Month: June 2019

Yep, we spent some time in Elkhart, Indiana. Just down the road from South Bend and some college you may have heard of and also laying just south of the Michigan border, is a city that is home to most RV manufacturers in the US. Whether it is a motorhome, 5th wheel, travel trailer, or some other type of recreational vehicle, odds are it is somehow connected to Elkhart.

We spent 4 nights at the Elkhart KOA, our main purpose to check in on some planned renovations for Lola. Yes, we love her like she is but we thought she could do with a few “enhancements”. We’ve been working with Bradd & Hall remotely to select some new furniture as well as some window frames to help make Lola more comfortable and more useful for us as full timers. This will include:

• New captains chairs
• Replacing one couch with a pair of recliners and a table in between
• Replacing the other couch with a new, more comfortable jackknife convertible
• Replacing our u-shaped dinette with a booth and new table
• Replacing our cloth window valances with custom made wood valances
• Putting down new carpet on both living area slides

Thus, we needed to visit the shop in person to do some measurements, confirm some furniture, and pick out the carpet.

The only other activity we did was visit the Motorhome/RV Hall of Fame Museum. This place was filled with RV’s from back in the time of the model-T all the way up to present date. It was really interesting to see some of the designs and ideas that were hatched on the way to what RV’s are today.

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One of the most amazing parts of this leg of the journey was the swing in temperatures. We had rain one night and woke up to temps in the mid 40’s! Brrrr. It clear and warm up and we’ve been lucky enough to stay in an area with lows in the low 50’s and high’s in the mid 70’s. Let’s see how long that lasts!

After this relatively short visit to northern Indiana, it’s on to Michigan, where we’ll stay for nearly a month, visiting several towns along the western and eastern shores of the lower peninsula (won’t make it to the UP this time around).

Thanks for following along on our adventure!

Dan & Jill

After a packed week in Louisville, we continued our trip north, stopping at a KOA campground east of Indianapolis. Whereas the last campground had us in an upgraded site with paved seating area, swing, and furniture (but very, very tight, had a tree right in front of our door), our site in Indy was super long (you could park two of RV’s in our space), lots of open space and, as we’d find out later, subject to minor flooding when it rained. Just one of the joys of camping – the variety of different sites and pros/cons you can find at each. The one in Indy was great because, as you can see from the pic below, we had tons of shade!

Our visit to Indy would not be as busy but would include TWO HUGE activities. Of course, the first that comes to mind is to visit the one and only home of the Indianapolis 500, otherwise known as the Brickyard. We upgraded our museum visit to get a tour around the track and to several important locations around the track. Specifically:

• A lap around the track (granted, in a golf cart!)
• An opportunity to stand at the finish line and “kiss the bricks”, a yard- wide remainder of the original brick race track from over 100 years ago.
• A visit to VIP levels of the Pagoda as well as the Media Center
• A tour of Gasoline Alley
• A visit to see the official pace car used for this years Indy 500
• A chance to stand on the victory stage and winners circle

It’s amazing how large this track is, how much is held inside the track and the idea that over 100,000 people fill this every year to see the most famous race in history. Later, we were also able to hunt down some special beer – Hinchtown Hammerdown in honor of our favorite Indy Car Driver, Jame Hinchcliff!

In addition to seeing the track and related locations, we also visited the Indy Museum which is actually located inside the track (you drive under the track and into the infield to park at the museum). Inside were cars from many of the races, including the very first winner! There was also a special section honoring 50 years since Mario Andretti won his Indy 500 in 1969. Lots of amazing machines and history to take in.

As some may recall, while in Alabama, we visited a Medical Museum in Foley. In Indianapolis, there is another Medical Museum that is housed in a building built in the late 1800’s to help teach and advance the study of medicine. It remained in use until a few decades ago and has been retained in its original condition. We spent an hour touring this unique piece of medical history.

