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Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

Unexpected Stop In Logansport, Indiana


mobilene
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I drove home from Thanksgiving in my hometown Friday evening. I decided to try a new-to-me variation on my usual Dixie Highway route, which was to stay on US 31 to US 24, and then take US 24 to Logansport and rejoin the Dixie.

 

US 24 through Indiana is a big four-lane slab. But since it was dark and drizzly, I got a little confused and ended up on what turned out to be Old US 24, a winding two-lane. The sixteen miles zipped by in no time, and soon I entered Logansport, but in a part of town I'd never seen before.

 

After I passed through the retail district on the edge of town and entered a residential area, traffic became thick. I made a turn onto what I thought was the Dixie but was very wrong as that road ended two blocks later. I wandered briefly through heavy traffic (in little Logansport? What gives?) until I found downtown. And then no matter which way I turned, I found the streets closed! I felt like the man in the old Electric Company skit, "No left turn, no right turn, tow away zone, no way home!" (Anybody here of the right age to get that?) I kept backing up, turning around, driving a block, finding a barrier, backing up, turning around, ...

 

Finally I spotted a police officer by one of the barricades. I got out of my car and explained my plight. "I'm just passing through and with all these barricades I'm pretty lost! I'm just trying to get to State Road 29." I hoped he knew what I meant, because 29 hasn't actually run through Logansport in years. But it was the most modern name for the Dixie that I thought he might recognize. He thought my story was funny, so he opened the barrier and let me drive down the closed street. "Turn at 3rd St. That's 29." I could almost see it in his face that he knew it wasn't really 29, but that it became 29 when its modern path flowed back into the old Dixie Highway path. I was on my way.

 

As I drove south on the Dixie, I searched for a radio station. I happened upon Logansport's lone FM outlet, which was broadcasting live from downtown Logansport for the annual Light Up Logansport parade! That sure explained the traffic and the barricades. If I wasn't now thirty minutes behind schedule to pick up my sons, I might have turned around to see!

 

This happened only because I accidentally found myself on the two lane.

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I drove home from Thanksgiving in my hometown Friday evening. I decided to try a new-to-me variation on my usual Dixie Highway route, which was to stay on US 31 to US 24, and then take US 24 to Logansport and rejoin the Dixie.

 

US 24 through Indiana is a big four-lane slab. But since it was dark and drizzly, I got a little confused and ended up on what turned out to be Old US 24, a winding two-lane. The sixteen miles zipped by in no time, and soon I entered Logansport, but in a part of town I'd never seen before.

 

After I passed through the retail district on the edge of town and entered a residential area, traffic became thick. I made a turn onto what I thought was the Dixie but was very wrong as that road ended two blocks later. I wandered briefly through heavy traffic (in little Logansport? What gives?) until I found downtown. And then no matter which way I turned, I found the streets closed! I felt like the man in the old Electric Company skit, "No left turn, no right turn, tow away zone, no way home!" (Anybody here of the right age to get that?) I kept backing up, turning around, driving a block, finding a barrier, backing up, turning around, ...

 

Finally I spotted a police officer by one of the barricades. I got out of my car and explained my plight. "I'm just passing through and with all these barricades I'm pretty lost! I'm just trying to get to State Road 29." I hoped he knew what I meant, because 29 hasn't actually run through Logansport in years. But it was the most modern name for the Dixie that I thought he might recognize. He thought my story was funny, so he opened the barrier and let me drive down the closed street. "Turn at 3rd St. That's 29." I could almost see it in his face that he knew it wasn't really 29, but that it became 29 when its modern path flowed back into the old Dixie Highway path. I was on my way.

 

As I drove south on the Dixie, I searched for a radio station. I happened upon Logansport's lone FM outlet, which was broadcasting live from downtown Logansport for the annual Light Up Logansport parade! That sure explained the traffic and the barricades. If I wasn't now thirty minutes behind schedule to pick up my sons, I might have turned around to see!

 

This happened only because I accidentally found myself on the two lane.

 

 

If you think Logansport was bad, you ought to try getting from 24 to 224 in Hammond!!!! The only time I went thru there is the last time I'll ever go thru that one. One way streets that turn you away from where you want to go; couldn't find any route signs (one turn on what looked like a main artery, dumped me into a trailer park!!!) I wandered around, completely lost, couldn't find anyplace to find directions - however, coming out of the trailer park I saw a local police officer headed in what seemed to be the right direction (as best I could figure) and sure enough we soon came to a road that looked like it might be the right one with a convenience/gas station on one corner. That proved to be 224, but I never did see a route sign anywhere until I was fairly well east of town.

And I was trying to get thru town in broad daylight!!!!!

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

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