Day 6 (Thursday, 9/15) - Cannelton to Tell City and Troy
I would end today only a few miles from Cannelton, but would have walked many more.
My objective for the day was to see the area on the north side of the Ohio River where the Lincoln family landed and which was to play additional roles in Lincoln's development. Anderson's Creek (now Anderson River) is located west of Troy, Indiana. However, there is no place to stay overnight in Troy and the next stop beyond Troy was about 25 miles from Cannelton. So I picked a place in the next city over, Tell City, for my evening accommodation. There I could leave the bulk of my backpack contents and walk to Troy and back.
In a mere two miles I made it to the Tell City Days Inn. I lightened the backpack by about 70%, although I still carried emergency supplies, rain gear, a change of shoes, and some minimal technology. It was a delight to step out with this 8 or 9 pound burden in place of what I carried into the motel.
The road to Troy, State Route 66, is an unremarkable two-lane highway. It follows the course of the Ohio River, but rarely was I able to see the river. At one point, I asked a homeowner if there was an alternative to the highway that would let me walk closer to the river. She said there was no path, but there were railroad tracks. I had decided early on, for safety reasons, not to use such tracks so I said I'd stick to the road. She claimed the tracks were seldom used, but I'm pretty sure I heard a train whistle later as I walked down the highway.
Heavy rainstorms and possible thunderstorms were predicted for 3 pm, so I headed to Troy around 10:30 am at a good pace to get my touring in before the deluge. I arrived in downtown Troy about two hours later and checked in with the Post Office to learn the precise location of the Lincoln sites. Another extremely helpful postal employee told me how to get to Lincoln Ferry Park (and even offered to drive me back to Tell City at the end of the day if I wanted.)
About a half an hour later, I was at the Lincoln Ferry Park. Because of the impending rain, I didn't dawdle in my approach and walked by a most remarkable sight without even pausing for a photo. I wandered around the park for a few minutes, took photos of the historic plaque and picnic area, and then shot a panoramic series of photos capturing the big bend in the Ohio River. There really is nothing at the site, beside the plaque, that ties it to Lincoln. It's possible to get close to the Anderson River, which is maybe 30 to 40 feet across (I had to cross it on a bridge to get to the park). I got a little understanding of Lincoln's first job there. He worked for a someone operating a ferry, and in his spare time built a small boat. As he recalled to Secretary of State Seward many years later, with a certain amount of awe, he discovered that he could earn money using that boat. He rowed two gentlemen to a riverboat in the Ohio River, and each of them tossed 50 cents into the boat. Lincoln said, "I could scarcely believe my eyes as I picked up the money. I, the poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day!"
On the way back from the park, with the rain pretty much but not completely holding off, I took a moment to more carefully examine the sight I had earlier passed by. It was a shoe tree, but not what you would find in a closet. It was literally a tree, maybe 30 feet tall, with dozens, perhaps hundreds of pairs of shoes weighing down its branches. Eat your heart out, Imelda Marcos! There was not a single thing to explain this unexpected site, and as I snapped a few pictures I realized that this was the sort of local sight that was so much more likely encountered when travelling as I was. A driver passing by at 60 mph might notice the shoes out of the corner of an eye, but would probably dismiss it as some sort of optical illusion. (I later learned that Troy has a mud volley ball game where the court is covered with dirt and wet down, and the players end up completely encased in mud. The nearest water source to clean up with is near the tree, and a few years back some of the players tied their shoes together and threw them up in the tree. Thus, a local custom was started that continues each year. I also learned that in the winter when the leaves are gone the shoes really stick out, even to the 60 mph driver.)
The woman in the post office had told me about the one and only place to eat in town, so I stopped there for a chicken sandwich and a fun conversation with a 70 year old retired energy executive whose attitude toward government was pretty unfavorable. He had lived in the area all his life; his family had arrived in the 1840's. He had lots of opinions, but also a lot of knowledge of things to see. He also seemed confident that the Lincoln stage presentation that supposedly saw its final day in August would be back in years to come.
My hunger for food and conversation sated, I then got on the road back to Tell City. By now, with 11 or so miles behind me, even the lighter backpack was a pain. Literally! Whenever I looked over my left shoulder, or adjusted the backpack cinch with my left hand, I got the clear impression of someone inserting a knitting needle in my spine. Avoiding these movements, however, I was able to retrace my steps to the Days Inn. Fortunately, the rain never materialized, so instead of receiving a cold shower courtesy of Mother Nature, I was able to let the warm water of the Days Inn shower wash away the pain in my spine.
When it came time for dinner, I was glad that a Mexican restaurant was less than 100 feet from my door. I had had my fill of walking that day.
