Memorial Day weekend is synonymous with the Indianapolis 500. Last year it was postponed until August due to COVID. This year it was back with spectators but only at 40% capacity. We did not have tickets but decided to venture back into the city for a weekend of fun and catching up with old friends. Our dear friend, Greg, let us park in his Speedway driveway. There was plenty of room for Ralphie and the Volvo with room to spare. Sadly, this is the first place we have parked I failed to take a picture.
The drive over to Speedway quickly reminded us why we avoid the city and love the country. Drivers are crazy. I can only imagine what it was like for Shane in the RV. Happy to arrive at our destination and park it for the weekend. Once you get an RV into the little town of Speedway for the Indy 500, you are leaving it parked because street parking fills in quickly. With Ralphie safely parked we smiled and said “it’s good to be back in Speedway”. Then we cracked open a beer, because well Indy 500 weekend! Note: we lived in Speedway for 6 years before moving out to the cabin in the woods.
The weekend was a bit like a whirlwind. While picking up supplies for the weekend, we hit up Nick’s Chili Parlor for an early afternoon snack. Nick’s is a local favorite that’s been around for years. Friday night we had dinner with our good friends Lisa and Mike. (Hi Lisa, I know you are reading my blog and it was wonderful to see you both and have a late night catching up.) After dinner they came back to see the RV and we ended up staying up late into the night making up for lost time.
Saturday we had a celebration of life to attend, nearby. Our good friend, Jay, passed away the previous month in Florida. His surviving wife arranged for a celebration of life at his favorite place for beer and pizza, Vinny’s. There we played more catch up with several friends. Spent the afternoon on Main Street, hanging out with strangers and friends alike. That evening dinner downtown with family in town for the race. By Saturday night we were tired and ready for bed at 11 pm. For anyone who knows us, we are normally out late the night before the race enjoying the festivities. But this time around Shamy was knocked out and slept like babies, despite all of the sirens and night time noises of being in town.
Josie hanging out with one of her besties, Lucy.
On Race Day we woke up to the normal sound of helicopters circling overhead, always a sign you are in town for the race. Race day consisted of us enjoying a day on Main Street just outside of the track. We parked it at O’Reilly’s Irish Pub during the race and had a blast with fellow race fans and our friends Alex + Jody. Everyone loved Josie, all keeping an eye on her on the patio. Our waitress Andy was fantastic, taking good care of us all.
By Sunday evening we were completely spent. Slept like babies. As much fun as we had, we looked forward to getting back to the peace, serenity, and solitude of being in nature. Now, in my mid-forties, I’m much more of a nature girl than a city girl. Love the city but only in small doses.
I did not take nearly as many pictures as I should have but I blame that on the flurry of activity of seeing old friends and enjoying our time back in Speedway.
As an aside, something I’ve noticed in our short amount of time on the road, you meet all types of people. Meaning, you meet people with the same views, different views, and everything in between. But ultimately, we are all living this human life and are all the same (despite our different opinions). I do not judge people based on their opinion but rather enjoy their company as a fellow human. Plus I do not engage in polarizing conversations, switching gears and talking about something else seems to do the trick nicely.
Ralphie Rough Road 
Share your thoughts :-)