Larry's Notes

07/26 Monday

On the road again... I can't believe we're really doing it. This is the biggest road trip I've ever done by far. Sandra has laid out a fantastic itinerary for us. You should see her notebook of trip plans and maps. It's a half-inch thick!

We paused on the footbridge for a few minutes before we left this morning. It was a beautiful misty morning and the creek was especially noisy. It's easy to become used to your surroundings so much that you begin to take them for granted. I looked over the scene like I had never seen it before and it reminded me what a truly beautiful setting we live in. But now it's time to go see some of the rest of the world...

We made a couple of stops for lunch and a piece of pie along the way toward our first B&B stop at The Ivy House in Fortville, Indiana. The Sherman Inn in Batesville, IN is a historical site and they sure have some good Apple Cranberry pie. Linda welcomed us at The Ivy House and we visited for awhile before settling in for the night.

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Sandee's Notes

Wow - we're actually doing it! It took me forever just to get out the door this morning. I was stalling... I really believe that we've left the most beautiful spot on the planet behind for the next 38 days. But you know, there are just parts of this continent begging to be seen, and there's nobody else on the planet I'd rather go see them with than Larry. So - we're off!

Today was all about getting North to Indiana. There weren't a lot of places that we wanted to see along the way, so we spent a leisurely morning playing on the computers, drinking coffee, and just generally hanging out. Then it was time to get all the last minute stuff into the car, touch base with the folks staying in the cottage, and hit the road.

We've driven this route a dozen times, up into Tennessee and then I-75 heading up to Larry's family (and now mine) in the Frozen North. (Yeah, I know it's August. But 'frozen' and 'north' just seem to go together so naturally - ha!) Anyway, today, the scenery seemed just that much more poignant and lovely and interesting, because of this trek to See America. I was able to watch the countryside roll by with renewed attention. This is going to be a great trip!

Little note on the side trip into Batesville: this was an unplanned foray, based upon a billboard advertising Sherman House as over a hundred years old. The word 'inn' caught my eye. And it is, indeed: 23 rooms, a tavern, and a very nice little restaurant are in this 150+ year old building in the heart of rolling hills and cornfields. We had no idea that Batesville claims to be the burial casket capitol of the world... And I didn't see a single bit of white satin - ha! It's a really pretty town with some unexpected touches of wealth. Nice serendipity in our day. And the apple-cranberry pie (homemade, with crust flaky enough to hint of lard) was tart and delicious. We sat at a table beside a diamond-pane window, in leather chairs, with rough-hewn timbers overhead. I recommend it.

Arrived at The Ivy House in Fortville, Indiana, with a warm welcome from Linda & Jim.