Getting Away in a Getaway Cabin
Since my husband got sick while we were on our Ireland trip, David said he would make it up to me. He didn’t have to, but he still wanted to. He saw a Facebook post from a friend who rented a small cabin in the middle of nowhere, which intrigued him, so he asked me if I would be interested. I asked if there would be running water (there would) and if we could make s’mores, my favorite dessert after cake (we could), so I said sure!
David did all of the planning for our getaway weekend trip. He booked a Getaway Cabin just like our friend did, but this would be in Brown County, Indiana, whereas our friend rented one in Michigan near her home. On a Friday in October 2023, we drove down to Columbus, Indiana and stopped at a Wal-Mart to purchase some wine, eggs, sausages, and other perishable food before driving to our cabin in the dark rain.
Our cabin was quite small as it encouraged people to get out into nature and get away from society. We got settled in and found a spot for all of our stuff. We relaxed and drank some wine. On Saturday morning, David made breakfast on the small stovetop. He made omelets with green peppers along with sausages. We then drove to the Laura Hare Nature Preserve, where we walked on an uninhabited trail for almost two miles. It was a lovely trail, and I was surprised we were the only ones on it. We saw moss and mushrooms. Afterwards, we drove to the Brown County Winery where we tasted wine and purchased some too! The worker helping us also gave us advice for what trail to take in Brown County State Park since we would go there later that day.
For lunch, we ate and drank at the Hard Truth restaurant and distillery. I loved their Peanut Butter Russian drink and pulled pork sandwich. We then made our way to the Brown County State Park. On our drives throughout the day, we could see the beautiful fall colors on the trees. The trees were vibrant shades of orange, yellow, red, and green. When we got to the state park, it started to rain. We decided to go ahead onto the trail that was suggested by the winery worker. We got out our umbrellas and stepped onto Trail #4. Thankfully, the tree cover helped, and we did not get much rain on us, and the trail did not get super muddy while we were walking. It was a bit of an intense trail, even though it was marked as ‘moderate.’ We finally made it to Ogle Lake, where we ogled at the body of water. It was a pretty lake, and the rain had let up, but it was quite a trek to get there. The trail had a lot of elevation changes. I had to stop quite a few times to catch my breath; we decided not to walk around the lake. While driving around the park to get to an exit, we noticed there were quite a few mountain bikers and horse back riders. There were also quite a few people who were camping in the park.
When we got back to our cabin, we made dinner and s’mores. The next morning, we walked on the property’s nature trail, which was quite secluded. Even though there were plenty of other people staying in the other cabins on the property, my husband and I were the only ones on the trail. We then drove to Nashville, Indiana to eat lunch at Story Inn. The outside of the place looked rundown, but the food was delicious! I had their sausage gravy and biscuits, which I liked. One downside was that the roads getting here were winding, and the area was a bit hilly, so I did have to take some Dramamine for motion sickness.
After lunch, we drove to Columbus, Indiana to eat an ice cream sundae at the Zaharkos Ice Cream Parlor and Museum! Located in downtown Columbus, this business started in 1900 by three Greek brothers. The ice cream is made on site, and the museum room has the largest collection of pre-1900 soda fountains that are on public display. There are also some mechanical music instruments from the early 1900’s on display. I really enjoyed eating ice cream in this fully restored parlor!
Overall, I enjoyed this trip, as it gave David a sense that we were camping, and it provided me with the bare necessities like running water. Getaway Cabins are as close to camping that I will ever want to get to, and I would not mind staying at another one in the future! In fact, I am looking at renting one near the Starved Rock State Park in Illinois next year in 2024!
You can find more info about these cabins here: https://getaway.house/
