Days 33 & 34 - Hershey to Columbus, Ohio to Indianapolis

Headed West.  This time to Indianapolis.  

A couple of things of note on this day's travels:  First, we went through Carlisle, Pennsylvania -- home of the Carlisle Indian School where Oklahoma's own Jim Thorpe went and starred.  Second, we passed through the West Virginia -- add another state to our list!

We decided that driving all the way to Indy was a bit much.  So, we decided to make a stopover in Columbus, Ohio.  Home of "The" Ohio State University (what's up with that?)  

We got there in time to drive around the campus and to get a view of the Big Horseshoe (scene of Uwe Von Schaumann's "The Kick" in 1977).  The Sooners return here in 2017.  That seems like a long way off.  Chas will be starting his Freshman year, Sofia will be a junior in high school and Ileana and Tyner will both be teenagers.  Come to think of it, it better be a long way off.  Yikes!

The city reminded us a lot of Austin, Texas:  capital city, lots of ancillary universities, lots of commerce, but still revolves around the University.  

After a tour of the campus, we went looking for a nearby restaurant.  We have done our best during our trip to sample other regions' Tex/Mex food along the way.  And there is no doubt that the best in the country resides in Oklahoma and Texas.  Happily, we did find an able attempt in a cool place in Columbus.

The next morning we were back in the Swagger Wagon bearing down on Indy.  Travel time in the car has been really good with the kids.  They are pretty inventive with different ways to keep from getting bored.

We got to Indy and met up with our friends, the Phillips, at the Riviera Club.  It's a wonderful tennis/swim club built in the 1931.  It also boast the largest swimming pool in Indiana, if not the country.

The kids spent most of their time on the diving boards -- something they had never had a chance to swim on because so few swimming places have them anymore.  Thomas and Audrey showed them how it's done and our kids quickly "dove in".  The high dive was especially a thrill. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming with our friends and then were treated to a lovely dinner at their home.  This was followed by all the kids running around and playing in the yard.  It was a great night.  We have been fortunate to see a lot of spectacular things during our trip, but it's always a special treat to hang out with family and friends.