Part 3 of 3 posts about ways you can enjoy the fall color show our trees throw for us every autumn.  Today, nearby local drives.

The Midwest and particularly Indiana, aren’t known as the most scenic parts of the world, but come fall, any areas that have a lot of trees can be perfect for enjoying the fall foliage show.   There are a couple of nice drives that won’t take you too far away from your home at Willow Creek Crossing Apartments.  One such trip runs along the fabled Wabash river.  Take the airport parkway to I-69, and head north.  When you get to the next exit, Take US24 West and head down through Huntington.  Once you go through the commercial area of town, you’ll head down a very large hill.  At the bottom is a traffic signal where US24 makes a right turn, and State Road 9 goes straight ahead.  Stay on State Road 9, go over the Wabash River Bridge, and turn right just after the bridge on to River Road.  River Road is a winding two lane road that follows the Wabash through some scenic country until you get to Andrews, IN.  From there, you can loop back by going north over the Wabash, and then East on US 24.

Another enjoyable local route is State Road One from Fort Wayne to St Joe Indiana.  The bonus on this drive is the covered bridge in Spencerville.  It’s not well marked but not hard to find.  When you come into Spencerville, the road makes a big wide left turn.  Watch for the street signs along the right side of State Road One.  Turn Right on Mill St, and follow that through a local neighborhood, and then across the covered bridge.  Once over the bridge, turn right and you can loop back to State Road One, and get a great view of the bridge at the same time.  Follow State Road One to St. Joe.    Here, the road turns into just another country lane, but if you want to follow it just a little longer, you’ll pass the Sechlar Pickle Factory.  Tours are given during business hours Monday through Friday, and on Saturday Morning.

Finally, don’t forget you can also enjoy the fall foliage by just taking a nice walk along the miles of walkways right inside Willow Creek Crossing.  Now that you don’t have to rake leaves anymore, enjoy the leaves instead, but hurry, this offer ends in just a few weeks when autumn in Indiana abruptly ends, and winter begins.

Do you have some favorite local routes you’d like to share?  Go to Willow Creek Crossing’s Facebook page and post some directions and/or fall foliage photos you’ve taken.