This is Indiana Beach's most recent steel coaster and only ride in the entire park that takes you…read moreupside down. It initially wasn't running when we got there, but it did open up later in the afternoon with 2-car operation. The lift hill is pitched at 45° and takes you up to a height of 85 feet very quickly. The first drop is actually beyond vertical (105°, I believe), and the track layout is wonderfully twisted. Despite a short ride time, it's still a lot of fun to experience the unique elements (banking on the OUTSIDE of a turn, a downward-sloping in-line twist). The over-the-shoulder restraints are a tad uncomfortable, but necessary, as you do hang inverted for several seconds. Steel Hawg benefits from a very small footprint (amount of land it occupies), which is perfect for the needs of a space-limited park like Indiana Beach.

An interesting one, this…read more To start, you have to be 54" to ride the aptly-named "Tig'rr Coaster", which has the most stringent height requirement of any ride at Indiana Beach. It doesn't go upside down. So why 54" instead of the typical 48"? Because this Tig'rr has claws. It doesn't look like much, but make no mistake, it's an intense ride packed into a confined area. To make things even crazier, when I rode it for the very first time back in '03, there was no seatbelt restraint! That means that prior to 2004, besides gravity and common sense there was nothing stopping you from standing up and getting instantly decapitated by this ride. Apparently 4ft 6in is the magical number where you're discouraged from doing things that will immediately get your ass killed. Inherent safety issues aside, the seating arrangement is in-line, so the gf pretty much sat in my lap with my legs straddled on either side of her (I have no complaints about this). This Schwarzkopf 'Jet-Star' coaster model rides rough around the edges, but the benefit to this is that it's essentially a walk-up (zero minute wait). Hop on for a wild ride.....and for god's sake keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times!

Went skydiving with 4 others on Sunday and it was a blast! I wouldn't change a thing about our…read moretrip! All the guys were great and super professional! It was gorgeous out and a great view the whole way down. You go two at a time and each set takes about 45 mins. If you go with a group of 5 be prepared to be there for a few hours so bring a snack! It's also pretty chilly 10,000 feet up so wear long sleeves!

This is a small park that consist of a playground area and a shelter (Barnes Shelter). The shelter…read moreis decent. It has a bunch of picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. There is a scary restroom facility inside of the shelter. I was not feeling adventurous, so I looked from a far. There is not an official parking lot, but there are ample places to park. The playground is lined with wood chips and the equipment has seen better days. The parks equipment includes a jungle gym with slides and a rock climbing wall and a set of the older style swings. The equipment is playable, but the park is off the beaten path. The park needs a little TLC, which is ironic because it is co-located with the Parks and Rec Department. Anyway, I would probably check out another park if I wanted to play. It is deep enough out of the way that it may make it a decent spot to host an event and use the shelter. This park will do in a pinch or if you do not want to go to a busier park. But it definitely would not be my first choice or go to.

This is a pretty standard park for rural Indiana. There is a playground and a shelter with a…read moregravel drive leading back to them for access. The property is next to the Parks Department, so it makes sense to have the park close for ease of maintenance. The park is just across from the Potawatomi Park and is just a short walk from downtown shops and restaurants. Review #3024

When I'm on one of my Tenderness Tour events, sometimes I'll give myself easier days to give my…read morebody a break and to also give myself time to actually visit the cities and towns I wheel through. One such lighter day would be the Little Turtle Waterway Trail, a 1.8 mile asphalt paved trail in Logansport that qualifies as both a rail-trail and a waterway trail. The trail allows walking, biking, rollerblading, and running and is also wheelchair friendly and documented as ADA compliant. The trail has three key features worth visiting - Little Turtle Park, the Wabash River, and the railroad it follows. The river, in particular, is quite beautiful along the route with periodic benches so that you can simply sit and enjoy it. The trail falls under the management of Logansport Parks and Recreation and is well maintained. Logansport has several trails within its city limits including the multi-county Nickel Plate, but if you're wanting to spend some time in Logansport this is a terrific trail to visit. The trail gets its name from the Miami Chief Little Turtle. The primary trailhead is Little Turtle Waterway Plaza, a place that offers parking and will also eventually be a connector to other trails. The trail crosses some bridges over the Wabash and the Cass County Historical Museum is within walking distance of the trail. The trail's East end, near 5th street, offers a dirt trail for hiking or biking. This isn't the most extensive or fanciest trail, but it's rather nice and when everything gets done in this area it may very well turn into a 5-star trail! Since much of the trail is along downtown, you also do have some options for dining and/or restrooms.

