Crawfordsville to Zionsville & Indianapolis, Indiana 70miles

Leaving Crawfordsville along the train lines, we got off to a slower start today. The heat of the day came early and the farmland seemed very humid. The landscape at times seemed very different from Illinois with rolling hills and wooded Oak groves. But then it would open up and once again reveal a 'Great Plains' quality. A hawk flew overhead and a red deer jumped the hedge and bound over the soybean field in a gallup. It seemed a bit strange of a site for the middle of the day when deer usually lie in the brushy transition areas along the fence lines.

Moving south by southeast, the area landscape was quiet, humid and hot. Approaching Zionsville, north of Indianapolis, a quaint small town atmosphere meets up with the 21st century. Picturesque old Victorian buildings are situated on narrow streets designed for carts. People coming and going at a modern pace appeared contrary to the setting. The town layout almost looked New Englang like in the historic neighborhood indicating we are moving east and the sentiments are beginning to change. The pace is quicker as this prepared us to move into the big city of Indianapolis. Lincoln spoke briefly at his stops and acknowledged a Midwestern sympathy and support from the local people. With important business ahead, he was forced to be brief in his comments and had a schedule to stick to. In the town green by the site of the depot in Zionsville, there was a small gazebo that had been prepared for a gathering. Someone had lined up several chairs in front of the structure. It's formal setting suggested something important was about to occur and perhaps a visitor was going to speak. The setting instantly reminded me of a scene not too unlike what might have occurred on the same spot some 150 years earlier.