Trip doesn't have to go far

All summer, The CR has been sharing ideas for short trips that can stretch the family budget.
But there are plenty of opportunities for outings right here at home, and chances are many folks haven’t taken advantage of them.
Here are five suggestions for getting in touch with nature and five others for learning more about local history.
Hiking trails
Any list of local outdoor recreation sites is topped by the Loblolly Wetlands Nature Preserve. Though this summer’s drought has dried up much of the wetlands, there are still rewarding trails for hikers.
The most accessible is Veronica’s Trail, which is paved to provide full handicapped access. The woodlands hike on the Uplands Trail in the eastern portion of the preserve will be especially nice when the colors start to change this fall.
To get to the Loblolly, head north from Portland on U.S. 27 to Bryant. At the four-way stop, turn left (west) on Ind. 18 and drive about three and a half miles to county road 250, then turn right (north) on 250. The parking area for the preserve, which has space for about six or seven vehicles, is about half a mile away from Ind. 18.
Not far away — about a quarter mile east of U.S. 27 on the Jay-Adams county line — is the Limberlost Bird Sanctuary.
There’s a short looping trail through the trees and another that heads over toward Limberlost Creek.
Both of those sites are managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. One of the best wooded hikes in the county is part of the ACRES Land Trust. That’s the Bibler Preserve, established in the early 1990s by the late Louis “Sam” Bibler on 105 acres south of Portland that once encompassed Bibler’s childhood home.
To get to the Bibler Preserve take Boundary Pike southeast from Portland to Treaty Line Road. Turn left there into Boundary City and continue going northeast to county road 400 East.
That’s where the pavement stops. Turn left (north) on 400 East. The Bibler Preserve parking area will be on your left. It has stone, but grass has grown up over it. There’s room for about five vehicles.
ACRES asks that visitors register. There’s a metal box with pencil and paper inside at the trailhead. As with all these trails, hunting is prohibited.
ACRES uses little ribbon-like strips of brightly colored material tied to trees at eye-level to mark the path.
Another lightly-used trail can be found in the Bell-Croft preserve on county road 300 South, about a quarter mile west of Ind. 67. There’s only room for one vehicle, and you have to hike back along a fencerow to get to the woods. But once you’re in the preserve, you’ll find a nice little forest of beech trees.
Closer to home is the Trail of Trees, a popular nature trail along the Salamonie River in Portland’s Weiler-Wilson Park and the adjacent Hudson Family Park. There’s plenty of parking at Hudson Family Park. The trailhead is located in Weiler-Wilson Park on the banks of the river. Signs along the route identify different trees.

The museums
Anyone interested in local history should start with the Jay County Historical Society’s 11,000-square-foot museum at the end of East Main Street in Portland.
It’s open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is staffed by volunteers. A number of weekend open house events are also held at the museum.
The society has amassed a remarkable collection of artifacts that tell the story of the county’s early years. The museum’s archives also preserve the history of the county’s eight high schools from the era before consolidation.
The next stop in Portland should be the Museum of the Soldier, a labor of love on the part of local volunteers that pays homage to individuals who served in the U.S. military over the centuries.
Located in the former Coca-Cola Bottling Co. plant, 510 E. Arch St., the museum is open on the first and third weekends April through November, from noon until 5 p.m.
The gas boom era and the region’s connection to the glass industry are highlighted at the Glass Museum, 309 S. Franklin St., Dunkirk. It’s open from May 1 to Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
If you’ve never seen the museum’s collection, it’s worth a visit.
Reaching farther back into history, the Fort Recovery State Museum does an outstanding job of telling the story of St. Clair’s Defeat and frontier life in Ohio and Indiana in the late 18th century.
Museum displays recently received an updating by the state, and new archaeological research of the Fort Recovery battle site is on the horizon.
The museum, located at 1 Fortsite St., is open daily from noon to 5 p.m. from June through August. In September, it will be open weekends from noon to 5 p.m.
Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children age 5 to 12. Children under 5 are free.
Finally, there’s the Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva, home of naturalist and novelist Gene Stratton-Porter, whose works brought national attention to the Limberlost in the early 1900s.
The cabin, located at 200 E. Sixth St., Geneva, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays from April through Dec. 18.



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