Kim & Lynda's Wild Ride: From Cincinatti to Indianapolis

From Mammoth Cave in Kentucky we traveled northeast to Batesville, Indiana and pulled into Thousand Trails – Indian Lakes. The park had a nice sign that was easily spotted, and we pulled into a parking space in front of the store (that doubles as an office) and gas station (yes they have diesel!). Our first impression was that this was going to be an excellent park. Before I continue, let me give the reader a bit of background. Lynda follows the facebook page Thousand Trails/Outdoor World – The Good and the Bad. A recent post on this page indicated that all of the full-hookup spots at Indian Lakes were taken up by annual sites and a group of pipeline workers, making none available for the transient membership. We are not really campers … we are RVers with a rig that has all of the amenities of home (mainly because … it is home!), and full-hookups are a necessity. To find out if we needed to rethink our route (easy enough for us), Lynda called Indian Lakes and talked with Jennifer (one of the managers). Jennifer assured us that the post on TT – the good and bad was only a rumor started by a disgruntled guest and further assured us that there would be plenty of full-hookup sites available when we arrived.

Back to the present. We arrived in the parking lot and went in to register. The clerk, a surly lady that didn’t want to be there, informed us that all that was available in the campground were water and electric sites with most of the electric being 30 amps. We conveyed our conversation with Jennifer and asked that she give her a call, which she reluctantly did. After some time on the phone she left, without so much as a word to us. The young man left at the counter told us a few minutes later that we should proceed to a campsite in Phase 4 (site 15). When we arrived the lady from the counter waved us into the site and left … again without a word. Apparently she was peeved at us taking the last 50 amp. full-hookup site available. The site turned out to be in the pipeliners’ area. The area was quiet during the week with loud parties lasting into the wee hours every Friday and Saturday night (and Sunday during Memorial day weekend). Quite frankly, we were prepared to leave the park at this juncture, as Jennifer herself never bothered to appear and the counter clerk was rude beyond civility. However, following our conversation on the phone with Jennifer, where we were assured that 50 amp and full hookups were abundant, we purchased non-refundable tickets to the Indianapolis 500.

So here is the real deal on Indian Lakes. The campground is divided into five phases. Phase 1 is a large area with some sites on the lake, but is entirely taken up with annual sites. Phase 2 was undergoing construction, so was unavailable when we arrived, but was ready for a rally that came in for a long weekend. Phase 3 has been sold to KOA. They have made some improvements, but it is unavailable to Thousand Trails members … unless you pay the KOA prices. Phase 4 is a nice section of some 44+ sites with 50 amp. and full hookups, but is taken up entirely by pipeline workers. Phase 5 has cabins, that are being renovated, and numerous sites with water and electric only (mainly 30 amp.). Phase 5 is available for transient members and has some very nice spots next to the lake. It is probably ideal for most campers who will come for a few days, dump on the way out and go home, but it wouldn’t work for us. Phase 5 also has a number of annual sites, taking up many of the premium sites on the lake. The camp had a pool (not opened), miniature golf, activity center and store with fuel. If you are a camper this is a great spot. There are many bike paths, golf-cart paths, and areas for children to run and play. Indiana got quite a bit of rain in May and the park was generally saturated, but still usable in spots. The grass was cut and well kept. In addition, it is located around 30 miles from Cincinnati and 65 miles from Indianapolis. There are also several very nice local restaurants. If this is your cup of tea … enjoy! But a lack of available basic services obliges us to give it a "4" on the Moore Scale of 1-10. Campers would, I’m sure, rate it higher and those in annual sites may give it a solid 10. Here are a few pictures.

The Park looking toward the Moon

The Moon a few minutes later

While in Batesville we ate at Lil Charlies a few times. They feature great sandwiches and burgers for lunch and have a nice menu with steak and shrimp in the evening. In addition, they brew their own beer. A small four ounce sample can be had for $1.50 … just right for us lightweights. We also tried The Sherman Inn, named for the civil war hero, for breakfast. There we sampled the local specialties: Goetta, a mixture of pork sausage, pin oats, and spices (Kim liked it) and deep fried biscuits with cinnamon sugar (Lynda loved these). Another nice local place is Walhill Farms, a former horse farm and race track. They boast The Butcher Shop Bar and Grill, which features fancy sandwiches and other fare. For the best chicken you have ever tasted drive over to the historic German town of Oldenburg and eat at Wagners Village Inn Restaurant. We had the family style chicken dinner for two (it fed us for another couple days). The chicken is pan fried in lard (not your diet food), but the crust is delicious and crispy …. Yummmmmm!

Sherman House Inn

Wagners Village Inn

The Butcher Shop Bar & Grill

We drove over to Cincinnati several times to shop. They have it all: Costco; Walmart; Starbucks; Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc. etc. Of course all of the chain restaurants are represented in numbers there … so take your pick! While there we visited the Cincinnati Zoo. This is a really nice park to see. It is not as large as San Diego, but is nicely laid out with all of the usual characters. Here are a few of our animal pics.

Bronze Rhinos at the Entrance


Zoo Entrance


Baby Gorilla

Albino Lion

Scarlet Ibis

Bats

The highlight of our trip was the Indianapolis 500. Lynda had followed the Indy since she was a little girl, listening to it on the radio with her father before it was televised and never missing a race. It has been a Memorial Day Sunday “must see” since we were married. However, she had never attended the actual race in person … so this was one off of the Bucket List. Our tickets were for the grandstand on the main drag to the finish line between the fourth and first turns. This year’s race was really exciting with lead changes happening on almost every turn. The noise in person is much louder than on TV, but we came prepared with earplugs (you really need them!). We paid for parking in the infield (it was all that was left) near the Snakepit and also bought VIP Snakepit tickets. If we ever come back for a second time, we will get VIP parking far in advance (the police escort VIP parking in and out) and try to get a bit closer to turn one. The Snakepit turned out to be a drinking place for 20 somethings so we took a quick look about and went to the grandstand. Turns out that our parking was also a gathering place for the party crowd and we didn’t get out of the park until about 1.5 hours after the race had ended. Altogether a wonderful day!! Here are a few pictures.