In the southeast corner of Jasper County where it cuts into White (just north of Wolcott), there's…read morea fairly new nature preserve that has a mix of savanna/meadow and forest. What started out as 133 acres has expanded and has added a 3.3 mile "loop" for hiking. Note that this isn't one large loop; rather its a series of paths with some places to cut the trip shorter if you desire. Along S CR20 E, there is a pull off with a gravel drive and lot that you can park safely off the road. Although there are a couple signs near the wooded area to the north, you can't enter the woods there. You need to follow a wide path between the woods and grasses to the west. Once there, you have a choice to continue south along the grassy area or enter into the woods to continue west to the far edge of the park. A branch extends north (you take the same route back to this point.) I took the route west and after going north, tried the south branch which then jogs over to a space along more grasslands that slowly raise toward a hilltop. There is also a large roughly rectangular trail you can take even farther west or cut across back to the east through the trees. That eventually continues that southern loop or cuts through the trees north to the savanna you saw at the beginning. I saw lots of wildflowers, a friendly squirrel, and heard lots of songbirds along the way. Mosquitoes weren't too bad, but I would still advise to take precautions. Because the paths were wide, I felt like there was less chance of getting a tick because I wasn't brushing against anything. I really appreciated the wider path through the park and the low elevation change made for an easy stroll even though the mileage could get long. It will be interesting to see how the savanna changes as the small trees that have started growing randomly there continue to mature. Review #2750

This park is is small area located right in the middle of a somewhat busy thoroughfare. In the…read morecenter of the park is a statue of Major General Robert Milroy, a Union General and Indiana native. The statue is on a pedestal. General Milroy is most noted for his defeat at the Second Battle of Winchester in 1863. In 1850, he was a lawyer and judge in Rensselaer. Milroy recruited a company for the 9th Indiana Militia with men living around the town. Milroy's Rensselaer was and bad shape and eventually was torn down in 1902. The site of the home is now where the park sits. On July 4, 1910, they unveiled a statue of Milroy at an Independence Day assembly of around 10,000 people. It was one of the largest crowds Rensselaer had ever seen. The statue was sculpted by Rensselaer native Mary Washburn and also memorialized on the statue is Milroy's friend and fellow officer, Ben Summit. The park has a glider swing and some green space, but is not really a park to just hang out. While I was there they had themed pumpkin scenes set up along the walkway like some type of public art. It looked like they were having a pumpkin decoration competition of sorts. The park is the site of events like rallies and is well maintained. There is not really much parking available, but this is not that type of park anyway. If you do choose to park here then you can park on the street, in front of one of the nearby houses. This is more of a local park and not a destination park. There is not much utility for this park outside of an organized event or a brief stop on your way to another place.

In the wedge of land north of US 231 where the highway angles north east, a park was put in place…read moreto honor Major-General Robert H Milroy who served as commander of the 9th Indiana Infantry that fought mostly in western Virginia during the Civil War. Born near Salem, Indiana and getting his degree from Indiana University Law School, he returned from the war and served as a lawyer/judge in Rensselaer. A bronze statue was sculpted by Mary Washburn in 1910 and is stands on a pedestal on the eastern edge of the park. Other than lots of shade trees and the statue, there is a historical marker for Milroy and a bench swing nearby. The park does not have parking or sidewalks to accommodate visitors, but because of its close proximity to downtown, is not too far to walk from downtown or the Potawatomi Park. Review #3025

Columbia Park is primarily a baseball park for kids on the east side of town. There is pull in…read moreparking along the south side of the park. A small playground was added to the southwest corner for an additional activity at the park. One strip of land along the south side of the park has become a lawn with two rows of young trees planted that will eventually provide some shade. There are bleachers and a concession building on site. Review #3027