The 24th Annual Shelby Spring Fling in Nashville, Indiana - SAAC Full O' Cruisin'

Nashville, Indiana, 3 p.m., somewhere in Brown County State Park. As I pilot my natty little Focus out for a photo shoot (which I am marginally late for), I'm passed by a 289 AC Cobra-a real one-piloted by Joyce Yates, and this Cobra is followed by Mark Kulwik in his Gold '68 GT350. Other vintage Ford iron blows by to the point that my neck hurts when I get to my shoot location. Welcome to the Indiana Shelby American Automobile Club Spring Fling. Here you will see more of Shelby's wildlife in one place than you can shake a stick at.

The neck snapping isn't the only reason we're going back, though. There's something magical about hearing a GT350's exhaust note bouncing off the forest trees in a curvy, mountainous state park, and that something is simple: fun. To that fact, Yates and Company are genial hosts and really love their Ponies and snakes. Last year our trail did well-remarkably well-especially with the capable help of Mark, along with Dan Aiken, who steered us clear of some unfavorable traffic areas.

With 80-plus cars, the SAAC comes closest to matching the Mustangs Northwest group for sheer participation. Therefore, we decided that we wanted to have more fun and see if the SAAC folks can top last year's total.

Pony Trails
Jeff Ford (863) 644-0449

Disclaimer
The Pony Trail 2001 and/or Mustang Monthly cannot be held responsible for any damage or injury that you might incur along the drive. Should you choose to follow us in our drive, you are solely responsible for what may occur to you or your car. We cannot know how many cars will attend and therefore cannot easily predict the times that we will reach our stops along the way. It is best-and the most fun-to join up at the start and run the trail from there.

The Route
Directions to the Starting Point:Head south on I-65 from Indy, then take exit 68. Head west on S.R. 46, and go to the covered bridge entrance for the Brown County Park on the left.Follow the signs to the lodge.

Directions for the Trail:
From the lodge we'll head down to the picnic area to queue up for the actual trail. From the park we'll head right onto S.R. 46. At I-65 we'll turn left and head north approximately 20 miles to exit 90, then turn right onto S.R. 44. We'll stay on S.R. 44 to Shelbyville, where we'll stop-just because its Shelbyville. We'll regroup on the east side of town after a 30 minute stop, then make the short run to I-74. At I-74 we'll turn southeast and run the interstate for about 18 miles to exit 134, where we'll get off and go down to Greenburg. We'll be there for about 30 minutes, then we'll regroup on the west side of town for the next leg of our trail. From Greenburg we'll head out on S.R. 46 and pass through Hartsville and Petersville. At Columbia we'll stop for lunch and spend 11/2 hours here. We will regroup on the west side near where U.S. Hwy. 31 and S.R. 11 intersects with S.R. 46. We'll jump on S.R.11 briefly before the homestretch on westbound S.R. 46. Whew! We hope the trail runs easier than the directions.

Leaving Brown County State Park and the Abe Martin Lodge at around 9:00 a.m., we'll head east on State Road 46 to Interstate 65 north. We'll follow I-65 north to Franklin, where we'll pick up State Road 44 east to Shelbyville. Once we arrive at the square in Shelbyville, we'll be greeted by local dignitaries and stop for lunch and tours of the local surroundings, including the home of President William Henry Harrison. About 1:30 p.m., we'll head back west on SR 44 to I-65 south. At Ogleville, we'll pick up SR 58 going west. This will take us to Heltonville, home of Damon Bailey, Hoosier basketball legend. At Heltonville, we'll turn north on SR 135, through the scenic town of Story and into Nashville, where we'll turn west onto SR46 for the few blocks back to the park entrance.