Vroom..Off to the Indianapolis 500!

Vroom..Off to the Indianapolis 500!


May 21-27, 2014
On Tuesday, we flew into Indianapolis for the great Indy 500 Race!  We joined Mark & ZeeAnne Reishus, and Mark & Cheryl Watson at the home of Dennis and Karen Hays.  A five star bed and breakfast experience!  The ladies were friends and roommates from Mary’s college days at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.  The race was Sunday, so Steve and Mary took day trips to Nashville, Bean Blossom, and Metamora, IN; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Coventry, KY,  

Nashville, IN-no not Tennessee!

Great idea for that antsy husband who hates shopping!  :)





We walked the cute little town of Nashville, IN,
and Mary enjoyed the variety of shops! Wooden
Wonders had many interesting carvings for sale.


Located in Brown County, this area is a very popular
tourist destination full of history and outdoor activities. 
The largest state park in Indiana is nearby.  We ate
at the family owned Hobnob Corner Restaurant
which in 1873, was built as a general store.  The
food was great, and we enjoyed live acoustic guitar
music.

This is the first house that was built in Brown County by Banner Brummet in 1830. 
Today, it is a private residence.

 Signs of Spring are everywhere...even the tree trunks are growing flowers.

The town of Bean Blossom is merely a blink in the road, but this little antique store (shown below) was just too tempting!  A popular blue grass festival is held every June in the nearby Bill Monroe Music Park. 

Three miles from Bean Blossom is the Farmhouse Cafe and Tea Room located on the grounds of The Flower and Herb Farm, a flower and plant nursery.  The cafe is in a big old farmhouse with a big wrap around porch and outdoor patio.  Amazing food and gorgeous plants!

Steve said that we didn't need
these little guys on the boat, but
Mary sure was tempted. The big
problem was that she didn't have
room in her roller carry-on.  Darn!











Metamora, IN
When you enter Metamora, you step back into the past.  The town consists of buildings dating from 1838-1865 when the Whitewater Canal was an important trading center.  The gristmill was the first structure in the area, and the flour and cornmeal that are ground on site are for sale.

Horse drawn canal boats like the Ben Franklin III, a 75' long and 12' wide canal boat, carry visitors for a 25 minute ride on the only existing wooden aqueduct in the US.  The Whitewater Canal was built in 1847 and was originally 68 miles long with 56 locks.  Today, it is an historic site and 14 miles of the canal are restored.

On the weekends, the Whitewater Valley Railroad passes through town with a stop over for shopping.  Carriage rides are available, and there is a hiking/biking trail that follows the canal for 2.6 miles.

We visited Metamora late in the afternoon, and there was a sleepy quietness about the town.  The canal boats were docked, ducks were quietly floating on the canal, and cats were curled up napping.

Edith Fuchs, 77, has 2653 different cookie jars on display at Grannie's Cookie Jars and Ice Cream Parlor in Metamora, IN.  Ms. Fuchs holds the Guinness World Record for largest collection of cookie jars, and Mary is admiring part of the collection.  Wow, who dusts all these jars?

Cincinnati, OH was our destination for a
visit with Louise, who was Steve's former
Sunday School teacher from years ago. 
We had a wonderful time reminiscing
about old times and catching up on the
present.


We also experienced the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Freedom Way. 
Very well done!
To all our friends from Ohio...we know we need
to return and spend some time experiencing the area.  We have merely had a glimpse of Ohio!





We drove through Covington, KY and enjoyed walking by the Roebling Murals spanning over 800 ft. along the flood wall near the John Roebling Suspension Bridge.  See below to right of bridge.

Each scene depicts a period of Covington's history from the 1800's to 2003.  They are gigantic works of art with remarkable detail.
The murals have been painted by Robert Dafford from Louisiana.  He uses an illusionist technique to create a three-dimensional depth.  He also painted the flood wall in Paducah, KY which was discussed in an earlier post on this blog.

Sunday, May 25, 2014  RACE DAY!

 We attended the 98th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!  The excitement was building as the crowd anticipated the start of the race.

Florence Henderson sang "God Bless America".  Martina McBride sang "America the Beautiful".
Jim Nabors sang "Back Home Again in Indiana".  LeAnn Rimes sang "The Star Spangled Banner".

The Black Diamond Jet Team (a private group) provided the flyover after the national anthem.

Balloons were sent into the air!

Steve and Mary in front of one of the pacer cars.

The picture above was taken during the warm up period prior to the race, when the cars were going about 60 mph,  otherwise the cars would be a blur.  Average speed was about 187 mph during the 500 mile race (200 laps).  Hunter-Reay won by 0.06 seconds over the three-time champion Helio Castroneves. 
Events took place all month in celebration of this race, but especially right before and after the race-too numerous to even begin to list.  This race is a BIG deal!  "Glamping", glamorous camping (tenting with amenities for up to four people) for $650-$1,100, was available in the infield of the track.  People were everywhere, and it was a great place to people watch! This was only one example.

This is our Indy 500 group:  Mark, ZeeAnne, Karen, Steve, Dennis, Mary, Cheryl, and Mark.  

We had a fabulous time; what a great experience to share with friends!