The Totally Unofficial Hoosier N. F. Camp Out/Rally Nov. 9-10-11

Road dad and i made a stop at a cemetary as well.

Saturday morning, the ADV'ers started showing up...........It's gonna be a GREAT day!!!







Couldn't pass by Hickory Grove Church without stopping for pictures. What a neat old church that has been well taken care of and preserved very nicely





and more RULES - seems the forest service has movied in and surrounded the church / cemetary and now they're running out of room.




It was a great day to visit the HNF hickory Rdige Fire Tower - what a fantastic view of the forest, way, way below





A quick stop by Brook's cabin.........I pounded on the door for a while - guess nobody was home. very nice restoration project that is worth visiting




First rest stop of Saturday's ride - funny spot for a porta-potty, but it had a great veiw of Hwy 446



Obligatory picture of the Lake Monroe crossing



cool old iron bridge



I can't say THANK YOU enough for the wonderful tracks - It was a GREAT ride.

Nick save that route from the trail in the 2nd video......u know...the one where your bike got lazy and took a nap.

I have a way point for it.

Here was a neat old concrete culvert that I think we could get through if it wasn't for all that green slime



Beautiful creeks and rock bottom streams to visit




some really fun single lane roads - did I say GREAT route guys






now this is my kinda sign - another great road




what kinda ride would it be without some water crossings - glad they weren't too deep





stopped by to visit some local art - really neat way to stack rocks at the end of your driveway





Rolled into Morgantown for lunch across a fine example of the way I think bridges should look




several of us ate at Frenchie's Pub - but we had to park a couple blocks down the road so no one could tell we were hanging out with the "Harley" crowd





Saturday after lunch, I was having so much fun and not wanting to have to pack up and head home, I made several side trips to stretch out the ride...............here's one of my favorite road signs



Eventually, I made it back to camp. Several ADV'ers had arrived, started setting up tents, getting the fire ready for hotdogs and preparing for The Totally Unofficial Hoosier National Forest Camp Out. Too bad I had to pack up and make for home. Wish I coulda stayed longer........I hope everyone had as much fun as me. Thanks Again & Let's do it again next year.


　

http://youtu.be/XS-f_Xa3Hio

Dirtbauer suggested to me prior to TTUHNFCO/R that we ought to go to Hardin Ridge. I'd investigated that campground in 2010 for folks who wanted to camp before the HNF Fall Ride which was starting over at Crazy Joe's that year. A phone call to the concessionaire who was running the campground told me it was closed down in early October.

A visit to the HNF web site says that the "southern" primitive campground is open all year long with 60 sites and a maximum of two vehicles per site giving us sleeping room for 120, going by the book. We can also reserve it, I think (the information about it is a little confusing) which may or may not be in our best interests. At least it offers hole shitting which is a big advantage in my eyes over camping alongside the road.

Anyway if any of you are out for a ride in that neck of the woods stop in, get a few pictures and let us know what you think of it. Dirtbauer says it's great and might be the ticket for next year so we don't have to slip-n-slide around in the horseshit.

My thanks in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8vs44iDZovA

Hardin Ridge is a really nice campground during the off season at Southern Point but i thought the horsecampground was ok.

Screw the horseshit--we're doing it there in November. How about November 8-9-10 for a date??? A bit soon to be worrying about it but a lot of folks have to put in for vacation way in advance.

Thanks for the video. That place is beautiful!!!

One year in November I went to camp @ Hardin Ridge and the Marines had a big reunion of some sort and took up the whole campground that was open. We might make sure they aren't there every year? Luckily we went to Paynetown and had the whole place to ourselves right by the Lake.

I'm in! I put my order in for vacation time with my boss already.

Sweet i just need to request that sunday off.

Let me do some investigative research about reservations and such before we set a firm date. I'll try and get it done in the next week or so as I'm busy with some fab work right now.

Paynetown would be cool if not for the fact that the main office of IDNR Law Enforcement is located there. A bunch of guys staying there on mostly dirt-looking bikes would definitely draw the wrong kind of attention. Knowing how they operate I'd just about bet the farm they'd be sneaking around the camp trying to find a reason--ANYTHING--to write up or arrest us.

They wont get to far with me there.

Other than the Federal campgrounds west of IN 446 there aren't any non-horse oriented campgrounds out in the forest south of Lake Monroe. There is Camp Maumee, a Boy Scout camp just north of where we camped last year. The property is covered with shitters and even has cabins. I sent them an email of inquiry about renting it and after I did found their site that covers the rental of the property. They get $5 a head to primitive camp and staying there would allow the weenies who don't want to camp to rent cabins. Given it's privately owned there'd be no reason for nosey C. O.'s to be poking around and it's right in the middle of the forest. It has a lake, too. If we camped there we wouldn't have to worry about standing in horseshit like we did last year.

I forgot to write down the link but I'll go back and update this post with the information.

A facility like this might be the way to turn our little gathering into a genuine ADVrider happening.

General information about Camp Maumee w/links:

http://www.doubleknot.com/program-r...r-programs/year-round-camp-use-policies/47125

...and a map of the facility:

http://www.doubleknot.com/openrosters/DocDownload.aspx?id=106106

The place even has a shower house. The only bummer--NO ALCOHOL which is no big deal for me but I'm sure a lot of guys like to have a brewski or three while out in the woods.

Anyway I thought I'd throw it out for your digestion and see if we could actually use it.

Got a reply from one Rebecca Bade with the HNF who said regarding trying to reserve Hardin Ridge that "no reservations necessary. There are ample sites available that time of year."

If a large Marine group does indeed come there annually it would be nice to know what weekend they do it.

Spent many a week there with my boys. I'd guess they would expect us to park bikes in parking lot and hike down hill to a camp site. A great location.

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That'll never work. I like to cuddle with my bike after a good, long ride. Hike down a hill and leave it all alone in a cold parking lot?? I'll have to sneak it down to my tent somehow!