the Indy trip... sort of.

I spent a lovely week in central Indiana in June, but unfortunately there isn't much evidence. I snapped one photo of the "Tower Tree" before the big rain drops started. They were shortly followed by yet another thunder-crowned deluge.

My only photo from the trip. Greensburg, IN.

My objective in Indiana was 3 days of  training at the Honda plant in Greensburg. It was quite the installation! Six times a day, we would walk from the lab over the assembly line (literally - you  get around via catwalks). I saw several thousand Civics in construction during my time there. The floor was clean enough that you could eat off it. Here's a summary of the operation from the Honda of Indiana website: 

Plant size: 1.3 million square feet

Site size: 1600 acres

Associates: 2,300+ (Significantly more than that now!)

Capital investment: $800 million

Models in production: Civic Sedan

Production Capacity: 250,000 vehicles per year

Operations performed: Stamping, welding, painting, plastic injection molding, sub and final assembly, testing and quality assurance

 If you drive a 2009+ Civic, odds were it came from here!

Before flying out on Friday, I got to spend the morning walking around downtown Indianapolis with M's sister. We strolled along the Canal, past the NCAA headquarters (talk about money), and up to the Benjamin Harrison House. Ben Harrison was the 23rd president, and his house is amazing in how much original furniture still exists in it. After our tour, we met W (M's bro-in-law) at the south end of downtown for lunch. Indy has a charming downtown! My favorite part is probably the War Memorial, a solemn building at the end of a strip of  green at the heart of the town. You can take a virtual tour here.

My final take on central Indiana: Flat, cornfields, wonderful people, and too much humidity.