Off to Iowa Tour, via Indy, Urbana and Galesburg

[jwight]

Some of you may have seen the notice of the Ames, IA meet on Sunday, September 28th. I had plans to visit Illinois at some point anyway so have decided to combine the two and extend the visit to include the Tour de Iowa.

Plan is to leave Dayton Thursday, Sept 25 - lunch in Indianapolis
Continue on to Champaign/Urbana, IL - overnight stop, visit U of I
On to Galesburg, IL on Friday, Sept 26th, overnight stop
Head for Ames, IA on Saturday, Sept 27th, stay overnight
Iowa Tour on Sunday, Sept 28th
Head back to Dayton that afternoon

Looks like about a 1,300 mi round trip with some easy driving. Would love to meet up with any smart owners along the way - please post or PM if interested. Thanks!

[Big Panda]

sorry, i'll be working. i know you're disappointed!

where are you planning on eating lunch Thursday? when you come into Indy, if you were to take I-465 to the north from I-70, you could jump off at Keystone Avenue and drop in at SCI. just right off the interstate. plenty of places to eat up there too.

since you'll be traveling I-74 West from Indy, if you're into this kind of thing, the Ropkey Military Museum is there in Crawfordsville. haven't been there myself, but i know he's got tanks, half-tracks, planes, you name it, and you CAN touch!! i think you can 'google' it to get more info.

of course, while you're in the Champaign/Urbana area, you'll HAVE to meet up with "meaux61" and "SmartNTiny". that in itself should be very entertaining!

have a great trip John and post some pics when you get back.

[jwight]

Thanks for the info; I might drop by SCI just for fun. The timing isn't great for people with jobs, but then us retired folks don't have to worry about that.

[meaux61]

I should be in Urbana on the 25th. I work there. We should meet up.
Keep me posted. SnT works in Danville Illinois which is on the way from Indy to Urbana. I have to check my work schedule to be sure.

Meaux

[pdboilermaker]

I can only assume that you will be stopping to eat at the two best feeding frenzies in the USA? Nothing beats Alexanders then Zorbas for dessert

[jwight]

meaux, sounds like a plan; I can stop in Danville for a little while if SnT is free.

pdboilermaker, thanks for the recommendation. Will probably keep it some place close to the smart center for food.

[meaux61]

SnT said she is up for it, but she thought it was Friday. We need to get our ducks in a row. I will be in Urbana until at least 4 pm that day. I have a meeting that lasts until 4.

Meaux

[jwight]

I'm guessing I'll be in Urbana by 3:00 pm Thursday; have to sort out a place to stay before then. Probably stop there, get checked in and then can meet you guys wherever works for you (as long as the GPS is working.)

[jwight]

Pretty much ready to hit the road tomorrow AM; got the car cleaned up today (used Plexus for the first time - very nice), gassed up, etc.

Stopping in Indy for lunch, then on to Champaign-Urbana, IL for a dinner meeting with meaux61 and Smart'n'Tiny and a look around the U of I (many fond memories, except for the classes.) Next day off to Galesburg, IL to see one of my former bosses, and then on to Ames, IA on Saturday to rest up for the Tour de Iowa. Looking forward to meeting all the other smart owners/fans involved and may bring a few items as secret prizes.

[jwight]

First, the numbers:

Five days, 1,340 miles total, $120.94 worth of gas for a cost of $0.09 per mile.

MPG - high, 51.41 (don't believe it), low, 33.79, trip average, 41.86

See other post for the Iowa tour info. A great trip overall, really enjoyed dinner with meaux61 and smartntiny in Champaign, IL. The drive through the Midwest was fantastic, miles of corn and soybean fields, small towns and lots of folks interested in the smart. The car just gets better on the highway (or maybe I'm just getting more accustomed to it.) Does real well at around 3,400 rpm, pretty quiet and the stereo and GPS help pass the time. If you haven't done a road trip in yours yet, it's worth thinking about.