SIGHTSEEING S.E. INDIANA (AUG. 22, 2009)

If you don't have the time to read, look at the pictures from today here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/DAYTRIPAROUNDSEINDIANASATURDAYAUG222009#
Grandpa was recruited to make Norwegian pancakes this morning, which turned out to be a boon to my ego, ‘cause we had a peewee straw vote, and grandpa’s was better than daddy’s…. Sorry, Stein, at my age, I get my kicks wherever I can.
While I messed up Tina’s kitchen, Luanne entertained herself by teaching the kids the game of marbles, which turned out to be a bigger hit than she might’ve thought…
After breakfast we headed out for a day of sightseeing…
Stein took us on a circuitous tour of Southeast Indiana, through Indianapolis, then down I-65 and Hwy 7, passing Columbus and Vernon into the old town of Madison, which lies on the shore of the mighty Ohio River.
There was a Fair going on, so Stein stopped and let the kids and old folks stretch their limbs… We didn’t go into the Fairgrounds (which was spread out along the river) because it cost $15 per person, and we thought that was a bit steep, but we did walk a few of the streets, just to get a feel for the place (and maybe give our derrières a rest)…
These old towns we’ve been through (and are on our way to see) are really neat, and, even though they might not be as old as most of the cities in Europe, they have a lot of history, and both Luanne and I love exploring and finding out as much about them as we can.
Stein got on the phone with a friend of his, Mike (who has a vacation place down here), and we piled back into the van and drove about 9 miles, on Hwy 56, to his RV Park, which snuggles a good piece of the shoreline…
Mike and his wife were out in their boat, but showed up shortly, and then took the kids and Stein out for a spin… They didn’t have enough lifejackets for the rest of us to go, which was OK… After all, we’re no strangers to boating…
Anyway, we found out that the border between Indiana and Kentucky is the North shoreline of the Ohio River, so when we were standing on the dock we were actually in Kentucky… Not bad stepping into another State without even knowing it, huh?
After that we hugged the river, driving Hwy 156, up to the town of Aurora… Along the way we passed several fields of some yellow, big-leafed plants, and didn’t know what it was until we saw a barn with “Pipe Tobacco” written all over it, and inside we could see plants hung up to dry…
Interesting…. Have never seen tobacco plants before.
Anyway, we stopped in Aurora and had an outstanding Mexican dinner… Happy to announce: Both grandparents and kids behaved themselves appropriately.. Wonderful food! Great fun! Thanks, Stein and Tina!
With bellies full, we headed up Hwy 50 a piece, to Hwy 1, which takes you up and around the “PERFECT NORTH SLOPES” ski area… Not much to see, really… What was there reminded me of the Beginners’ Runs at one of our own ski areas in Washington, and when Stein told me they make their own snow, I wasn’t much impressed!
We hit I-74 back to Indianapolis, and by the time we got back to Whitestown, Stein had racked up 300 miles on the odometer… BIG DAY!
The kids all wanted to spend the night in “Grandma and Grandpa’s House with Wheels,” so we got them tucked in on the sleeping sofa, where they conked out almost immediately… Didn’t take the old folks long either to follow suit….