My objective for the day was to see the area on the north side of the Ohio River where the Lincoln family landed and which was to play additional roles in Lincoln's development. Anderson's Creek (now Anderson River) is located west of Troy, Indiana. However, there is no place to stay overnight in Troy and the next stop beyond Troy was about 25 miles from Cannelton. So I picked a place in the next city over, Tell City, for my evening accommodation. There I could leave the bulk of my backpack contents and walk to Troy and back.
In a mere two miles I made it to the Tell City Days Inn. I lightened the backpack by about 70%, although I still carried emergency supplies, rain gear, a change of shoes, and some minimal technology. It was a delight to step out with this 8 or 9 pound burden in place of what I carried into the motel.
The road to Troy, State Route 66, is an unremarkable two-lane highway. It follows the course of the Ohio River, but rarely was I able to see the river. At one point, I asked a homeowner if there was an alternative to the highway that would let me walk closer to the river. She said there was no path, but there were railroad tracks. I had decided early on, for safety reasons, not to use such tracks so I said I'd stick to the road. She claimed the tracks were seldom used, but I'm pretty sure I heard a train whistle later as I walked down the highway.
Heavy rainstorms and possible thunderstorms were predicted for 3 pm, so I headed to Troy around 10:30 am at a good pace to get my touring in before the deluge. I arrived in downtown Troy about two hours later and checked in with the Post Office to learn the precise location of the Lincoln sites. Another extremely helpful postal employee told me how to get to Lincoln Ferry Park (and even offered to drive me back to Tell City at the end of the day if I wanted.)
About a half an hour later, I was at the Lincoln Ferry Park. Because of the impending rain, I didn't dawdle in my approach and walked by a most remarkable sight without even pausing for a photo. I wandered around the park for a few minutes, took photos of the historic plaque and picnic area, and then shot a panoramic series of photos capturing the big bend in the Ohio River. There really is nothing at the site, beside the plaque, that ties it to Lincoln. It's possible to get close to the Anderson River, which is maybe 30 to 40 feet across (I had to cross it on a bridge to get to the park). I got a little understanding of Lincoln's first job there. He worked for a someone operating a ferry, and in his spare time built a small boat. As he recalled to Secretary of State Seward many years later, with a certain amount of awe, he discovered that he could earn money using that boat. He rowed two gentlemen to a riverboat in the Ohio River, and each of them tossed 50 cents into the boat. Lincoln said, "I could scarcely believe my eyes as I picked up the money. I, the poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day!"
On the way back from the park, with the rain pretty much but not completely holding off, I took a moment to more carefully examine the sight I had earlier passed by. It was a shoe tree, but not what you would find in a closet. It was literally a tree, maybe 30 feet tall, with dozens, perhaps hundreds of pairs of shoes weighing down its branches. Eat your heart out, Imelda Marcos! There was not a single thing to explain this unexpected site, and as I snapped a few pictures I realized that this was the sort of local sight that was so much more likely encountered when travelling as I was. A driver passing by at 60 mph might notice the shoes out of the corner of an eye, but would probably dismiss it as some sort of optical illusion. (I later learned that Troy has a mud volley ball game where the court is covered with dirt and wet down, and the players end up completely encased in mud. The nearest water source to clean up with is near the tree, and a few years back some of the players tied their shoes together and threw them up in the tree. Thus, a local custom was started that continues each year. I also learned that in the winter when the leaves are gone the shoes really stick out, even to the 60 mph driver.)
The woman in the post office had told me about the one and only place to eat in town, so I stopped there for a chicken sandwich and a fun conversation with a 70 year old retired energy executive whose attitude toward government was pretty unfavorable. He had lived in the area all his life; his family had arrived in the 1840's. He had lots of opinions, but also a lot of knowledge of things to see. He also seemed confident that the Lincoln stage presentation that supposedly saw its final day in August would be back in years to come.
My hunger for food and conversation sated, I then got on the road back to Tell City. By now, with 11 or so miles behind me, even the lighter backpack was a pain. Literally! Whenever I looked over my left shoulder, or adjusted the backpack cinch with my left hand, I got the clear impression of someone inserting a knitting needle in my spine. Avoiding these movements, however, I was able to retrace my steps to the Days Inn. Fortunately, the rain never materialized, so instead of receiving a cold shower courtesy of Mother Nature, I was able to let the warm water of the Days Inn shower wash away the pain in my spine.
When it came time for dinner, I was glad that a Mexican restaurant was less than 100 feet from my door. I had had my fill of walking that day.
posted by Bob Willard @ 2:00 PM
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