Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

June 25, 2012  PEDALS adventure: If you patronized  children’s TV in the 1990’s , the PBS children’s show “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” would have been (or at least should have been)  must-see TV for you.  Under the guise of finding the notorious globetrotting super criminal Carmen Sandiego, kids were given clues about assorted geographical locations, with the aim of educating the young fans about the locations and facts to help them deduce Carmen’s location.   The theme song, sung by the incredible group Rockapella (follow the link for some nostalgia!) and the lowest bass voice I’ve ever heard from a tall skinny guy,  was one of my favorite parts and  it always set the stage for the most interesting and surprising locations.  It was that song that I kept hearing in my head during today’s adventure….maybe it will get in your head too!

The area we biked was a couple of hours drive from our house.   While the trailhead was a bit hard to find, when it was located we were soon surrounded by trees overhead, a limestone path under our tires and a serene “stream” of water passing by on our right.   The sun was out, but the dense foliage kept us cool as we passed a few hikers and other bikers.   There were, at times,  some vehicle sounds that invaded the serene park-like setting we were traveling, but those receded into the background as we pedaled.  Not long into the trip we could see an outdoor amphitheatre through the trees, as well as the home of a long-ago “drug baron.”  (any ideas where we are yet?)  The “stream” gently turned back and forth and a larger river was seen through the trees on the other side of the path.  As this was a new area for us, we felt totally amazed at the peace and tranquility this path was creating.

Swamp Thing 

 Looking ahead, a strange creature was disturbing this peace while churning through the water, not unlike a Riverboat paddlewheeler.  Drawing closer, we saw that “Swamp Thing” was labeled on the side of this machine and it was slowly churning up (and I suppose eating) the yucky green algae that was beginning to show in the “stream.” What an awesome job to run this on the water on a beautiful clear day. This was a photo op if I ever saw one.

A short side trip over a bridge revealed a hidden formal garden that rivaled in design the gardens in Lincoln Park in Chicago…except it needed rain!   To the rescue was the very large tractor that passed us, pulling a giant container, filled with water.  A short jaunt back over the rickety bridge and we were on our way under our canopy of trees…any ideas yet?  Sounds like typical Indiana, doesn't it?

The overhang of trees gradually gave way to a few homes and eventually our path was between the peaceful “stream” (complete with additional Swamp Things) and a busy street.  Our peaceful park-like path was actually the Central Canal Towpath (also known as the IWC Canal Greenway)  in Indianapolis.  Starting just a few miles west of downtown Indy, we were surprised to find a path that looked and felt like we were riding in a state park in rural Indiana.. ...definitely NOT rural Indiana.  With the White River on one side, the canal on the other, and trees providing almost 100% coverage, this little piece of nature goes on quietly on while the rest of Indy bustles around it.

We eventually ended up in Broad Ripple, where the CCT joins with the Monon, a Rail-to-Trail bike path we have often traveled.  We stumbled across the 3 Sisters Restaurant which we recalled was featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri.  It was lunchtime, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to eat at another of his featured spots (we’ve already done that in Indy and Kentucky…hey, that could be another blog theme!), and I do Bike to Eat (see previous blog entry) so we stopped for lunch…or maybe it was brunch since we had the cornmeal pancakes with berry sauce and a dollop of cream as featured on DDD (they have them marked on the menu).  Pancakes at 1:15 in the afternoon…very fun!

We were soon back on our way, passing the hissing geese through Broad Ripple, passing the Swamp Things finishing their tasks, passing the gardens at Butler University (no tractor this time), passing the Lilly Mansion that sits on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (remember the “drug baron”  reference? Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals is BIG in Indy) and soon back to our car parked across from the Indiana Naval Armory on  30th  Street.  Along the path is a cutoff to the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s 100 Acres Park that looks inviting for another day and another ride….we’ll have to be back.

The Central Canal Towpath is an oasis of nature in the midst of a big city, and I’d venture to say most of its residents are clueless as to its presence and beauty, what a shame!   To end with another bit of nostalgia (and apologies to Gerry Rafferty’s 1972 hit), Canal to the left of me, the White River to the right, here I am, on the Central Canal Towpath with you.

Ride stats:  11.5 m (RT), Time: 1 hrs. 31 min, ODO: 268 miles

Notable Nature Sightings:  A very large heron, several turtles (including one that was roadkill in a busy intersection..evidently couldn’t make it across during the allotted WALK signal time …very sad and actually kinda gross) and several Swamp Things (OK, not actually nature, but with such a cool name, the machine deserves a Notable Nature shout-out.)