Tuesday, 22 August 2017
Paducah, KY to Jefferson City, MO, ~300 miles
Map credit: Google Maps 2017, courtesy of AAA
We decided to walk down by the river this morning, so we parked near the new Holiday Inn and walked along Riverfront Park. The Queen of the Mississippi was in port, so we got a better look at her this morning. Once we got to the Crounse Corporation, we started walking down the street, and before we knew it, we were just walking up and down blocks and blocks of Paducah’s downtown, snapping photos and having a little stroll down memory lane, trying to remember which storefront was which, back in the day.
Talking a walk along the riverfront today
Paducah is a river and rail town
Love the cobblestones street and the floodwall murals
P & L Building
Freight House is at the left end of this building
Had a great dinner here Saturday night – and we were in the Chicago Tribune!
Our ‘skyscraper’
Who knew?
Kind of creepy fake ticket taker
The Columbia Theater was a gem!
As was the Hotel Irvin Cobb
Broadway Methodist Church
Grace Episcopal Church steeple
First Presbyterian Church
Mom worked hard to get this old home renovated and to get its gardens in shape
We walked over to Lower Town and took pictures of some of the decorated fire hydrants and looked at the houses and studios. If you don’t know about Paducah’s Artist Relocation program and the Lower Town Arts District, please check it out HERE. It’s one of the main reasons Paducah is a UNESCO city for creative arts. We then made the fateful decision to have breakfast at Gold Rush. No problem with the food – we just got ‘accosted’ by a totally crazy woman who sat down next to us and talked non-stop (to us) the entire time we were there. And when I say crazy, I mean seriously mentally ill. It was sad, truly, and it did put a damper on our day, at least for a little while. As soon as we could escape gracefully, we did, and we stopped by the Visitor’s Bureau to say goodbye to Mary, then we stopped by the River Discovery Center to see if there were any eclipse t-shirts left. No luck!
Lower Town Visitor Center
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Paint the Plugs Project
Queen of the Mississippi
We’ll be crossing this soon….
We drove back to the hotel and got cleaned up and loaded the car, and we were off, but not until after noon!! Kim bravely decided that she could drive across the old, narrow, iron grate-bottomed, scary Irvin Cobb Bridge over to Brookport, Illinois, so off we went, with no plan and no paper map of Illinois! We opted to cross the Mississippi at Chester instead of going all the way to St. Louis, and on the way we went through Metropolis, Vienna, Anna, and Jonesboro. We went through a bit of a hard rain between Vienna and Anna, but it had almost stopped raining by the time we saw a sign for the site of one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. It doesn’t take much for us to stop…
As we drove into Chester, we noted that it was the home of Popeye (the Sailor Man) and his assorted motley crew, so again, we were forced to stop for some photo opportunities. Kim crossed another old bridge here, and we went from being high on a bluff to in the flatlands of Missouri. Before long though, we were in some hilly-ish country. As usual, we opted to stay off of interstates as much as possible, but we did have to hop on for a few miles to get up to Festus. Shades of Gunsmoke!
The old, narrow, grate-floored Irvin Cobb Bridge
She did it and even smiled about it!
It’s an interesting ride….
Welcome to Brookport, Illinois
Site of one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates
A closer look at Abe
Another old bridge – this one at Chester is the only place to cross the Mississippi between St. Louis and Cape Girardeau.
A statue to Wimpy – “I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
Somehow, I didn’t know that Chester was the home of Popeye.
Driving on the Great River Road
Olive Oyl, Swee’ Pea, and the Jeep
The American Queen was in port in Chester, on her way to Paducah.
From looking at the map, it looked like we could make it to Jefferson City for the evening, and it also looked like our best chance for a meal before then was in St. Clair, a little town on Route 66. We had eaten at the Lewis Cafe there for breakfast back on our second Route 66 venture back in 2007, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the restaurant was still open! Since they butcher their own meat, we opted for burgers and shared a plate of homemade onion rings. And since they had pie….
Welcome to Missouri!
You can always find Route 66 icons anywhere along the Route
It may not look like much, but the Lewis Cafe has it goin’ on!
The story of the family-owned business
Great burger and incredibly good onion rings!
I had coconut cream and Kim had chocolate
Continuing on – and it’s still light!
