rain and hail was upon me! I was less than a quarter mile from the hotel! Ugh

When I did get to the hotel, another guest had her SUV parked dead nut in the middle of the over hang in front of the lobby, so I had to leave my bike out in the rain to check in. She was clearly oblivious to the situation she left me in. 

All is well that ends with a hot shower and a Bob Evans dinner. Tomorrow, on to Indiana !

Peace all....

Bobbi

 

The Road to New Adventures Begins with One Mile at a Time

 As I sit on my front porch watching the sun scootch lazily behind an all too familiar barn across the street, I once again find myself questioning the veracity of my decision to hop on my motorcycle and venture off to places undetermined and adventures (or, quite honestly) challenges that may or may not be beyond my abilities to master. However it is the adventure and challenge that draws me to the two lane exploration of this fantastic country. Because life is not a spectator sport. It is meant to be experienced,  in all it's glory. Come enjoy exploring America's treasures with me. I won't be as cool as Marlin Perkins but I will certainly try to be entertaining.  

Peace all. And I will see you on the road!

Bobbi

The Next Adventure Awaits…

 

July 15th. I am on the road. 

The Rest of the Photos - 2023 trip

 Here are a few more photos for your enjoyment. These have a bit of back story with them...

Remember the two gals I met at the motel in Natchez, Mississippi? This photo is from the Women in the Wind (WOW) display at the museum. The two women on the far right in the photo are those two women I met at the motel. 

Here are some more photos from Nashville... Followed by some family photos of my stop with the Kid, grandkids and great grandkids. I got to see Harley, Nae and Nae's girls also but forgot to get pictures while I was there! 

The hotel I stayed in was compliments of Kathy Levine's Marriott points!

Kathy Levine and I at Kid Rock's place downtown.

Kid Rock's place

Sweating our asses off in Nashville...

Special valet parking for the Road Queen at the hotel!

The diningroom at the hotel

this feather was at the fort by the river

Read the homeless guy's sign...

I can't help taking photos of unusual light fixtures

at the bar in the hotel

Great grand daughter, Aurora

Great grands Aurora, Treyvion, grandma, Kayden, Harleigh & grand daughter Nellie

Grand daughter Jewel with Aurora & Harleigh

Me and the Kid

Two wild and crazy women! LOL

Some More from the National Motorcycle Museium in Anamosa, Iowa

 I took SO many photos at the motorcycle museum and me being the technical midget that I admittedly am, have not been able to figure out how to do a large photo dump from my Samsung S22 to my Google Chromebook yet ... the key word here is YET. I will, I assure you, figure this out just about the time I get a new phone or a new notebook! LOL

So here is a huge photo dump of pictures from the museum. As I said in my previous post, it was an impressive collection that will be like dust in the wind after this September. All going to the people with money, a loss for the people without. That's capitalism though, I guess. That's how this system works.

BTW check out the electronics on the 1986 Gold Wing! LOL - Enjoy!! Bobbi