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The rest of the visit had a military slant to it. We made a quick visit to the USS Indianapolis Memorial. For those not into WW II history, this ship delivered the first atomic bomb so that it could later be dropped on Japan in order to quicken the end of the war. Afterwards, while enroute to its next assignment, it was torpedoed and sunk only days before the end of the war. Of a crew of over 1,100, about 900 went into the water but only about 300 survived until rescue 5 days later. About 600 succumbed to exposure and shark attacks due to errors made by the navy before and after the sinking. Many years later the captain of the Indianapolis was absolved of any blame due to a push by surviving crew members who uncovered multiple errors and coverups by the navy. A sad story but also one of amazing strength

Finally, on one of the last days in the area, Dan traveled south about 45 minutes to a small army reserve base outside the town of Franklin, Indiana. His destination was Camp Atterbury. This army facility was originally built in 1942 as a training facility to help ramp up for WW II. It was built as a temporary facility but it has continued to serve on and has been closed and then reactivated for every major army engagement from Korea to the Gulf War. Dan’s reason to visit was personal – this was where his father, Sidney, arrived after completing Officer Commission Service training and assignment to go to the Korean War. Born in Massachusetts, Sid realized he might be drafted for the war and thus enlisted and went the OCS route. Although he was a “yankee”, he was, ironically, assigned to the Dixie Division, comprised mostly of troops from various southern states. He arrived in mid ’52 and departed at the end of the year. But, in between, he met a woman who was working at the base in an administrative function. Her name was Jean Huntsberry and they would later meet and get married before he shipped off for Korea in January of 1953. And thus, in a way, this was where Dan’s history started. They had a small museum with some displays as well as some equipment displayed outdoors.

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We stayed close to camp for most meals but did venture out for a local favorite for one day – an Indy Tenderloin. This is a pork tenderloin, beaten flat and fried, presented as a “sandwich” but as large in diameter as a basketball!!! Yummy as can be!!!

A great week in Indy. Next stop, northern Indiana, specifically the RV Capital of the WORLD – Elkhart. Stay tuned for the next post that includes a visit to the Motorhome/RV Museum (yes, there is such a thing!).

Sorry for such a long delay between postings, been busy being tourists, moving every week, and keeping up with “chores” around the “house”. That and the fact that wifi hasn’t been the best in most places where we have had time to update the blog. But now that we have a little time on our hands and decent wifi, we’ll try to get you up to speed over the next few days!

After a fun but very HOT week in Nashville, we set off for Louisville, Kentucky and the promise of cooler temps and rain. We got both our first full day at our campground just south of the city. Because of this we decided to take a day off to relax, catch our breath, and just chill.

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Our first day in Louisville was another rainy day so we decided to stay indoors and take in the Louisville Slugger museum. We caught it when it was pretty quiet so had a nice walk thru the museum and a tour of the actual production facility. Who knew there were so many ways to make/get a bat? Dan took a few swings with some famous bats – one used by Babe Ruth (really heavy) and one by Ken Griffey Jr (really light)

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The next day was beautiful – sunny, breezy, cool, and low humidity. We took advantage by driving over to Old Louisville – supposedly the largest contiguous group of Victorian Age homes in the US (and third largest overall). We walked past some beautifully maintained 100+ year old homes as well as touring one.

The Conrad-Caldwell house was a highlight of the day, taking a guided tour and getting to see the home pretty much as it was back in the early part of the last century.

Another day, we enjoyed some outdoor time by visiting the Bernheim Arboretum. Jill was able to take a short hike where we discovered some beautiful lakes as well as some artwork (well, we think that’s what it was…)

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After lunch at a wonderful old tavern (Talbot Tavern) where we enjoyed our first Hot Brown, we were off to tour My Old Kentucky Home. Unfortunately, no photography was permitted inside but in addition to the tour, our guide also treated us to a rendition of “My Old Kentucky Home” (the song).

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We saved the best for last. No trip to Louisville would be complete without visiting Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby. Although we don’t follow horse racing and know next to nothing about it, the visit was still very enjoyable. We toured the museum (which was a bit much for us, too much detail for the casual observer) but best of all, took a private “back stage” tour that took us from the VIP suites to the jockey’s locker room and everywhere in between.

First were exterior views, some captured below:

Then on to the interior areas including the Jockey Locker Room, the actual weighing in scale used prior to the race, a room where all the “silks” worn by jockeys are stored, and a massive piece of art with caricatures of every winning owner over the last 135 races.

