Turkey Run (and walk, and fall, and climb, and cry for just a minute!)

I took an advantage of a free afternoon from Grandma sitting and headed out to Turkey Run with my camera. I went alone, left the map safely in the car. I started out on trail 6, nice and safe, good views. Then on the advice of 2 elderly people using canes I went to see the suspension bridge. I worked up the nerve to cross it, and that's when everything went wrong. Somehow I ended up on trail 3. Those of you who know the trails are probably laughing about now. Remember, I'm carrying 25lbs of camera equipment and we'd had like 4 feet of rain in the past 2 weeks! So, I had to wade through some creek, scale a few rocks, fall several times trying to find the trail which was now completely a mud hole! I saw a few people who looked smart and decided to follow them. NOT a great move on my part. They lead me straight to the camel's back. This is a DEAD END people!! It also looks nothing like a camel. Is this some Indiana joke? So, I ditched the non-smarties and headed off on my own. It was about this time that the sky darkened, the rain started, and the lightning began showing off. That's when the sniffles started, and I figured someone would find my body in the next few days. O.K. maybe I'm borrowing a little of Lydia's dramatics, but I was pretty pathetic right then. Eventually I made my way back to the swaying death bridge. I was the only one on the bridge what with all the lightning!. I thought the white flag was waving and the finish line in sight (go JR.). I struggled up the hill thinking I was coming up behind the Inn where I parked. Nope. I was behind the Nature Center and swimming pool. I felt like Magellen circumnavigating the world. (more dramatics) So, I walked around the pool, then the tennis courts, then the 50 acre field of grass, and finally found my car! Oh, did I mention breaking both my shoes somewhere along the way? The soles on both shoes were about 2/3rds the way ripped off. So, if you didn't walk just right you'd trip over your own shoes. Anyway, I made it home safely. Dirty, grimy, soaking wet, and a little grumpy. Got some neat pics though.