[Key: Memoir in Times New Roman, Travel Journal in Arial]
10/13-19/2001: This is another 8th Combat Cargo Group [Squadron] Reunion. We took these trips every fall + this was an especially nice one because there was so much to see in this area + includes visiting with friends in Muncie, IN.
10/13/2001 Pensacola – Bowling Green, Ky.
We’re enroute to our WWII reunion in Indianapolis. Left home at 7:35 with a cloud cover + a promise of showers.
Our usual Rt. 65 through Montgomery + Birmingham was without incidence. The traffic was moderate with most motorists seemingly going to the Bama game.
Bert’s on the computer + I’m keeping tuned to the Seattle – Cleve. play off. Cleve won by a huge score 17-2.
We drove around in the rain looking for a place to eat + settled for Bob Evans.
We watched some more baseball + retired early. We drove 500 mi. in 8-1/2 hr. Good day!
10/14/2001 Bowling Green, Ky. – Indianapolis
After a good breakfast at the motel we left in the rain at 8:30 driving leisurely along Rt. 65 through Ky. + Ind. admiring the beautiful fall foliage and well kept farms.
I drove through Louisville and although there was a lot of construction, it wasn’t difficult because it’s Sun. and there wasn’t a lot of traffic.
We stopped at Wendy’s outside of Indianapolis. It was the cleanest + newest one we’ve been in for a long time.
After checking in at the Hampton Inn downtown, we unpacked + Bert went shopping for undershirts at Parisian.
We went down to the Pennsylvania room on the second floor for some good old comradery. There were 38 from the squadron plus W’s kids + grandkids who were celebrating their son’s 55th b.d.
Our dinner held at the Magic Moments Restaurant was within walking distance + we had a magician for our entertainment after a delightful meal in the Penthouse – 9th floor with a beautiful view of the city.
I was a big winner at the card game - $1.25. Yeah!
10/15/01 Indianapolis
We boarded the bus for a tour of the city at 9 am + it was an excellent 3 hr. tour.
The highlights are as follows: 1) State Capitol which houses all three branches of government. It took 10 yrs to build + it’s limestone + marble structure + interior are spectacular. Our guide in the afternoon was from Tipp City + we exchanged small world stories including Wellsville.
2) Universities – Ind. U. – Purdue U. + the I. U. Medical Center along the White River.
3) Ind. World War Memorial
*4) Cong. Medal of Honor Memorial along White R.
5) James Whitcomb Riley Home
6) Benjamin Harrison Home
7) Lockerbie Market Place – Cobblestone St., antique gas lights, similar to Greenwich Village in N.Y.C. Boutiques, art galleries, sidewalk cafes, antique shops + ethnic restaurants.
8) Canal Walk – USS Indianapolis National Memorial
*This Memorial has 27 curved glass walls representing 15 conflicts from the Civil War.
Bert + I walked at least 2 miles in the afternoon (skipped lunch) + for dinner.
We had a chicken salad at the Malibu Restaurant for dinner, then cards with the ladies. Fun day.
10/16/01 Indianapolis
This was a full day of activities: the Eiteljorg Museum, lunch at Dodd’s Farm Restaurant, dinner at the Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre + farewells on the bus ride back to the people leaving early in the am.
Eiteljorg – a museum of Amer. Indians + Western Art. Harrison Eiteljorg lived to be 94 + died 3 yrs ago. It refects his interest in the Taos, N.M. area. He donated 1,000 pieces of art from Africa + S. Pacific – also land in Indy for schools, a church + hospital.
Dodd’s Rest. The bus driver stopped enroute to the restaurant to let us tour the beautiful Scottish Rite Cathedral – Gothic tower rises 212 ft. above the sidewalk + contains 54 bells from a 19# to 11,200# seven ft diam. Total wt of bells – 56,372#. A room inside houses all the Grand Masters’ pictures. The main entrance represents King Solomon’s Temple. Marble, Masonic emblems in walls – ballroom, auditorium, stage, + everything in 33 ft. representing Christ’s 33 yrs. Bronze chandelier center of auditorium weighs 2400#. It was completed in 1929.
Beef and Boards – The restaurant is in the round so that all 400 people have a view of the stage. We had a very nice buffet dinner + our seats were on the third level. We saw How to Succeed in Business + it was done very well – good voices!
Full day!
10/17/01 Indianapolis – Muncie
We had a nice leisurely breakfast with Bunny + Scotty W and Peg + Van Van H before checking out at 11 am. We arrived in Muncie about 1 pm + checked in with Carm + Walt M. They took us for a tour of Ball State U. after buying apples at the Minnetrista Apple Orchard. We saw + took pictures of “Dave Letterman’s Stadium,” the Ball Brothers columns, bell tower, alumni building, the flying Cardinals and toured the campus + town of Muncie.
Carm made a lovely meal for us. Pork chops on the grill, mashed potatoes, baked beans, rolls, salad, coffee and cream pie. Delicious.
We watched the Braves take the second game from Ariz. in the World Series play off. The score was 8-1, and that made up for yesterday’s loss of 2-0. Glavine pitched today + Maddux pitched yesterday.
We retired early – about 10:30.
Temp today in the 40’s, very windy.
10/18/01 Muncie – Cullman, Ala.
With frost on the van for the first time ever, we decided it was time to head South.
We left the M's at 8:15 and drove south on Rt. 69 to rt. 65 + 465 Bi-pass around Indianapolis.
We had lunch at Wendy’s and filled the tank in Bowling Green at $1.01 at Race-trak, then continued south with little traffic + good driving conditions. Bert drove through the big cities – Louisville + Nashville + I did a lot of the rest.
At Cullman, Ala. we stopped at a nicely furnished Comfort Inn using the $45 dollar coupon in the book we picked up at the Visitor Center. It’s a good thing we stopped here as I was so tired, I thought we were in Cullman, but it’s Athens, Ala. Very few people here + the room is large with 2 queen size beds, a microwave oven + small fridge.
We’re going to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. Drove 450 mi today + will go 350 tomorrow.
10/19/01
Athens, Ala. – Pensacola
What a beautiful day. Got off after a healthy breakfast at 8:15. We shed our jackets after a couple hours driving. In Bowling Green, Ky. we filled the tank because gas was just $1.01.
We skipped lunch, just had a delicious apple at a rest area.
I drove a lot today + got us through Birmingham without a hitch. Bert drove through Montgomery + at the rest area south of it, I drove the rest of the way.
We were coming into the home stretch + my co-pilot told me to go West + I always (?) follow directions, so we had to backtrack, take Exit 2, then follow I-10 to Exit 5 where we got off to go to pick up the mail at the post office.
We got home about 2:30, did laundry, put away the clothes, checked E-mail, had a quick TV dinners + watched the Braves-Ariz. game. We blew it – poor pitching + fielding. Score 5-1 Ariz. Boo-hoo!! (sad face) !!