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As with the owner painting, there was also an even larger one for every jockey who has won the derby. Looking closely at some of the pics was very amusing. For instance, the jockey who appears to have some sort of Federation insignia (Star Trek reference for those who don’t follow). In addition, if you look closely at his hand, you’ll see he is holding up three fingers, his folded pinky and thumb. But look closer and you will see two more fingers folded down – meaning he has 7 fingers??!! This was created after the artist painted him after the first win. He won two more races but the artist just added more fingers instead of trying to fix those that were folded.

Then there was another fellow that just looked oddly out of place. Regardless of your politics, we found it funny to see this guy on a horse.

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After the first couple of days, the weather was wonderful during our entire visit but we did realize that packing so much into one week can contribute to two frazzled and worn out RVer’s. We promised ourselves that our next stop (Indianapolis) would be at a more leisurely pace, even if we were going to the Racing Capital of the World! Next stop, Indy!

May 19th we pulled out of Atlanta on a warm, humid day, heading just up the road about 90 miles to Chattanooga. Well, actually, our campground was in Trenton, Georgia so we didn’t really get credit for camping in a new state just yet. Given our desire to take short trips, we decided not to make the entire run to Nashville in one drive but to break it up with a two-night stop just outside Chattanooga. We stayed at a really nice little KOA off the beaten track and up a hill, nestled in the trees. We had a great site, allowing us to sit out and enjoy the outdoors even in the warmer temps.

Our next stop was a week in Music City, Nashville! And where else do you stay when in Nashville but at the Grand Ole RV Resort??!! This is a private campground that I really don’t think can claim to be a resort. The campground really had three sections which I have fondly given names to as follows:

• The outer barren land – this area along the outer boundary was all gravel, very tight, with campers set up facing each other and apparently sharing one picnic table. I’m all for getting to know my neighbors but this was just too close for me.
• The inner sanctum – this area was in the middle, had a little bit of grass and some trees that would provide some amount of shade. We were right on the edge of this section with the barren land across from us.
• The 50/50 world – The sites had great shade and also were close to the store/market/restaurant/stage (more on these amenities later) but were also right below a MAJOR freight train line. I mean, these trains ran all the time, were fast moving and loud, and appeared to be right next to the campground (but with the rail line about 20-30 feet higher than the campground level). So, you had great peaceful shady sites when you weren’t being shaken to death by the trains going by.

But, this campground also had a ton of positives. They had live music EVERY night for two hours. Really good musicians, we could just sit out on the lawn or a friends camp site and listen for free. They also had a restaurant that served breakfast and one dinner item each day. Never tried it but the prices were great! And the people were really friendly and helpful which makes all the difference.

So, what did we do while in Nashville? Mostly what other tourists would do but also some off-the-beaten track activities. Here were the highlights:

• Ryman Auditorium – really cool piece of history, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
• Country Music Hall of Fame – way too much to see and do, realize we aren’t THAT much of fans as we tired of it and felt a bit overwhelmed with all the various songs going on from all directions. As Dan put it – pics of lots of old dead singers with displays of their guitars and boots.
• Tour of Studio B – a tour of where so much magic and history was made. Most of Elvis’ hits were recorded here as well as many, many others. Highlight was sitting at the very piano Elvis and others used during their recordings!
• The Parthenon – Oh, so that’s what it would look like if we could go back in time!
• Lotz House Museum in Franklin – site of a major Civil War battle. Interesting but the tour guide was WAY too verbose. After an hour we still had not finished touring the bottom floor (which was all of four small rooms). He loved his history but was more detailed than we could handle so we bailed without seeing the 2nd floor.
• Belmont Mansion – A beautifully restored home from the early 1800’s that escaped damage during the Civil War and sits right in the city.

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We also had a chance see a few friends and have some fun experiences:

• Had dinner with Diane Stevens and her adorable daughter Brooklyn
• Had lunch with Casey Miller before she jetted off for a long weekend in NYC
• Ran into a former business colleague, Chris Carter, staying at the very same campground as us!
• Sampled some great wines at Arrington Vineyards (owned by Kicks Brooks of Brooks & Dunn fame).
• Sampled some music and beer in a local honky tonk

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The weather was really hot for May (mid-90’s during the day) but we still enjoyed ourselves in Nashville. A great city and great experiences to help kick off the “tour”.

Now, on to Louisville….