Nashville is 520 miles (837 kilometers) from Racine, about a 9.5 hour drive if stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks. But why rush? Terra Haute, Indiana lies along the route and we want to explore the area a bit. I make a reservation for two nights at a Marriott and Thursday morning after hugs with William’s Mom we hit the road.
We prefer to support local businesses, especially with the challenges they face during this Covid-19 period. So, when we get hungry I use Google Maps to help us find the locally-owned Yanni’s Cafe in Manteno, Illinois for a late breakfast. It’s delightful to get freshly cracked eggs rather than the pre-packaged Sysco eggs used by so many of the chain restaurants.
We pull into Terra Haute in the late afternoon. After checking in and a rest at the hotel our attention again turns to food. Some web searches draw us to Piloni’s, a local Italian restaurant that shows up on several best of/top five lists. Sitting at our socially distanced table in a small dining room we enjoy some incredible pasta. It is fresh and done perfectly al dente. We wish we could ask the chef for his secret on the ravioli - we can never get ours as firm.
We pull into Terra Haute in the late afternoon. After checking in and a rest at the hotel our attention again turns to food. Some web searches draw us to Piloni’s, a local Italian restaurant that shows up on several best of/top five lists. Sitting at our socially distanced table in a small dining room we enjoy some incredible pasta. It is fresh and done perfectly al dente. We wish we could ask the chef for his secret on the ravioli - we can never get ours as firm.
Friday we spend the day exploring some of the 39 covered bridges of Parke County, most built in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. There are five driving routes which all meet in the city of Rockville. We follow the western side of the Red Route (the total route is 36 miles) starting in Rosedale. When we reach Rockville we switch to the Blue Route for 36 miles, catch about half of the Yellow Route (16 miles) then use the eastern side of the Red Route to take us back to Rosedale. From there it is just 25 minutes back to our hotel. We have lots of fun navigating the (mostly) backroads and enjoying ~20 bridges along the way.
Dinner Friday evening is at another local establishment, M. Moggers Restaurant and Pub. Terra Haute was once known for it’s local breweries, and Matthias Mogger was an early pioneer. As befitting the name, the restaurant has over 100 beers available with a good number on tap. William and I enjoy our meals in the early 1900’s decor with signs of old breweries and beers decorating the walls about us.
Dinner Friday evening is at another local establishment, M. Moggers Restaurant and Pub. Terra Haute was once known for it’s local breweries, and Matthias Mogger was an early pioneer. As befitting the name, the restaurant has over 100 beers available with a good number on tap. William and I enjoy our meals in the early 1900’s decor with signs of old breweries and beers decorating the walls about us.
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