Ambassador - West Baden & French Lick

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Bloomington, IN, US

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Route Overview

Bloomington Indiana

Century Rides of Southern Indiana (100mi)

108 mi.

5,470 ft.

Travel south to West Baden Springs, a domed wonder, and then back north thru Amish country.

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Route Details

We start at Bryan Park Swimming Pool at 1100 S Woodlawn Ave where there is plenty of parking in the mornings. Taking the south end of the B-Line we proceed to Victor Pike and climb to one of the very active @photo[limestone quarries](862953) of Monroe County with some good views of the surrounding terrain.

We are headed to Springville where the land becomes more rolling, perfect for cattle and dairy cows and the @poi[local grocery](1406800) is our first stop.  Another town Fayetteville offers a @poi[convenience store](1406798), too.  We now head to Williams on the White River site of an old dam and with a @poi[restroom](1406799) at the abandoned state campsite.  The bait shop also sells snacks and drinks.  It used to boast of a mastodon bone, but someboday stole it! The various rocking chairs are welcoming, though.

As we head west now, when crossing the river you'll see on your left one of the longest @photo[covered bridges](862949) in Indiana.  The modern bridge was built about 2010, but affords you a great view of the length.  Go ahead and take a side route to study the bridge and the trussing of this wooden marvel.

We climb up and down the many creeks that feed the White River and cross US-50 at Huron where another country store awaits.  Our bikes are now travelling on the Old Vincennes Road which was a stagecoach road that stretched from Madison to Vincennes, the two oldest towns of Indiana.

Our major destination is @photo[West Baden Springs Hotel](862950) , a domed wonder of southern Indiana.  During this country's boom in the 1920's and the popularity of the automobile hotels with natural  springs in rustic areas were quite a draw to the wealthy in nearby cities.   The French Lick Resort and the West Baden Springs Hotel were continually competing to draw the wealthiest of the wealthy.  At one time "The Springs" had a bowling alley and a velodrome.  Take off you cleats and come on in and look up at the @photo[dome](862952).  Would you believe that this was in such disrepair that it might have been torn down just twenty years ago.

You may have lunch under the dome or there are some less expensive diners and Subway after we visit the French Lick Resort and downtown of French Lick, home of basketball star, Larry Bird.  There is also the @poi[French Lick Winery](1406806) behind the CVS.

The compass reverses and now it's north back to Bloomington through rolling farmland of our own little sect of @photo[Amish](862954) and then into the quaint town of Mitchell where there is a @poi[welcoming bakery](1406801) with train memorabilia adorned on the walls.

Be careful between Mitchell and Bedford where one will have to get on IN-37 and negotiate all the exiting traffic of IN-37 while we proceed north on US-50.  The town of Bedford is considered the home of Indiana Limestone.  There are many places to take a break and replenish fluids, to get ready for some hill climbing to reach home in Bloomington.

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Ambassador - West Baden & French Lick

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