I want to tell you about the site which inspired my new book, The Blue Hole.
There is a hair-pin bend in the Indian
Creek that runs through southern Indiana.
In this bend is a swirling pool of water. The water there is cold and dark, and blue. The pool is told to be hundreds of feet deep
and opens into the many massive underground water filled caverns of the Hoosier
state. A few people have dived it, but
the strange underwater currents always confuse and frighten the divers, forcing
them to return to the surface. Teenagers
set up camps and have parties on the banks of the pool—they swim, but never
swim too deep for fear of being pulled under.
The water is hundreds of feet deep—
It’s Blue, It’s Dark, It’s Cold---
They call it, The Blue Hole.
If you're wondering, yes, The Blue Hole in my story is a real place, and as far as I know, the myths about it's depth and connection to underground caverns is absolutely true.
*At least, that's what I was brought up to believe. Either way, it's still very cool lore which I decided would work well with a suspenseful mystery!
I was first introduced to the Blue Hole (place) when I was about ten years old. I was on a canoe trip with my dad, my uncle, and one of my cousins. We paddled out into the middle of the Blue Hole and let the water just spin us in circles. It was very eerie looking down into the dark blue waters and wondering just how far down it was, and what could be lurking in the deep. Later in life, I would return to the Blue Hole as a teenager for many all night parties. We were teenagers, doing things as teenagers would in the late nineties. The fields and the woods that surrounded the banks of the Blue Hole were an amazing place to have bon fires and loud music. The hills around the area swallowed any noise we made, making it the perfect spot to be as loud as we wanted. No one ever bothered us down there. One of my good friends' uncle actually owned the property, and so far as I know, he didn't mind us having parties there as long as we cleaned up our messes and didn't get anyone killed.
I guess we all eventually grew out of that party phase. I hadn't been down to the spot in over twenties years when I visited it earlier this year to gather inspiration for my book. Unfortunately on that visit, I wasn't even able to make it to the water. I found the dirt logging road which we normally used to access the banks had been mostly grown over, and a downed tree was strategically barricading the entrance. "No Trespassing" placards were posted on trees every twenty feet--it was clear no one was welcome there anymore. My friend later told me his uncle had passed away, and the property was handed down to someone else in the family. Of course, I respected the signs and did not enter the property, but I had hoped to take a few pictures of the site to share with the two of you. I'm afraid the best I can do is this google satellite view.
From this image, I can tell a lot of things have changed in twenty years. There aren't as many trees as there used to be. It looks like the new owners have extended the farm land closer to the creek. I am happy to see that the water there is still very blue even from the satellite view. I really wish I could show you more, but things are what they are. Maybe you could read my book to get a better picture... just a suggestion.
I would love to hear if either of you have a spot similar to what the Blue Hole is to me. Where is your old stomping ground? Or, maybe you and I are much closer than I'm aware, and you know or have even visited the Blue Hole. Drop a message in the comments if you like!
