Day 3: Saturday, June 30, 2007

Gentleman, start your engines! That was the famous line heard every year when I was growing up and my dad and I sat and watched the Indianapolis 500 car race broadcast on TV from the Indianapolis Speedway in Indianapolis. Now days that phrase has changed since women now also compete in auto racing. Day 3 began with a drive over to the speedway to tour the museum. When we arrived we discovered we could actually take a tour that would take us out on the actual track itself. I always wanted to see the "brick yard" as has been known since the race track was originally made of bricks. Today the brick yard to which they refer is also the 3 foot (equals 1 yard) strip of brick that is all that remains of the original track.

We decided to take the tour and so were driven around the 2 1/2 mile oval in a tour bus that made stops along the way for photos. It was a real thrill for me! Afterward we walked through the museum that houses dozens of the race cars that have won the Indy 500 over the years. It includes the first car that one the race in 1909, a really cool car but far from the sleek high-speed racers that drive the race today at near 200 miles an hour. Back then they were really moving if they averaged 50-60 miles per hour. The photo on the right is of the first Indy 500 winning car. In those days 2 guys sat in the car. The photo below is what the cars look like today.

So we finished the tour and headed off to find lunch which was at one of our famous old drive-in road food stops. This one was called Mug n' Bun. They made their own root beer right there and had several other local specialties including the deep-fried tenderloin sandwich and deep-fried macaroni and cheese wedges. Wow! Notice in the photo below that the place isn't fancy. At this place cars drive up and turn on their lights for service or you can get out of your car and sit at one of the many picnic tables. Either way, you are in for a treat. Yummy! After lunch we drove up to a little village north of town called Zionsville which had a very picturesque downtown area lined with antique shops and cafes. The village also had lots of beautiful old homes mostly built in the 1800's which had been carefully restored. We finished day 3 with a movie at a local theater. Saw Ratatoille, the new Disney/Pixar film which was lots of fun. Then back to our room for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we drive to Springfield, Illinois, the town where Abraham Lincoln spent most of his life.