Musical Adventures - A First

This past weekend, I took a trip with my family as an early Father’s Day weekend—and gift. It was such a wonderful time, with plenty of relaxation and the chance to enjoy nature, with a fun surprise for dad to cap off the trip.

The adventure started with taking the week before to set up, fix up, and clean out the camper (because bugs like it over the winter sometimes). We made sure everything in our little pop-up camper worked and ran smoothly. Then we folded it all down and packed up for the trip—five hours north of us, to an Indiana State Park.

When we arrived at Mounds State Park in Anderson, Indiana, I was a bit shocked. Such an amazing green space existed right on the edge of a good-sized town (for Indiana)—a town that’s known as one of the larger ones across the state and includes a small university. I honestly couldn’t believe such a beautiful state park sat so close to civilization. I’m a lot more used to the state parks being out and away from the cities, like many are in southern Indiana. So I guess I have a lot to learn about my state!

We spent most of the first day setting up and looking around the campground. Recommended to us by some camping friends, I see why they enjoy it. It’s small, fairly quiet, and wonderfully cared for. Everyone we met was really nice, whether they stayed a few days of the time we were there, or were just passing through for a night on the way to another destination. It’s situated on the edge of a training airport, but there wasn’t too much plane activity to take away from the peaceful immersion into nature.

Our first couple of days included exploring the park, checking out the Nature & Visitor’s Center, and attending one of the park’s programs. Since we were the only ones on the hike, the naturalist Mary went above and beyond in her explanations of the park’s history.

Mounds State Park got its name from the earthworks, or mounds, created by the Adena-Hopewell people over a long period of time. The largest of these earthworks, known as the Great Mound, appears to have been constructed around 160 A.D. over the course of 40-50 years. Honestly, there was no way for me to get a good picture of the mound to show just how large it is—or convey how long it must have took the Adena-Hopewell people to construct it.

Although a semi-nomadic people, this is a space where they returned often. It’s taken many years, archaeological studies, and even astronomers to begin to understand why the mounds were created, and the whole history is fascinating. Definitely something I’ll be taking some time to research on my own—and something that could find its way into a story idea or two. 😁

Over time, the expansion to the American West began, and the Bronnenberg family found the mounds and knew they should be preserved and celebrated. So they took it upon themselves to do so, going so far as to grant the rights to the land for an amusement park to be built there to keep farmers from flattening the mounds for farmland. The mounds themselves weren’t disturbed, and many people of the time had fond memories of times at the amusement park there. When the Great Depression hit, the amusement park closed, and the Bronnenbergs eventually handed the land over to Madison County Historical Society, who in turn handed it over to the State of Indiana. It became a state park in 1930.

Unfortunately I have very few pictures of the park itself—I spent far more of my time enjoying the area and exploring. After hiking around the park and learning about the mounds, the history, and how to identify a few new native plants, we headed back to the Nature Center where we watched a scurry of squirrels help themselves to birdseed and move around the area. We also saw a couple of chipmunks there, a turtle, and some birds—American Goldfinches, House Finches, and Downy Woodpeckers.

Our next adventure took us to a nearby disc golf course in the neighboring town of Yorktown. We only had time to play the front nine holes because we started later in the day, but it was a fun time. I always enjoy playing a new course, even if I don’t always do well. For me, it was the perfect way to return to disc golf after quite a time away.

We also did a 3 mile hike around the park, taking in the mounds, the White River, and the whole property. It’s definitely somewhere I want to return to and explore and camp some more.

On our last full day before heading home, we went to Canoe Country and rented kayaks for a 7-mile trip down the river. It was such a wonderful morning plan. We saw (no joke) somewhere between 200-300 turtles in the river and sunning themselves on logs or shore. So. Many. Turtles. I honestly couldn’t believe how many we saw, and I saw the smallest turtle I’ve ever seen in the wild! (Again, unable to get a picture. 😭)

Partway down the river, we saw a mother duck and her ducklings, and a little farther down than that, I’m pretty sure dad was fishing. As we neared the midway point of our trip, an eagle flew overhead and landed in a tree above the water! Although I’ve seen eagles plenty of times before at the local state park, I’ve never seen a wild eagle so large or so close. I got some good pictures this time (below)! The water was fairly clear most of the trip, so we watched the fish darting through in small schools, and it was definitely entertainment to watch the minnows leap-skip across the top of the water to escape the larger ones. 😂 To cap off our wildlife views, we saw squirrels all along the space, including baby squirrels, water snakes, songbirds, and a few great blue herons. One heron and I played tag for a decent portion of the river. He’d fly a few feet ahead and hope to fish, but I’d be there before long. It didn’t matter how much I tried to stay on the other side of the river so I wouldn’t scare him—he’d fly farther downriver. 😂

After some supper and the surprise arrival of my sister, we headed out again—this time for the cap-it-all surprise of (and reason for) the trip. We took my dad to see one of his favorite artists in concert—James Taylor. This is an artist I grew up hearing on the stereo, and even heard my dad play these songs on his guitar and sing them for us. James Taylor is at the center of storytelling music for me, and I absolutely love his music. So overall, it was the perfect family trip, especially since James Taylor is getting older and may not be touring for much longer. Or maybe he will. You never really know. 🙂

We did manage to completely surprise my dad though, which might be the best part of putting the whole thing together! My sister and I even worked together to get shirts for the whole family (see the pic) to wear to the concert. We all had such a wonderful time, sitting outside and enjoying some really great music. Nostalgic, but also what a way to spend my very first concert!

He sang many beloved songs, from Something in the Way She Moves to Fire and Rain to Steamroller, and even my personal favorite, Secret O’ Life. So many wonderful tunes, and honestly he sang them well. I also have to give a shoutout to Sun On the Moon and the band’s commitment to the line about ducks in a row (look up the lyrics, it’s perfect). Each band member had a spotlight moment too, which I appreciated and enjoyed—so much talent on one stage! Band members: Kate Markowitz (vocals), Dorian Holley (vocals), Henry Taylor (vocals), Andrea Zonn (vocals/fiddle), Larry Goldings (piano), Walt Fowler (horns/keyboards), Lou Marini (horns), Michael Landau (guitar), Jimmy Johnson (bass), Luis Conte (percussion), and Steve Gadd (drums).

I just really enjoyed the time, and I loved seeing my dad enjoy it too. It’s something I won’t forget anytime soon, and I hope I always remember this trip and my very first concert, surrounded by family and fun times.