Day 056 - Seeleyville to West Terra Haute IN

The temps were in the 40's. the heavy rain that occurred all night stopped just prior to my starting to walk. There was occasional light rain during the walk. This is the third wettest April on record in central Indiana.

Thanks to the staff of Jonesey's Eastside Diner for the great homemade raspberry pie, numerous cups of coffee and for staging two media interviews.

Media thanks goes out to Mark Bennett (reporter) and Joe Garza (photographer) of the Tribune Star,
Joe Astrouski (reporter) and Mike Latta (photographer) from WTHI-TV CBS and Kelli Bartoli (reporter) and Bob Bruce (photographer) from WTWO-TV NBC.

Thanks to Mark Bennett for suggesting I take the 8.5 mile National Road Heritage Trail from East Glenn to Terra Haute and for providing me with a map. This got me off Route 40 where there was a lot of ponding on the road. It was the first time I've walked on a trail since
March 16 when I walked on the Western Maryland and C&O trails with the Susquehanna Rovers.

It was a very scenic rail trail. I came across woman who had seen a large variety of wildlife on her walk and a gentleman who said that he used to work for the railroad and that this had been the main east / west Pennsylvania line. He said there used to be a switching yard and roundhouse nearby. I grew up a half block away from a switching yard on the same rail line in Ohio. Our roundhouse has been demolished also.

Towards the end of the trail I cut thru the impressive Indiana State University campus. I then walked by the Vigo County Courthouse. The trail ends at the Wabash River which was at flood stage. I had to wade thru puddles on the pedestrian bridge over the river.

Trivia answers

1) Google maps came up with 39 days and 20 hours by assuming a person would be walking 3 MPH non stop 24 hours a day without breaks for eating or sleeping.

2) The way Google maps made it from Ohio to Wisconsin without going thru Indiana was to cross from Ohio into Michigan state then taking a ferry across Lake Michigan.