One of my local tv stations use to have a news segment called “one tank trip” featuring interesting or unusual things to see. This is my version!

Anyone familiar with some of my past threads is probably familiar with fondness for road trips. I prefer the small town, state highway kind of travel. Interstates are great for getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible, but to really see the world you gotta take state highways and go thru small towns.

James Best, Roscoe from the Dukes of Hazzard.

James best childhood home.

The current owner wants everyone to know.

The house next door to the childhood home of James Best.

The current occupant is very helpful!

The North entrance of the Big Tunnel.

My wife. I’m a lucky guy, my wife enjoys the same oddball style of travel, and tolerate of my enjoyment of strange interest of roadside attractions.


One of my favorite things to do is to pick a road, start driving, not sure where I’m going until I get there. Yesterday was that kind of trip.

One of the things I have wanted to see is the Gus Grissom museum in Mitchell, Indiana. My wife and I took off yesterday morning for a 3 hr drive, and all day to do it. I’m disappointed to say it was hardly worth the trip. The museum is basically one hallway, with a few exhibits, and a video on the early days of the space program. A 90 minute visit if you take your time. we also found his childhood home.

Our next stop, the “Big Tunnel” in Tunnelton, Indiana. I first learned of this from a book called Weird Indiana. The Big Tunnel was one of the longest train tunnels at the time of its construction in the 1840s. It was originally carved from the natural stone and rock, apparently it was known to have rocks fall from the ceiling. In the early 1900s it was relined with brick. It’s also notorious for being curved, you can’t see one end from the other. Supposedly, many people have been killed over the years. The locals say the tracks are no longer in use, however I couldn’t help but notice the rails were shiny and polished!

Next stop, the childhood home and gravesite of actor James Best, AKA Roscoe from the Dukes of Hazzard. I learned several years ago he was born and raised in Corydon, Indiana. His neighbors obviously have sense of humor!

The last 2 destinations were unfortunately a bust. My wife wanted to see the dollhouse headstones in 2 separate cemeteries, one in Rushville, the other in Connersville. She learned of these in the same Weird Indiana book. The story goes, the father built the dollhouses, the children died before they could receive them. Kinda a sad story. Unfortunately, both cemeteries were closed when we arrived. Next time!

Hopefully someone in readerland enjoys these stories. I got the road trip travel bug in high school. We live in a big country, with lots to see and do. I intend to see as much as possible before I take that big dirt nap!!

 

Thanks for sharing. Did you drive your Oldsmobile or daily driver?

 

Nope, the Olds is in winter drydock. Drove my wife’s Challenge instead. There is still a lot of snow and salt on the roads.

While the Olds gets decent mileage for what it is, if I did drive it I’d have to change the title of this story to “3 tank trip”!

 

Thanks for sharing the enjoyable story of your trip and the pictures you posted.

 

I first learned about the Big Tunnel in a book called Hoosier Folk Legends. Several friends and I set out to find it about 30 years ago. Was a 2.5 hour drive. A train come when we were half way through and we all ducked into the cubby holes in the side walls. As the train went by we realized there was plenty of room, was just a little scary at first. If you like this stuff, Hoosier Folk Legends has several goofy things to go see.

Another good one if you have not gone to see it is the Tulip Trestle in Green County. It is very much worth the trip.

 

I enjoyed your story, Matt. My wife and I love to go on little excursions also. I love the big tunnel and would love to see it.

 

the locals said the tracks are abandoned, the outer edge of the rails were rusty/crusty, yet the inner parts were clean and shiny. So, it seems to me they are still used. Who knows? I noticed all the cubby holes, I wondered what those actually were.

I have heard of the tulip trestle, that’s another one on my list.

 

Those particular hills of the Tulip Trestle, mostly called the Bloomfield Viaduct by the old timers, is where my mom's family is from. Supposedly my grandfather would walk across it to go date my grandmother.

This was back when it was steam trains, and there were water tanks on kickout platforms. He did get caught. Having a steam train drive by 3 feet away while 100 feet up in the air on a wooden platform is not my idea of fun.

Those platforms are gone now. Do not attempt to walk across the trestle, it is a live track, although rarely used. If I were to do it, I would use rail runner go kart.

The trestle has a viewing platform, and there is an arduous trail, or at least there used to be, up to it, and you can walk out on it a bit for photos.

