Hiking Trip and Get TogetherTurkey Run State Park
Marshall, Indiana
June 25-27, 2010
I first read of Turkey Run State Park in National Geographic Adventure magazine. Ever since seeing pictures of the rugged and striking surroundings, I’ve wanted to visit. Several friends live within driving distance of the park so we planned a quick trip to meet up and take on the trails.
My middle sister Joanna and I embarked after work on Friday afternoon.
We packed up her Jeep Wrangler, removed the windows and hit the highway, taking Interstate 76 West to I-71 South to I-70 West toward Indiana. We had quite a voyage, receiving no less than 4 honks from passing semi-truckers. As 30-something housewives, we felt pretty hot!
We arrived at the Staybridge Suites in Fishers, Indiana around 11:pm and got to bed shortly after. We planned to meet at Turkey Run State Park around 11:am on Saturday morning. When we pulled into the park ($7/out-of-state car), we were surprised by all the activities that are offered. A stately historic inn stood on the same grounds as miles of hiking trails, a huge swimming pool, picnic facilities, horse stables, camping and much more. Kayaking, canoeing and tubing can be enjoyed on the creek that snakes through the area. Our rendezvous spot was the Nature Center where Joanna and I met Liz & Ian from Chicago and Beth & Rob from Indianapolis. From there we jumped right into the hike, agreeing to take on one of the most difficult trails in the park, the 1.7 mile Trail 3 known as the Ladders Trail.
As soon as we crossed the suspension bridge over Sugar Creek, we were greeted by large rock formations. The trail wound along the Creek and then turned into a deep ravine and stream bed. 
After heavy rains earlier in the week, the stream had plenty of water to wade through or attempt to traverse by bouncing from stone to stone. Sometimes paths were cut along narrow ledges above the stream and other times there was nothing to do but just walk through the moving water. 
We climbed a series of ladders out of the creek bed and to the top of the ravine, walked up and down several flights of steps and into and out of deep valleys. 
After completing Trail 3 we decided to do the 1-mile Trail 2. Crossing under cliff edges, it is another of the more adventurous trails offered in Turkey Run. We then followed a portion of Trail 1 past a covered bridge and along Sugar Creek. The excursion was quite an adventure.
After a few hours of strenuous hiking, we were all pretty hungry. We brought our own sandwiches, a side dish to share and had a picnic. We enjoyed a delicious lunch with choices like zucchini orzo salad, beer bread, black-eyed pea salsa, a fruit platter and many other items. We’re all the sort of people who bring way too much to these types of events!
Horseback riding was next on the agenda ($16/pp). Jo was paired Gumbie, the biggest horse of them all and I was assigned Mary, a smaller blond horse that loved to lag behind. The bright side of this predicament was that she occasionally realized how slow she was going and would speed up to a fast trot to catch the rest of the group. It was quite fun!We were exhausted by the end of the ride and after stopping by the Inn to see the interior and purchase some postcards, we headed back to the hotel to enjoy the lap pool and hot tub. That evening we ordered a half cheese/half pepperoni pizza, breadsticks and cinnamon dessert (about $20 + tip) from Wise Guys Pizza and spent the evening playing games and watching movies.
The next morning we packed up the Jeep and hit the road. We had one more stop planned on our way home and were excited to arrive at our destination. After seeing a billboard advertising the attraction, we counted down the miles to our exit. Right off exit 145 and Interstate 70, the huge candle was hard to miss! We had arrived at the Warm Glow Candle Outlet. So much more than a candle shop, this huge 11,000 square foot building houses all sorts of things for the home, from decor to food items. 
I set out to smell as many varieties of candles as I could and was thrilled when Jo pointed out a section of relishes, sauces and jams. I ended up leaving with 12 candles in flavors like Lemon Verbena, Nutmeg Chutney and Mandarin, an ornament and a jar of Basil Pesto Mustard.Various reward programs made this trip very budget-friendly! I was thrilled to be able to cash in my very first Hotels.com Welcome Rewards free night. In addition, we purchased gas on the way using $3-off/gallon Fuel Perks from Giant Eagle/GetGo. We packed a cooler full of picnic foods, wine, fruit and water and ordered out only once. A huge buffet breakfast offering numerous hot and cold items was complementary at the hotel. All in all, it was a very economical jaunt.
