Day Three of Indy Road Trip

The third day happened to be Monday of the Final Four weekend so we had to hit the ground running as the town was buzzing with electricity, but with Malcolm as our tour guide we were up to the challenge.

First off, we went to Butler University (where Malcolm happens to be a teacher) and picked up a few Butler "Go Dawgs" shirts before all the other Dawg Freaks beat us to em'. We were lucky as it was get'n crazy. see pic

Did I mention the water in the fountains was running blue at Butler? Go Blue! see pic

Next up, we went on a search thru the Crown Hill Cemetery en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Hill_Cemetery to find the graves of former President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison and poet James Whitcomb Riley (Which happens to be the highest natural point in the city, which was also known as Strawberry Hill.) see pix

Ok, I'll cut to the chase and tell you the real reason for driving willy-nilly thru the Crown Hill Cemetery. It was to find the grave of John Dillinger and to put to rest one more Backlund childhood fear. click link and see knife pic for details www.backlundrealty.com/bm/blog/thursday-may-7-2009.shtml 

We searched and searched and kept getting more and more lost until finally we decided to ask one of the groundskeepers for help. Why? Because groundskeepers know everything. As we drove by the funeral home, we found just such a person. As we pulled alongside his truck, out hops a tall man with a Civil War hat (like this one) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardee_hat with a horseshoe mustache, the kind you'd expect to go with a hat like that, and Malcolm says, "Do you know where section 44 is located?" The man pauses for a moment, looks at his buddy, turns back to look at us, takes a long lick of his mustache, gives us a wicked smile, and says in a gravelly voice, "Dillinger"

Three minutes later, after getting pin point accurate directions (as only a groundskeeper can give) we were standing at the Dillinger family plot in section 44. see pic  And yes, I think Malcolm thought I was nuts.

The mere fact that 76 years after his death people are still leaving pennies and chipping off pieces of John's headstone makes me believe I'm not the only one ridding myself of latent childhood fears ;) Did I mention Malcolm thought I was nuts? :) 

Quick side note: Did you know that Howard Garns is buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Garns Pretty crazy huh? This place is packed with notables......and I do mean that in a most respectful way.

Anyway, after that, we went to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiteljorg_Museum_of_American_Indians_and_Western_Art to see the amazing examples of art and craftsmanship by the likes of Grand Marais High School grad George Morrison en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Morrison_(artist) 

After lunch we walked along one of the many canals that run thru the city, toured the NCAA Hall of Fame, saw the Lucas Oil Stadium (where the Final Four (Two) was being played later that evening), the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldiers%27_and_Sailors%27_Monument_(Indianapolis)  and checked out the city as far as the eye can see from the 35th floor where Heather works. see pix Did I mention we got caught in the rain?

By the time we got home from our whirlwind tour we were ready for a little supper n' fellowship and settled in for the big game. I don't have to tell you how exciting the game was, but to be watching it on the tube and to know little Butler University was only six blocks away was hard to believe.

It was sad as Gordon Hayward's shot bounced off the rim. 

It was surreal as the reality set in that Butler's miracle season was over and you could hear the cars drive by the house in a long slow funeral like procession as the fans who were watching the game on the big screen only a few blocks away were leaving the Hinkle Fieldhouse. In a word, goosebumps.

Day Four of Indy Road Trip

Awoke to another beautiful morning, packed up, ate a little breakfast and said our sad goodbyes to Malcolm and Heather as our wonderful fun filled information packed road trip was on its last leg.

We drove over to the Hinkle Fieldhouse to take a few last photos of the majestic brick barn and hit the road with anticipation of our next trip to see our friends in Indy.