BEDFORD — Promoters of the National Scenic Byways Program that stretches 250 miles across southern Indiana — crossing Lawrence County — will showcase the attractions and history of communities along the route during a motorcycle ride scheduled for Sept. 13.
“There has been a lot of interest shown just with people I’ve met and spoken with,” Ron Doyle, one of the event’s organizers, said. He works in program support for the Hoosier National Forest and has participated in various motorcycle rides around the state. Among the rides was the Annual Governor’s Motorcycle Ride in July, when Doyle distributed fliers about the Sept. 13 trip.
Indiana's Historic Pathways is a Y-shaped route that stretches along U.S. 50/U.S. 150 from Vincennes to Shoals. At that point, it forks and continues along U.S. 50 to Lawrenceburg and along U.S. 150 to the Falls of the Ohio. The byway tells the story of early settlement, westward migration and transportation in Indiana. It was designated a state scenic byway in 2004 and became part of America’s Byways collection in 2009.
The upcoming trip will go into five counties.
The ride will depart from the Hoosier National Forest office, 811 Constitution Ave., at 10 a.m. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The cost is $10 per bike and $5 per additional passenger.
“It’s about 115 miles,” Doyle said.
Indiana’s Historic Pathways is part of Historic Southern Indiana, which was created in 1986 to serve the southernmost 26 counties of Indiana. HSI’s goals are to identify, preserve, protect, enhance and promote the historical, natural and recreational resources of the region.
Teena Ligman, who works with Doyle at the Forest Service, is chairwoman of Indiana’s Historic Pathways’ outreach education committee. “We’re just looking for more ways to get more people aware and informed about the byway,” Ligman said.
“This was just an idea that someone had and Ron agreed to put it together for us because he rides in a lot of motorcycle rallies,” Ligman said. “It’s an audience that we hadn’t approached before. It seemed like a really good opportunity.”
As the motorcyclists make their way through the five counties, they will be met in each county by a local resident who will tell them about some of the sites they could expect to see.
Mike Akles will meet the group in Martin County. “I’m going to talk about the history of Shoals, how old it is and when it was platted,” Akles said. He has been an auctioneer in Shoals for 40 years and is a past president of the Shoals Business Association.
Akles will meet with the bikers at Bo-Mac’s drive-in restaurant, which will provide a backdrop that is both historically and culturally significant. Bo-Mac’s has been open in Martin County for more than 50 years. It now is operated by Cecil Ragsdale, whose parents operated it before he took it on. (The Shoals community’s little piece of Americana received national exposure as a roadside attraction in the late 1990s when a photograph of the restaurant was published in Time magazine. Time had sent crews on a transcontinental journey over U.S. 50 to highlight the lifestyles of people along the route.)
Doyle said the Sept.13 ride will begin with motorcyclists travelilng east on U.S. 50 before shifting to the Medora Covered Bridge. Other points of interest in Jackson County will include the Jackson County Courthouse in Brownstown, the Jackson County History Center (where a meal will be served) and Slab Road, which was the first paved road in Indiana. The route eventually shifts south along State Road 135 and onto some county roads, as routes that connect U.S. 150 and U.S. 50. The Jackson-Washington Forest and Beck’s Mill in Washington County will be among sites highlighted before the group reaches U.S. 150 near Fredericksburg and proceeds to the Orange County Courthouse lawn. From there, the motorcyclists will continue west to Shoals, where they will see the natural geological sandstone formation known as the Jug Rock. The group then will head east into Lawrence County, returning to the forest service office.
“We’re just really excited about this,” Ligman said. “I hope it’s as successful as we think (it will be).”