We made it to Jeff City (before dark)
Once done with dinner, we made our way to Missouri’s capital city, arriving at our hotel before 8 PM! Since we had toured the capitol building on our 2010 road trip, we did not need to redo that, even though the capitol is one of my favorites – and it is massive! We spent our evening looking through photos and blogging, and wondering where the next day would find us!
At long last, the day of the eclipse was upon us! Kim and I went for a walk and it was hotter than any of the previous days, even though we got an earlier start – not a great sign! The sky was clear, though, so we were hoping it would stay that way. Judy had gone to Red’s for doughnuts, so we all shared a big box of pure sweetness – heavenly!
We got downtown and found parking spaces with no problems, and we just wandered around a bit prior to time to enter the party area. Soon it was time, so we staked out a table in the breeziest section of the yard. We were joined by Jeanne and Pat, a delightful couple from Chicago who had come to Paducah for the big event. They were a hoot and we loved having them celebrate with us! It was plenty warm, so Jim and Alex went back to their car to get a couple of golf umbrellas, as we had no shade at all. Thankfully, we could go into the Carson Center for beer and bathroom breaks. Lunch was served about 11:30, but we waited a good bit later so that the line was not so long. BBQ, baked beans, hash brown casserole, cole slaw, cookies, and Moon Pies were on the menu, and they were delicious!
I had a great eclipse timer app, so we were able to know the exact moment when first contact would appear at our location – it was so exciting!! Things started moving quickly after that, and we were all so surprised that our eclipse glasses worked so well, because you could not see one thing out of them in normal light! We decided to try some pinhole ‘cameras’, and that was fun. We took pictures of the eclipse shadows on our hands, on eclipse handouts, and on plain paper. It took us a while to work out the best angles and positions, but we did it!
At one point, we noticed that shadows of the leaves on the sidewalk had changed, and anywhere there was a hole in a leaf, there was a crescent-shaped shadow. We took off the tablecloth on the table next to us in hopes of seeing shadow bands (at second and fourth contact) on the white surface. And we did, but it was really hard to get a good photo of them. Blissfully, as it got closer to time for the full eclipse, the temperature dropped significantly. There were no animals around to observe ‘strange’ behavior, and before we knew it, the total eclipse was happening! We saw the diamond ring, and then we heard the app tell us “Glasses off!!” – the moment of totality was finally here! I got a couple of great photos, and noticed lots of bugs hitting my arms. Then the app told us to observe the horizon, and we say what looked like a beautiful sunset.
All too soon, it was time to put our glasses back on and prepare for fourth contact. Pat had recorded a video during totality, and we were shocked to hear the crickets chirping and cicadas humming during it. That explained the bugs hitting me – as if it were nightfall! The big post-eclipse excitement was learning that Paducah would be in the path of the next one, which just happens to be on Jenny’s birthday in 2024!! Pat and Jeanne are planning to join us, wherever we end up watching it!
Lots of people started leaving fairly soon, even though the moon still had a ways to go before the sun was uncovered. Between the heat and the fear of huge traffic jams, many were ready to get out of there! Jim and Alex left after a while to get back to Memphis, but Jenny and Judy had some shopping to do. We were able to see the last bit of the eclipse before leaving.
On our way back to the hotel, we drove by PTHS (our high school) and we stopped by the Chief Paduke statue. J & J headed back to Nashville hoping not to run into a big traffic jam, and thankfully, they were rewarded! None of our group hit traffic, but we talked to several who had a seven hour ride back to Louisville (about twice what it would normally be)!!
Kim went to visit her friend Francie, and I did some laundry for us, and then we both enjoyed the Homewood happy hour. On our way downtown for dinner, we drove by our old house, and then we made our way to Max’s, where we enjoyed delicious salmon and a perfect gin and tonic. After dinner, we walked back down to the river to see the Queen of the Mississippi, and then we called it a day. And what a special one it was!!
It’s finally here! Let’s have a cookie!
Sundrop/Moon Pie Eclipse Party is about to begin!
Judy has her first Moon Pie
Jim and Kim taking in the action.
Jenny has the eclipse in her hand.
It took a team effort to get the pinhole pictures!
Another pinhole shadow
One more
Jenny getting a good view
The whole crowd was into it!
It’s hard to see, but these were the shadow bands…
Glasses off – TOTALITY!!
