This morning I stopped at the park office on my way out and asked about the bike routes mentioned by the Atlas and Gazetteer. The staff member most knowledgeable about bike routes turned out to be a little old lady who assured me that there are no off-road paths, but she stepped me through the recommended routes all the way to Indianapolis.
The route took me north along a scenic creek valley to Centerville, bypassing Richmond, then west along US 40. I was skeptical about a US highway as a bike route, but a nice antique dealer (who let me send e-mail from his phone) was the third person to say that it's a great road for biking. They were all correct: it has generous shoulders, little traffic, and gradual grades. I kept my left shifter in third gear most of the day and just cruised!
The only campground near where I wanted to end up was Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camping Resort north of Knightstown, "voted one of Indiana's five best family campgrounds." I wasn't looking forward to paying through the nose for a bunch of services I wouldn't use. Crossing over I-70 on the way there, I saw that a truck stop had a campground! For $10 I got a reasonably good site, free showers, and 24-7 shopping if I want it... the traffic noise isn't much louder than at some state parks I've visited, and the facilities are nicer than a lot of state parks'. So I'm pleased.
I should get into Indanapolis around lunchtime, so I need to figure out how I'll kill time when I get there!
Total distance: 52.74 mi
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