The weather for the last week or so has been unseasonably warm for the most part. We thought we should enjoy it just in case it snows again. Doing some hiking seemed like a good idea, so we headed with our friends James & Shelley to Brown County State Park. We haven’t been hiking much since we stopped traveling. We went for over six miles with plenty of ups and downs. Brown County is Indiana’s largest state park by almost 10,000 acres. My four favorite state parks (Spring Mill, Clifty Falls, Turkey Run and McCormick’s Creek) could all fit inside Brown County State Park…twice. That means Brown County has some excellent trails that get away from the roads more so than other parks.
Everything was definitely brown, but it was nice to be outside. We didn’t think we’d encounter much wildlife, so we were surprised when we came across the frog bonds. Audible from well over a hundred yards away, the frogs were enjoying the unseasonably warm day as well. It was a good hike, and we were sufficiently hungry and thirsty afterward, so we headed for Nashville.
The best part about Nashville, Indiana as far as I’m concerned is Big Woods Pizza and Quaff On! Brewing Company. We hit the tasting room while we waited for our table. We had a couple of rounds of Yellow Dwarf, a pleasantly hopped wheat beer, and a personal favorite. We chatted with one of the owners for a bit. Promises were made, and I think Shelley’s on the hook for baking an apple pie the next time she goes in. They called us to our table, and we ordered a pair of large pizzas. Big Woods has some of the best hand tossed pizzas in these parts. No reason is too flimsy to justify a trip. Honestly, we picked Brown County so we could get pizza and beer afterward.
We don’t go to Brown County State Park very often, so it was nice to check it out over a nice long hike. The plan is to hit a lot more state parks this year and spend more time outside hiking than we did last year after we returned to Indiana. Hopefully, this is the first of several park & dinner posts.
That was a great time. Bring on more parks, more hiking and more beer and pizza.
Love Brown County and Quaff On beer!!