 

Thanks for sharing, apparently it is communicable as I have the same condition. I love going on day trips here in Texas and there are a lot of them to take. We watched a program called Texas Country Reporter
Home - Texas Country Reporter which is very popular here. That got us started. My wife and I really enjoy doing the same as you have described. Stay off the interstates, take state and county roads to a destination where there is history to learn. It is all over our country we just have to look.

 

I have heard that old rails had a high degree of nickel. Nickel is resistant to wear, rust and corrosion. Nickel and chromium is what make stainless steels highly resistant to corrosion, wear and erosion.

Railroad cars and engine wheels had a lip inside the wheel to keep them on the tracks. This rubbing action between rails and wheels "polished" the surfaces and exposed nickel. In the "early days" (after wood rails), railroads used rails from iron or steel. They wore fairly quickly and broke but were better than wood. Steel companies started alloying different elements in rails to make them last.

 

Needless to say, something like this attracts lots of vandalism and graffiti. Most of the artwork was on the walls, however the tracks weren’t immune. I noticed all of the graffiti on the shiny area of the tracks was gone. Granted, I suppose people walking on the rails could wear away the paint. Who knows?

 

I gotta ask, do people look at you like you’re crazy when sharing details of your trips?

Last October, my wife and I took a week long trip up the Lake Michigan coast, thru the Upper Pennisula, and down thru Wisconsin. Once again, zero plans or itinerary. My sister in law was flabbergasted, she couldn’t imagine taking a trip like that. I told her once you’re in Michigan, no matter where you start as long as you’re going north, eventually you will end up at the mackinaw bridge. When the tires get wet, you have gone too far! Of course, she is also the type of person who can’t imagine vacationing anywhere that isn’t trendy (Disney, Mrytle beach, etc).

If people find my oddball, off the beaten path, match to the best of a different drummer trips interesting, I’ll share them as they occur.

 

My wife and I are the same way. We go to the Smoky Mountain national park and surrounding areas often. People ask us all the time what we recommend for things to do in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. They are always surprised to find out we have no clue. We go down there and other than sleeping and an evening meal, we never see town. There are so many back roads and cool things to explore that offer real history that we have no interest in doing the tourist trap stuff. Look up Rattlesnake Gap or Rich Mountain Fire tower in Tennessee, those are remote as it gets in Tennessee. Those are also places we love to see. We are now starting to do these same things out west. Found a somewhat cool place in Colorado called Tin Cup. It would have been better but it is a popular destination for SXS and off road riders now. Was still cool because it is in the middle of nowhere.

 

Great story..
I'm always a sucker for re-routing any excursion to see 'The Worlds Largest Ball of Twine' or anything of that nature.
I'll always check "Roadside America" before the trip to see if anything is of interest.
Caught this on the way up to Door County last fall.

 

Door country was definitely the highlight of the trip for my wife.

my wife and celebrated our 20th anniversary, for at least 21 years she has said she wants to go to Al Johnson’s Swedish “Goats on the Roof” restaurant. Well, she finally got to check that off her list.

For those unfamiliar with the restaurant, it’s a Swedish themed restaurant with about 6 inches of dirt on the roof, with real mountain goats roaming around.

 

Yep, we got there too except the town of Sister Bay had a Fall Fest and the Goats were either away for the season or away for the Fall Fest...

 

Here's a win-win situation. My wife lately has been interested in contributing to Find a Grave where we scour for tombstones that need to be added to a cemetery's site so folks can try and find where a relative or friend is buried. We've taken to making these also as Classic Car trips, giving these jaunts a dual purpose. This photo is of one church/cemetery in southwestern SC. I make suggestions on cemeteries, and sometimes she will say, no, too far away. Nope.

 

Liking the white walls, Gene!

While we weren’t doing any research for Find a Grave we did use the site recently to find my wife’s great , great, great …….. Grandfather who came over to America in the 1600’s. His stone is in Burial Hill Cemetery overlooking Plymouth Harbor. All the years I’ve lived in the area I never knew this graveyard existed, was fascinating and peaceful with an amazing view of the harbor. We have visited several old cemeteries over the years and they are always interesting.

 

Thanks Mike, much appreciated. What's your thoughts on the new Coker Classic 205-75-14 i full inch whitewalls? I'm thinking about taking one of these tank-full trips up to Chattanooga to see about a set of them. If they road force balance service, there I may just be leaving with a set......

 

They certainly look nice, Gene, but I have no experience with them. When my parents bought my car it had a set of Riken white wall tires, it drove and road nicely as I recall. My parents loved the car. Good luck with the road trip and the tire purchase!