The Indianapolis 500 - Race Day

Watching the Indianapolis 500 was a family tradition for both Jim and I growing up, so when Beth's brother, Dave, invited us to join him in his seats in turn 3 that he has had for years, we jumped at the chance. 

Getting to the speedway on race day is no easy task due to the fact that 300,000 people are also doing the exact same thing. Luckily, we were with Dave, Kristin, and Lynn who are seasoned professionals and have the process down to a science (with notes stored in their cell phone regarding what time to leave Lynn's house, what time they need to be at certain intersections, and the address of the church where they always park). 

Watching the race in person was a dream come true! From our seats in turn three, we had a clear view all the way to turn 2 (where we saw several wrecks happen) and to turn 4. Marcus Ericsson ended up winning the race after front runner, Scott Dixon was penalized for exceeding the speed limit in pit row.

The Blue Angels fly over the track signaling the race is about to begin

The pace car leading the drivers on a warm-up lap

Jim and Dave enjoying the race

Mike, Lynn, and Kristin

Indy fans

The whole crew

After seeing the race in person, we agree that the Indy 500 is truly the greatest spectacle in racing!

The Indianapolis 500 - Legends Day

To kick off the Memorial Day weekend festivities, Jim and I attended Legends Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This was a great event that allowed us to get up close to the drivers and their cars of tomorrow's race. We were amazed that we were allowed to freely roam through the garage area where the mechanic crews were making last minute adjustments to the cars. 

Alexander Rossi's car

Marco Andretti's car

A past Indy 500 pace car

There was an autograph session with all 33 drivers. The lines for autographs were really long, so we chose to bypass the lines and instead got great photos of the drivers by hanging off to the side of the autograph tables. 

Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter, Marcus Ericsson, & Tony Kanaan signing autographs (from right to left)

Pole winner, Scott Dixon

The event concluded with all of the drivers out on the track receiving the final driver instructions. We didn't know what to expect from Legends Day, but we were so glad we attended. We felt like we had an inside view on the drivers and their cars. We can't wait for the race tomorrow!

All 33 drivers receiving final instructions

After the morning at the track, we came back to the hotel and got cleaned up before meeting my brother, his wife, his wife's sister, boyfriend, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend in downtown Indianapolis for some fun.

We started at a bar for appetizers and drinks, before making our way to HandleBar Indy - a pedal pub. For two hours we pedaled our way around downtown Indy stopping every so often at a local bar for more drinks. We had so much fun!

Jim, me, Mike, Lynn, Dave, Kristin, Genevieve, & Gleason

We had a great time pedaling and drinking around downtown Indy!

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park & Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

This morning we had a five-minute drive from our hotel in Middlesboro, Kentucky to the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Visitor Center where we watched two videos regarding the history of the Cumberland Gap and Daniel Boone. From there, we drove up to the Pinnacle Overlook which offers a great view of the Cumberland Gap.

At the Pinnacle Overlook

By now it was time for some hiking, so we opted for the Tri-State Peak trail which is a 2.4-mile round trip hike that took us to the point where three states intersect - Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. With a little maneuvering, we were able to be in 3 states at one time!

In 3 states at one time!

Next, we drove over to the Daniel Boone Visitor Center, but for some reason it was closed, so we just enjoyed a picnic lunch on a bench out in front before driving into the tiny town of Cumberland Gap. This town has a short trail leading to the Iron Furnace which was used in the 1800s to produce iron.

Reading up on the Iron Furnace

The Iron Furnace

At this point, we had seen and done everything on our list for Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and still had some daylight hours left, so we drove toward another place we had read about - the Cumberland Falls State Resort. The Cumberland Falls State Resort has a waterfall that is 125 feet wide with a drop of 60 feet. It is known as the "Niagara of the South."

Cumberland Falls

Looking down the Cumberland River from the falls

After some time walking the pathway by the falls and the Cumberland River, it was time to finish off the day by driving the 2 hours to Lexington where we would stay the night.

Old Frankfort Pike, Natural Bridge State Park, & Red River Gorge

Old Frankfort Pike, deemed a federal scenic byway, runs for 17 miles from Frankfort to Lexington. We thoroughly enjoyed this drive through the rolling hills of prestigious horse farms, extravagant mansions, and groves of beautiful old trees - all of which were outlined by picket fencing or old stone walls.

Beyond Lexington, we headed toward Natural Bridge State Park. Since it was lunchtime when we arrived, we stopped at the renowned Miguel's Pizza (overrated in our opinion) before locating the Low Gap trailhead. This trail starts at the Sky Lift parking lot and is the quickest path up to the Natural Bridge. The trail brings you to the base of Natural Bridge where you must climb up narrow stairs called "Fat Man's Squeeze" to get to the top. Luckily, we made it through! We had to wait a few minutes to walk across the top of the bridge because a band was shooting a music video while we were there. Once over the bridge, there is a trail to follow that took us to Lookout Point and Lover's Leap. The views were spectacular! For fun, we rode the Sky Lift back down to the parking lot.

Fat Man's Squeeze

On top of Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge from Lookout Point

Lover's Leap

Riding the Sky Lift back down

Next stop was Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest. We drove through the Nada Tunnel, a narrow one lane tunnel, which is the entry point into the Red River Gorge Geological Area. We stopped and walked around the outside of the Gladie Visitor Center area where there is a historic barn and cabin. Back in the car, we drove a short distance to the Sky Bridge Trail. This trail passes over and beneath Sky Bridge (one of hundreds of sandstone arches in the area). It was a nice, leisurely walk that afforded some beautiful views of the Red River Gorge.

The Nada Tunnel

Sky Bridge

Although it was late in the day, we couldn't pass up stopping in the little town of Corbin, Kentucky. Corbin is the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken and the restaurant that sits on the site of the original KFC also doubles as a museum meant to honor founder, Harland Sanders. Too bad we had already eaten dinner!

Tomorrow we will explore the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.