In April, on the way home from a Cave City Wigwam Village visit, I stopped in Corydon, Indiana, then followed the Ohio River Scenic Byway to Louisville, Kentucky. Much of that section is signed IN-62. I later learned that IN-62 west of Corydon is listed in Car and Driver's "Best Driving Roads in America" and I've wanted to get back ever since. Some recent online chatter rekindled that and a bonus 70+ degree day gave me an opening. I skipped through Cincinnati on the interstate then headed down US-42.
US-42, KY US-42, KY US-42, KY The sign is about all that's left of the Beacon Lite. It's hard to understand why a motel couldn't make it here. It's barely a mile to the Florence Speedway and Big Bone Lick State Park is less than four miles away. On top of that, the town of Beaver Lick is practically next door and even Sugartit is just a half dozen or so miles up the road. Seems like a good location to me but for some reason, the Beacon Lite has been extinguished.

I didn't make it to Big Bone Lick today but I did stop at the speedway. The complex also houses the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame yet still has room to grow.

Sunset Grill, Warsaw, KY Sunset Grill, Warsaw, KY Sunset Grill, Warsaw, KY Sunset Grill, Warsaw, KY US-42 and US-127 join up in downtown Cincinnati and head southwest together after crossing the Ohio River there. They split when the river again comes into view. US-127 heads due south to Frankfort while Forty-Two follows the river's south bank for nearly twenty-five miles. The Sunset Grill lies a few miles beyond the split - just west of Warsaw and a bit east of the Markland Dam. I believe the grill has been here in some form for quite awhile but has benefited greatly from traffic to and from Belterra Casino and Kentucky Speedway. The speedway lies a few miles south and the casino is directly across the river; visible, through the palm trees, in the second photo. I've stopped here before when the lot was filled with motorcycles but it was too early for that today. After strolling around the deck and the river side, I stepped inside hoping to get a cup of coffee to go. I had noticed some figures moving inside and thought there was a chance that a pot of coffee was in there, too. Not only was there coffee, there was a nice breakfast buffet including made to order omelets. I grabbed a seat overlooking the river and dug in. Put this on the recommended stop list.
St. Francis School, US-42, KY Skylight Center, US-42, KY US-42, KY US-42, KY West of Carrolton, the river turns away from Forty-Two and makes a loop up to Madison, Indiana. The road keeps meandering toward Louisville getting a Kentucky Scenic Byway designation several miles past Bedford. The road doesn't instantly become more scenic largely because it is pretty scenic east of the sign, too. But the signed section does include many of those things you expect on a Kentucky byway; wooden fences lining the road, picturesque roadside "one-stops", and the occasional giant abacus.
Louisville, KY As I approached Louisville, I left the US route in favor of the appropriately named River Road. Not only did it sometimes give me a view of the river, I got a view of downtown Louisville that I hadn't seen before.
Ohio River Scenic Byway, IN Ohio River Scenic Byway, IN Ohio River Scenic Byway, IN Ohio River Scenic Byway, IN After a brief fling with downtown construction, I crossed the river on the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge and was soon in Clarksville. Both bridge and ville get their names from the older brother of Meriwether's buddy Bill. In New Albany, the Harvest Homecoming Festival was in full swing and, had a parking space jumped at me I probably would have stopped. As it was, I slipped through town to the relative quiet of Corydon Pike. Corydon Pike connects with IN-62 and both are part of the Ohio River Scenic Byway. The car isn't really on two wheels in that first picture but you'd be right if you guessed that things aren't exactly level around here. The unusual red Mail Pouch barn is in Lanesville.
Constitution Elm, Corydon, IN Constitution Elm, Corydon, IN I didn't spend a lot of time in Corydon but did make a point of filling in a gap from my springtime visit. This is the trunk of the Constitution Elm beneath which Indiana's first constitution was written in 1816. Dutch Elm disease claimed the tree in 1925.
IN-62 IN-62 IN-62 And now for the Car & Driver endorsed road. Very nice indeed and the weather was perfect.
Leavenworth, IN Leavenworth, IN Leavenworth, IN Leavenworth, IN Leavenworth, IN Leavenworth, IN The town of Leavenworth is much closer to Corydon than to Dale but it is at just the right spot to break up a Louisville to Dale drive. The town features a nice roadside park and two very cool restaurants - both restaurants have the same owners. The middle pictures are of The Dock. It sits at riverside and really does have a dock for waterborne patrons. The last the pictures were taken at The Overlook. Picking the name probably wasn't a tough chore.

Both restaurants were obviously busy. I had cold one at The Dock while westbound and stopped at The Overlook on the return trip with thought of having dinner there. There was a thirty-five minute wait at 4:30 and I headed on instead. The wait was certainly not unreasonable and I probably should have hung in there.

IN-62 IN-62 IN-62 IN-62 The road beyond Leavenworth was both scenic and entertaining. I sure can't fault C & D for picking it as one of Indiana's top two. Apparently a large car show or cruise-in was happening somewhere in the area and eye catching vehicles were fairly common west of Leavenworth. Sometimes to the point of making it a challenge to determine just what decade is this, anyway? Two-wheelers were plentiful, too, and varied from young studs on Japanese rides whining through the curves to senior bikers enjoying a more sedate outing. I vote for the wide seats. That tucked-in crouched-over stance no longer attracts me at all.

[Site Home] [Contact]