Title:
West Central Indiana: Hwy 234 & Sugar Creek Canyon
State:
Indiana
Submitted
By: Moe
Date Submitted: Mar 04
Motorcycle Type: 76 BMW R90S,
86
Honda XL600R Motorcycle Road Length: 85 Miles
Motorcycle
Road Scenery:
This
ride covers Hendricks, Putnam, Montgomery, Fountain and
my favorite, Parke County. One can expect to see carved
sandstone canyons, covered bridges, two state parks,
quaint old towns with old fashioned saloons, cafes and soda
fountains, horse drawn Amish buggies and on any Sunday,
a lot of motorcycles. It's easy to see why IN 234 is becoming
a favorite among motorcyclists: the scenery, places to stop
and visit, and best of all, excellent pavement.
Motorcycle
Road Quality:
IN
234 is a rider's ride. Viewed in that respect, it has everything
to offer: broad high speed sweepers; narrow, tight curvesthrough wooded hills, and roller coaster-like
rides across lush countryside; all this
on pavement that would impress a California rider, which
I was for almost twenty years.
Motorcycle
Roadside Amenities:
After
moving to Indiana, my wife and I wanted to continue our
tradition of occasional Sunday morning rides. Besides smooth,
twisty pavement, another prerequisite was a café
that we could stop for breakfast. This ride offers both.
I suppose the tourist in us likes to stop and check out
places like North Salem with its quaint antique shops
and old fashioned sundries store complete with original
soda fountain. And there's the Red Dog Saloon, a
favorite local watering hole and meeting place. Other "tourist"
attractions include Ladoga, where one can enjoy viewing
the graceful old Victorian homes along 234 - some
restored; some not. Shades
State Park is canoe country - Sugar Creek runs right
through it. There's great camping here, but the best way
to view the entire Sugar Creek canyon is by canoe or
kayak. The river trip from Shades to Turkey Run is about
four easy hours. Rentals are available at the Hwy 234 bridge
crossing Sugar Creek. Turkey
Run State Park is like nowhere else in the state of
Indiana. There's great camping here too, but stop
at the Turkey Run Inn for a great breakfast (open at 7 am)
or lunch. If it's Sunday, the all-you-can-eat brunch
is terrific. Not to worry, you can walk off that brunch
on the trails in the park. Don't miss Sunset Point and the
old Log Church. Then, hike down to the river, and cross
the suspension footbridge. Turkey Run State Park is a very
special place. If you golf, Turkey Run Golf Course is one
of the most challenging in the state. You won't believe
this place. Waveland Lake recreation area has great fishing,
boating and camping, and the hamlet of Waveland has Brenda's
Café with early Sunday morning breakfast!
Directions:
Extensive
& detailed directions below ... we suggest you print
these and the map to take with you on your trip.
Start and end this ride in North
Salem (Indiana) at the intersection of IN 236 and IN
75. There is a gas station with convenience store and cafe,
a second café down the street, and the Red Dog Saloon: lots
of places to meet your riding buddies. Go north
on state route 75 from North Salem, and roller-coaster
your way along Big Walnut Creek to IN
234 in Jamestown; then turn west. A lot of
motorcycles have been crossing paths lately on Indiana 234.
Things get interesting right away. Just try to resist wicking
up the throttle on the first set of wide, flat sweepers
after leaving Jamestown. Then, through Ladoga, it's more
wide high speed sweepers: right, then left, then right -
one after the other. Enjoy them now, because things are
about to get a lot tighter. At the stop sign, cross US 231,
then a few miles later, cross IN 47. Continue west on 234,
and enter the "tingle" zone. This is a series of hilly,
tight radius turns; all on a wonderfully smooth piece of
tarmac. Each time your foot pegs scrape it, the back
of your neck will tingle. If you notice, there's a neat
old church, and a tidy old farm implement museum between
the last right and left-hander. This is Freedom. What a
great name for a town. Maybe you can make the stop; I never
could. A little further west, pass by the entrance to Shades
State Park. On the next section of 234, leave your "shades"
in your pocket because the lanes narrow, the woods close
in, and the road drops into Sugar Creek canyon. If it's
early, the pavement may be wet. If you make it to the bottom
intact, cross the bridge, turn left into the Deer Mill Covered
Bridge parking area, and treat yourself to the view of this
beautiful canyon along Sugar Creek. Mount up, and get back
to 234 because there's more. Climb out of this tight wooded
canyon heading west through one twisty after the other,
being careful not to scrape any tree bark with your bar
ends. Just hearing that throaty exhaust note of the big
thumper reverberating though these woods reminds me of riding
Skyline Boulevard heading for Alice's. Whoa! Reality check!
A few roller coaster miles later, arrive
at Hwy US 41 at the stop sign, and turn south. This
is a beautiful section of old 41 as it meanders through
wooded hills and past rock studded creeks. There are lots
of Amish around these parts, and early Sunday, they're all
headed for church in their horse-drawn buggies. So, watch
out for them and anything the horse may leave behind. After
a few miles, look for the IN 47 turnoff towards Turkey Run
State Park and take a left there (head east on to
IN 47). [A short, interesting side trip may be taken a few
miles past the entrance to the park. Watch
for a carved wooden sign on the left indicating the Narrows
Covered Bridge. Turn off 47 for a few miles to find another
fantastic view of Sugar Creek canyon at the Narrows.]
If you're getting hungry, get back
on IN 47 and head north past Turkey Run Golf Course
and Waveland Lake and drive into the town of Waveland
by turning right on IN 59 (now you're heading south)
and look for Brenda's café - downtown on the left. Or,
if you want wait to eat at the Red Dog Saloon, continue
south on IN 59 through Waveland to the stop sign
at IN 236. Here turn left on 236 heading
east and take this all the way back to North Salem. There
you can shut the bike down at the Red Dog
Saloon where lunch is waiting. This trip is just under a
hundred miles, and makes a nice early morning ride: Sunday
or any day. So, here's hoping our motorcycles cross
paths one day on Indiana 234.
Additional
Information:
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Comments page 1 of 0
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bob hutson - 1988 Harley-Davidson
Posted 340 days ago
Im lucky enough to live just a few miles from this area and get to ride through here all the time, just wanted to let other riders know this is as good as he makes it sound, try this ride.
Took this ride in October 08. Loved the ride and color and the covered bridge on 234 off of 41. This was part of 1000 mile cruise that weekend and to be honest, there is no reason to go east of 231. Scenery pretty much the same as the rest of the state. Fields and straight roads with a few curves, nothing really interesting. Loved the road by the covered bridge so much actually stopped and turned around to do it a couple more times.
9/2/08 234 is closed between Jamestown and Ladoga. We rode 32 west to Veedersburg, then 41 south to pick up the rest of the route. This left out Shades, but it was still a nice ride. Bob
Just a little bit of info....this ride was great! My wife, who has been riding for only 3 months, had a blast! The scenery was wonderful and we are looking forward to re-riding in the fall. The bad news is that Sunday morning, July 13th, the Red Dog Saloon caught fire. So far I have not heard of anything about future plans for the building.
We took 136 out of Indy to do this little loop. The color change is well under way. Saw no road closure at all. This is every bit as good as described, and is nthing any bagger should miss.
The bad news is that Sunday morning, July 13th, the Red Dog Saloon caught fire. So far I have not heard of anything about future plans for the building.