I bet they could sell tickets all day long for a chance to take a turn at the controls of this for a while! I’d buy one. It’s the machine that the water company uses to help maintain the banks along the Central Canal Towpath. It appears to float on the water while the large cutting wheels on each side rotate like a paddle boat and slice off a little of the vegetation that grows along the banks of the canal. Of course I was fascinated and had to watch them cruise along for a little while. I didn’t stay long enough to see what was going to happen at the bridge though. There was no way it was going to fit underneath it. I suppose they just turned around and dredged the other side then. But there is a bridge at the other end too…so they have to get it out of the water somehow. That will have to remain a mystery for now.
The Central Canal was originally built over 150 years ago with the idea of opening up this area for commerce, and has evolved with an interesting history full of changes. Now it’s a great water feature that just adds a lot of character to the areas it passes through. It runs all the way from Broad Ripple to downtown Indy, although part of the middle section goes underground for a while before reappearing again downtown. The trail beside it is a good place to go for a jog, ride your bike, take the dog for a walk, etc. Watching from the banks or one of the bridges, the water crawls by slowly and occasionally there’s a ripple or splash from a fish or turtle. The ducks seem to like it too.
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