Happy Anniversary to Us!

 I was thinking about our anniversaries since we had moved.  

Anniversary #42 we went to Mountain Jack's.  We hadn't dined there for many years.  One time we were with Eric and Deb so I know that was a LONG time ago.  I think we were there once with Mike as well.  We went early on our anniversary, were seated in a dimly lit room, and it went downhill after that.  The food wasn't that bad, but our server wasn't very friendly, and overall the entire experience was disappointing.

We decided that we could wait another 42 years before returning.

Last year Gary was under "house arrest" still when Anniversary #43 rolled around.  I couldn't remember what we did to celebrate; then I found a picture on FB of our dinner from Arni's and remembered.  I ordered salads and pizza for pick up and that was our 'special dinner' for the day.  It worked.  And Rossville is close so it was a quick trip into town for food.

Gary is always easy---he doesn't care what we do.  I suggested going some place different to celebrate this year.  Not just a different restaurant but just doing something different too.  I said, "Let's just pack a bag and go somewhere!"  He agreed.

His suggestion to drive to Nashville, IN resulted in finding no rooms available at the Abe Martin Lodge, only cabins (and we were NOT going that route again), so we explored more and found a room at Clifty Inn at Clifty Falls State Park.

We had been to Madison a few times since both Alice and Dale are from there and we had been to her parents' home a few times. But we hadn't visited Madison really nor had we been to the park.

Friday morning we packed a bag for the weekend, just in case we decided not to return home on Saturday. We also didn't tell anyone else we were going.

The drive to Madison was a good one.  We were on the interstate until Columbus, then cut across the country going through several towns, including North Vernon.  The drive home was similar since we cut over to the interstate west of Madison, going through Hanover and past the college campus, then after we left Edinburgh we drove past Trafalgar and Bargarsville.  I told Gary it was like we were driving somewhere with Clay and taking different roads.  He replied that usually Clay knew where he was going (I don't agree with that) and he didn't!  It was scenic --- and different than our usual 'stay on the interstate' route.

Clifty Inn was nice, but I would have really enjoyed a room with a view of the Ohio River.  Other inns we have stayed in seemed more rustic than the Clifty Inn which seemed more like a hotel room.   The only downfall we had was eating in the inn dining room.  The breakfast crowd was small, but it still took nearly 40 minutes for our food to arrive, and to top it off, Gary's eggs were cold!  

 Friday night we dined at Key West Shrimp House on the recommendation from Karen from Decatur.  She and J had eaten there on a trip south in June.  We stood in line to enter the restaurant since the doors hadn't opened yet, but we were also lucky to be able to select our table, and I headed straight toward one in the dining room with a view of the Ohio River.  Our dinners were excellent and we were very happy with our choice. Side note - we checked with Alice about the restaurant and she had worked there when she was in high school!

After dinner we drove along the riverfront which was really nice.  Many people were sitting on benches, walking, or exercising their dogs on leashes.  The downtown streets were busy with people walking and traffic on the streets.  We eventually found a Dairy Queen and ordered our usual:  medium chocolate cones.  If we hadn't been sure of not leaving the car with DQ and being able to do the same at another spot, we might have stopped at a more local ice cream stand which we discovered later offered the best butter pecan ice cream ever!

Saturday morning we drove around the park.  Our plans to hike a bit were dashed when we discovered that most of the trails were rugged or moderately rugged or extremely rugged, which I guess was to be expected in a park with waterfalls and cliffs.  So we looked for observation points and enjoyed the views from those.  Many people were taking advantage of the perfect weather and hiking trails or checking out the falls.

 

After we left the park we drove to Edinburgh for a quick stop which turned into a long endeavor.  The crowds!!!  So many people!  We walked to  the Vanity Fair store and separated.  I found a pair of denim capris and a pair of shorts in the size I was looking for, picked them up and moved to the lingerie section.  I found two pairs of pajama pants, one in black print and one in a gray print, that would go with t-shirts or tops to wear around the house.  Gary found a couple of shirts and a pair of shorts also.  I was impressed with the precautions in the store.  A gal met us at the door with hand sanitizer.  People kept their distances from others.  There seemed to be more signage and visible tags on the clothes so that it wasn't necessary to sort through everything. Plus the cashier cleaned off the counter after each transaction and before the next customer approached.

The atmosphere at the Vera Bradley store was similar.  We walked in, found the laptop cases immediately, selected one for Megan (they were all black so that was easy), and walked to the counter.  I asked for two masks also, then we paid and left.

Leaving the outlets was a task though!  All of the exiting traffic was directed to the same route and it moved slowly.  After an hour we were finally out on the road and on the way north to home!

A final stop at Cracker Barrel at the Zionsville exit.  Once again--we felt totally safe there.  Tables were spaced.  Nothing ON the tables  Fast service.  Good food.

It was a fun anniversary.   A getaway was just what we needed.  Some different scenery refreshed the soul.  If I could do anything differently, it would be some time to just sit and relax at the park.  

Next time we will take our chairs!

On to year #45!