Prophetstown State Park and Purdue

Five-mile Hike/Bike Trail at Prophetstown State Park

Roger here...  We spent a week at Prophetstown State Park in West Lafayette, Indiana.  We did so many things in (and near) this beautiful state park that we will be reporting in two posts.  

Campsite....

There are many reasons why Prophetstown State Park is one of our very favorite camping spots in the entire country.  The campsites --- spacious, wooded, full-hook-up, and private are one of those reasons.

The shaded campfire area of our site gives an impression of our large and private campsite.

The photo below shows the space between each secluded spot.  We always love it here.

Hiking --- part 1...

There are miles of hiking trails in the park.  Some are through wooded areas.  Some are through tall-grass prairies and ponds.  Some are next to the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers.

During the first half of our time here, Dianne, the dogs, and I hiked a couple of times along sections of trail 1 through the woods and the tall-grass prairie.  Hiking in the tall-grass is different than hikes we have taken elsewhere.  The bucolic setting with grass waving in the wind creates a restful walk.  Who needs mountains and forests, anyway? :-).

The stone bridge shown in the pictures above and below was constructed from field rocks gathered in the state park.  

Quiet Time to Comtemplate

Another Family Reunion...

Dianne's first cousins (Charles, Becky, and John) live near Lafayette.  They were an important part of her life when she was young.  They still are.  

Charles's wife, Leslie, organized a dinner on the evening we arrived at Prophetstown.  It is always such fun when we get together --- so much catching up and so many memories.  Charles's and Leslie's daughter, Betsy, joined us for dessert.

Leslie (Charles's wife), Marilyn (John's wife), Rich (Becky's husband), Becky, Charles, John, Me....  I should have taken the photo so that Dianne was in the picture. 

M-m-m-m, fresh Indiana corn on the cob from Leslie's farm garden. -- D.

Purdue University (the great university of the north)...

Before we left dinner, the evening before, Leslie gave Dianne (genealogist enthusiast extraordinaire) two boxes of family photos and albums that Dianne's grandmother had passed on to the family.  We would only have them for two days.  I knew that Dianne would want to absorb them.  So, I visited my alma mater while Dianne went through all the old pictures and took pictures of the significant ones.

I always love "reliving" my days at Purdue.  It was a good part of my life.  On this particular day I was under no time constraints and was able to wander through so many past memories.  The picture below shows my normal route to mostly science and math classes during my freshman year.

Four years later I walked around this fountain....

Hovde Hall (Administration Building)

.... through a hallway in this building.....

The Elliott Hall of Music is a replica of Radio City in NYC.

... and into the Elliot Hall of Music where I graduated as a member of the class of 1972.

Dianne, my parents, and my brother were all there.

The bell tower did not exist when I was a student at Purdue; however, .....

... I did attend several classes in University Hall (the oldest building on campus).









This is Purdue's 150th anniversary, founded as a land-grant college in 1869.  The "giant leaps' reference in the banner below refers, of course, to Purdue graduate, Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon.

In posts from previous years I have talked about Neal Armstrong and another iconic Purdue grad, Amelia Earhart.

On this visit I wanted to regale in some of Purdue's athletic giants.  This statue is of John Wooden.  He was an all-American at Purdue on the national championship basketball team of 1932 (before the NCAA tournament).  He went on to be the iconic coach at UCLA bringing home several national championships.

Drew Brees and his wife provided funds to build the Brees Academic Performance Center.  Drew continues to be involved in the university and an athlete of character --- a role model to be emulated.

The Purdue Boilermaker

I could not leave campus without walking a few blocks to the athletic complex where I developed my loyalty to Purdue's athletic teams.  Lots of memories here.








Macky Arena is the home of Purdue Basketball --- one of the noisiest and most spirited basketball arenas in the country.  Basketball was and is a big deal at Purdue.  I attended every home game when I was a student.  

The arena was closed on the day of my visit, but I was able to take a picture through one of the doors.  My dad and mom maintained season tickets throughout their lives.  My brother and I accompanied them to countless games.  (I did too, after Roger and I were married.  They had awesome seats just up from the opposing team bench.   You could see the spit coming from Bobby Knight's mouth as he yelled at his team when they played against Purdue.   No snow storms kept the Norris family from these games; I remember late night drives all the way home to Pendleton from West Lafayette back in the day.  -- D.)

Ross-Ade Stadium is the home of Purdue football.  This is the field where Drew Brees played.  This the field where Purdue upset Ohio State last year with the help of the late Tyler Trent.  

I also never missed a home football game while I was a student.  

That green turf is real grass.  No artificial turf here.

I know that I have spent too much time talking about Purdue, but my time there was instrumental in shaping my life.  Time to move on to to other things.

I intended to eat lunch at the Student Union before heading back to the campground.  However, it was freshman move-in day.  The campus restaurants were packed.  

So, I walked to the village and found my way to Harry's Chocolate Shop for a burger and a beer.  No chocolate here.  Harry's is the iconic campus pub.

The next day, Dianne and I drove back to Charlie and Leslie's to return the borrowed boxes of family photos.

When we had dinner at their house, Cousin John told us about a local brewery that sold beer at Purdue football games.  Becky told us we had to go there.  We did.

The People's Brewery had a variety of craft beer selections, but I was interested in Boiler Black, and...

... Boiler Gold.

I really like the way the cans look.












Dianne and I shared one of each.

After the brews, we drove a short distance to the campus village.  We wanted to eat at the Triple XXX Family Restaurant.  

The Triple XXX is a West Lafayette fixture that has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

There are no tables here.  Everyone eats at the serpentine counters.

The atmosphere is authentic.  The food is delicious.   (This place was around when Roger's dad was a student at Purdue -- it's been there forever -- D.)

 Our fun in West Lafayette continues in the next post with another scenic hike and a visit from fellow camping friends.

Dianne's Teensy Weensy Trailer Tip:

There is little to no hanging space for clothes in the trailer.   That means everything must be rolled or folded.  That means inevitable wrinkles.   I don't like to wear wrinkled clothes, nor do I like to iron.   I found this nifty travel iron/steamer on Amazon.   I have a ironing mat I could use on the dinette, but I have found it much easier to

use the steamer function in the trailer.   I bought another command hook and put it on the back of our bathroom door.  

Now when something is wrinkled, I simply hang it from the hook and steam away.



Pet Picture of the Day....

Poquita always attempts to claim a spot on one of the camp chairs.

I thought this chair was mine.   You mean it's not??