DAY #19 – JUNE 28, 2021- CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN – DAYTON, OHIO - IMS TOUR

 

It was a quiet night here at the Comfort Inn in Crawfordsville, Indiana but I think the daily grind of checking in and checking out of a hotel every morning is getting to me a little. I really struggled to get going this morning and didn’t get on the road until almost 9:30 a.m. I am back on Eastern Time so maybe that had a little something to do with it. It’s just 8:30 Central Time and Just a few days ago I was in the Mountain Time Zone where it is just 7:30 a.m.

Anyway, I’m getting a late start to the day and before leaving the hotel this morning I made a hotel reservation for the Comfort Suites in Dayton, Ohio. Basically, this will be just a play it by ear day as I have only one stop that is really planned. I have several others in my trip book and will probably get to some of them as I make my way east.

he only planned stop that I have for Today is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  I visit the Speedway back in 2013. During that visit I took the track tour which consisted of driving around the track in a van. Because it was raining that day we not permitted to get out of the van. Today is a beautiful clear day and want to go back and do the track tour where we can get out and really experience the track.

I pulled out of the hotel parking lot at 9:30 and it took me exactly an hour to make the 45-mile drive to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Speedway Museum is on the inside of the track, near turn two. The Public entrance is through a tunnel that runs under the speedway.

While I was walking from the Parking lot to the Museum, I heard cars running around the track. This was a bad sign if I wanted to do the track tour. Sure, enough when I got to the admissions desk, I was told that track tour were not available because the track was in use.

So, I set about touring the museum. Even though I visited the museum back in 2013 I really enjoyed revisiting and seeing all the cars. There are a lot of the past winners’ cars here including the early winners.

It is a very interesting museum and I really enjoyed touring it again. I ended up spending a little over an hour at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. I pulled out of the parking lot and back under the tunnel at 11:45 a.m.

I had a couple of other stops noted in my travel took but before leaving the speedway, I checked Google Maps and there was a lot of traffic and red on the map. I considered my options and decided to just get the heck out of Indianapolis and head toward Ohio.

I had a few places listed in my travel book around the Cincinnati, Ohio area and decided to head toward the Queen City.

Traffic around Indianapolis was heavy, and several streets and exits were closed which made for slow going. I eventually found my way to Interstate 74 and headed toward Cincinnati a little over 100-miles away.

Due to the slow going around Indianapolis and some construction backups on Interstate 74 it took me just a few minutes less than two hours to make it to the Tomb of President William Henry Harrison.

I visited the Harrison Tomb back in 2013 but it was a cold day, and you could only walk around the grounds.  Today, the tomb was open which was a nice surprise.

William Henry Harrison was president for the shortest period in History, serving for only 30-days from March 4, 1841, to April 4, 1841. Vice President John Tyler became the first Vice President to ascend to the Office of President.

William Henry Harrison deliver a three hour long inaugural address on a cold damp day.  He almost immediately fell ill and died 30-days later.  He was entombed here on the banks of the Ohio River in the North Bend Community just outside of Cincinnati. This area was once the Harrison Family Home.

The tomb has 24-individual vaults containing the bodies of President Harrison, his wife Anna and their son Joh Scott Harrison who just happens to be the father of our 23 President Benjamin Harrison.

I spent about an hour here in North Bend, pulling out of the parking lot just a few minutes after 2 p.m. Once again, I checked Google Maps and evidently Cincinnati Rush Hour was beginning and just like in Indianapolis there was a lot of red on the map.

I checked my Travel Book and decided to start making my way toward Dayton, making a few stops along the way.

I made my way around the western edge of Cincinnati and 30-miles, and 50-minutes later I arrived at the Rose Hill Burial Park in Hamilton, Ohio. Here I paid my respects to Cincinnati Reds Player and long-time radio voice of the Reds, Joe Nuxhall.

Joe Nuxhall pitched for the Reds for 16-years from 1952 to 1966.  But he actually made his debut with the Reds on June 10, 1944, at the age of 15-years and 11-months, making him the youngest player in Major League History. He pitched that one game for the Reds in 1944 giving up 5-runs in just an inning.  He wouldn’t get back to the Major Leagues until 1952 when he rejoined the Reds.

After his playing career ended, Joe remained with the Reds becoming their long time radio voice joining such play-by-play broadcasters as Al Michaels and Marty Brenniman. Joe became one of the Reds Most Popular and enduring personalities.

I can remember listening to Joe and Al back during my High School Days and then to Marty and Joe as I drove around the south at night as I umpired baseball.  I can still hear Joe signing off the same way after every game, “This is the ole left-hander, rounding third and heading for home.”

Even though I am a Dodger fan, I loved listening to Joe and the Reds. I am really glad that I came here to pay my respects to him and relived a few fond memories.

Being a Dodger fan, I knew I had to make the 15-mile drive up to the tiny hamlet of Darrtown, Ohio. Why would I make a special trip to the small village in Rural Ohio? Well, you know I am a Dodger Fan and this tiny village was the home of long time Dodger Manager, Walter Alston.

My first stop is in a small hamlet is in a small park right next to the Hitching Post Saloon. Here is a monument commemorating Darrtown’s connection to the Dodger’s Hall of Fame Manager.  Walter served as the manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1954-1976. He managed as total of 3,658 and winning 4-World Series in 1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965.

After finishing my quick stop at the Monument, I made my way a couple of miles west of town to the Darrtown Cemetery where Walter is resting.  I take a few minute and pay my respects to one of the great Dodgers of all time.

As I stand at his grave, I remember back to when my stepdad Bob Tweedy took me to Dodger Stadium for my first major league game. The Dodgers were playing the Houston Astros and we sat in the lower level down the third base line.  During the game the was a controversial play and Walter Alston. Walter came out to argue and was ejected. Now when you entered Dodger Stadium you had the opportunity to rent a seat cushion for your seat.  Many people did and when Walter was ejected, I remember the fans tossing those cushions onto the field.

Walter was one of the calmest men in Baseball and for him to get ejected was very rare. Oh, fond memories of the Dodgers and of on of my favorite Dodgers. Walter Alston was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

It was 4 p.m.  when I left the Darrtown Cemetery and started the 50-mile trip to the Comfort Inn near Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

It took me over an hour to make the 50-miles drive, most of it across the back roads of Ohio through towns like Middletown and Franklin.  Finally, at 5:15, I arrived at the Comfort Inn Wright Patterson and quickly checked in.  

There is not a lot of restaurant Choices in this area. After getting settled in my room I used Yelp to find a near by restaurant only to arrive to find that it was closed. COVID had evidently found another business victim.  A few other restaurants in the immediate area were either closed or open only for takeout.

I finally settled on Wendy’s and was going to get it to go and take it back to the room but, I was ignored the employees both inside and at the drive thru. So, I left and went across the street to McDonalds. Service wasn’t much better but I finally after about 20-minutes I got my food and made my way back to the Hotel.

Back in my room I backed up all my files and photos and kicked back and relaxed. I didn’t have to plan much for tomorrow because my only planned stop was across the street at the Museum of the United States Air Force at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

If my visit to the Air Force Museum Takes all day, then so be it. If not, I will figure out what’s next when I finish my visit. We will see what happens tomorrow, as the Adventure Continues.