Traveling with the Schroeders: Indy 500

This Memorial Day weekend, after a 30-year absence, we returned to the Indy 500.  Apparently, God thought I should have my experience delayed a little longer as heavy rains and thunderstorms caused a 4-hour delay.  Once the rain stopped, the track crew was at work blowing the track dry.  That was about a one-hour process.

Although the race had quite a few yellow flags (including one on the very first lap in the very first turn), the end of the race ran green the whole time.  Several cars vied for the lead until Josef Newgarden passed Pato O'Ward on turn three of the final lap.  In the family picks, I had chosen Josef Newgarden, so I could crow a little bit about my dumb luck.

Because of the rain delay and waiting for some of the traffic to clear out, we did not get home until quite late.  Everyone went straight to bed, dog-tired.  After all, 500 miles is a long way to go.

Below are some photos from the weekend.

A surprise visitor to the Schmidt house--the pace car from 1969.  Peter got to go for a ride in it.

5:45 AM and ready to head down to the track.  

This is Chad, Nathanael, and Peter by the dawn's early light.

A news crew from WISH in Indianapolis found our tailgate party and interviewed some of our crew on live, early morning TV.  

Tailgating about three blocks from the track.

Some of our crew, sitting 20 rows up as we could watch the cars come out of turn four.

I had the best date with me!  She brought me to my first Indy 500 in 1990.

AAAAANNNNDDDDDD... four hour rain delay.

Looking down the straightaway from our seats.

Out of turn four and heading into the green flag.  Only 200 laps to go!

Josef Newgarden, 2024 Indy 500 champion, edging out Pato O'Ward.

Local Tourist: NFL Draft in Detroit

On Friday, April 26, the Local Tourist went with Nathanael and his high school classmate Chad to Detroit to check out the festivities for the NFL Draft.  Estimations were that there were 230,000 people in attendance.  But since the footprint of the whole NFL Draft experience was so huge, it never felt too crowded.  The whole event was very well organized.  Getting in and out was pretty easy.  There were long lines for various activities, so we were selective in what we wanted to do.

We stuck around for the actual draft until the Packers made their first pick in the 2nd round.  The wind was picking up a bit, and it was getting chilly, so it was the right time to go.

Detroit put on a fantastic show.  The city was great.  The fans were fun.  Lions' fans booed the Packers enthusiastically.  Good times!

Here are some pre-draft photos, taken about a week before the NFL Draft.   Lots of construction was still going on, and access was limited in most places. On the upside, there was no waiting for photo ops.

Photos from Draft Day, Day #2.

Admiring the other fans is fun.  Here are some zealous Packers' fans,

I have always entertained myself with jersey watching.  Jerseys of players from 25+ years ago are great.  Twice, I had people ask about my #54 Larry McCarron jersey--Packers' center (1973-1984).

Fake Troy Polamalu.  We saw him while watching the Pat McAfee show.

That's me under the arrow!

Next step: Get this guy noticed by the NFL.

Spring Trip to Harrisburg, PA

We took off the week after Easter.  The first few days were spent lounging and napping and enjoying the kids who were able to be here.  On Wednesday, we took off for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Our main objective was to see Andrew play for the Harrisburg Stampede in the American Indoor Football League.

That game was on Saturday, which gave us three days the enjoy the touristy spots around Harrisburg.  Those included the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Hershey's Chocolate World, and Gettysburg National Military Park.  In Gettysburg, we limited ourselves to the Visitors' Center which gave us plenty to do.  We did a drive around the battlefield, mainly driving along the Confederate line, but we never got out to walk around.  This was just as well.  By the time we got back to our hotel, there was just enough time for a short nap, and then onto the game.

Some photos.

The capitol building in Harrisburg.  Apparently, Teddy Roosevelt called it "the handsomest building" he had ever seen.

Photos from the Cyclorama, the largest oil painting in the world.  The painting is on a circled canvass, allowing you to see the artist's depiction of the battle in 360 degrees.

General Robert E. Lee's bed and traveling military equipment.

Stampede wins -- 44-29!

Thanksgiving 2023

We thoroughly enjoyed our Thanksgiving this year.  Everyone was able to make it home except for Faith.  Laura is still on the mend after surgery to repair her torn meniscus.  Having the Packers put up a win against the Lions was a pleasant surprise.  Poor Caitlin had to endure our loud, exuberant cheers at Packer touchdowns, forced turnovers, and other big plays.  Oh well, she's had the previous four contests between the Packers and Lions to gloat.

We got to have a facetime phone call with my brother, his family, and my Mom.  We also got to hear from Laura's side of the family as they had the big celebration for her parents' 60th wedding anniversary.  We wish we could have been there, but we needed to stay here for Laura's recovery.

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful as well.

2023 Summer Vacation -- Colorado

Back in June, Laura, Peter, and I took a trip out to Colorado for our family vacation.  The highlight was Rocky Mountain National Park.  We got to see much wildlife and enjoyed several hikes through the park.  It was probably about the only time we were excited to see snow in June.  In addition, we went to Colorado Springs.  There, we saw Garden of the Gods, attended a chuck wagon dinner and show, and made a day trip to Cripple Creek, an old gold-mining town.  

We traveled I-80 to go west and traveled I-70 for the return trip home.  We were blessed with safe travels and great weather.  While Detroit was getting hit with smoke from Canadian wildfires, we enjoyed crisp mountain air.  

Here are a few highlight photos from the trip.

Panoramic photo from the Alpine Visitors Center.

Bear Lake Trail

Foreground -- Mountain goat.  Background: Female Moose.

Alberta Falls

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

For the sake of scale, notice the rock climber (white shirt) on the wall face.

Yes, that is a rattlesnake.  Yes, that is as close as I dared to get.

Photos below from Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs.  We enjoyed a chuck wagon dinner and show.  The band was excellent.

We ventured off the beaten path to Cripple Creek, and old gold mining town.  In days past, they could claim that their streets were paved with gold.  They used low-grade ore, in which were traces of gold, for paving the streets.