It was almost like sundown…
Looking toward the river during totality
We stopped by the Chief Paduke statue before Jenny and Judy left town.
Our old house is looking pretty good.
Our home away from home for a few days – neat clouds on eclipse day!
The Queen of the Mississippi was docked in Paducah
For the second day in a row (off to a good start!), Kim and I got a walk in. We drove over to Noble Park where we walked through the park, on top of the levee, and on the greenway to Stuart Nelson Park and back. By the time we got back and cleaned up, Judy and Jenny were back from church and Jim and Alex were almost here. The girls enjoyed the service at Grace Episcopal and thought the church was beautiful. The guys had no problem getting here – no traffic jams between here and Memphis.
Soon we were off in search of lunch downtown, where we found that quite a few people had the same idea. Shandie’s was packed and reported an hour wait, so we opted for Kirchhoff’s instead. Good call! Our sandwiches were huge, tasty, and the bread was divine! Most of us could not even finish our meals! After lunch, we walked over to the National Quilt Museum, where we spent the next couple of hours admiring the incredible fiber arts on display there. As is always the case, our guests, who were humoring us by agreeing to go to the museum, were amazed by what they saw! This is NOT your grandma’s quilt museum! Should you ever find yourself in Paducah, whether you are a quilter or not, male or female, young or old – please trust me and spend an hour in the National Quilt Museum. You will not be disappointed – except that you can’t take photos! Judy, Jenny, Jim, and Alex all agreed that the museum is badly named and they were glad we insisted they visit it. Like I said – just trust us. I go every time I’m in town, as the exhibits change regularly.
By the time we walked back in the hot sun, we were all screaming for ice cream, so back we went to Curls & Cream – since Jim and Alex had missed yesterday’s run. I opted for S’mores this time -so good! Kim had Oreo with pecans, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. Yum! We wanted to show the gang the Hotel 1857, and it just happened that the bar was open and the AC was going strong, so we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon there, chatting with Jacob the bartender and with other patrons (including a bourbon purveyor). Before we knew it, it was time to go to Doe’s Eat Place for dinner. Doe’s was packed and the place was hopping! Somehow, we managed to eat most of our steaks and shrimp – again, Doe’s knows steak!
By this time, we were all about to crash, so we headed back to the hotel so that we could rest up for the big event! Thanks, Kim Ford, for having Kim & me!!
Grace Episcopal Church, Paducah KY
Greenway trails
The duck pond at Noble Park
Walking along the levee
Why did the ducks cross the road?
Such good bread!
Eclipse cookies at Kirchhoff’s
Lewis & Clark and Sacajawea in front og the Quilt Museum
The Yeiser yak is ready for the eclipse
Love the Curls & Cream t-shirts!
This is how they roll the ice cream – so cool!
My s’mores cup with Reese’s, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. And toasted marshmallows, of course!
I love to travel, especially by car. I’ve been to all fifty states, most of them more than once. In fact, I think Alaska is the only state I’ve only been to one time. I’ve been to a lot of state capitols – gone through security (for the few that have them!), signed their guest registers, taken tours, taken tons of photos, and marveled at the grandeur of some and the simplicity of others.
I’ve lived in four states – Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Texas. A couple of years ago, my sister and I, who grew up in Kentucky, went inside the Kentucky state capitol in Frankfort for the first time ever. Care to guess three other state capitols I have NOT been inside? Bingo – Tennessee, North Carolina, and Texas! Why do we do that? Why is it that we make it a point to see the unfamiliar while we ignore what’s in our own backyard?
I’m on the road again, with my sister, and we spent the past day or so touring eastern Kentucky, traveling on roads through counties we’d only heard of (our whole lives!) but had NEVER been near. We sat through a traffic jam (due to a bad wreck) in Hazard (yes, that same Dukes of Hazzard Hazard!), stopped at farmers’ market in Corbin (home of the Colonel Sanders Cafe and Museum), sat down and listened to Loretta Lynn in Butcher Holler, gazed at the strip mines and the stuff that came out of them, passed through towns like Eighty-eight, Rowdy, Sassafras, Seventy-six, and Dice, and we started our day the best way – admiring a spectacular rainbow caused by Cumberland Falls.
We traveled on US highways, state highways, county roads, roads with four numbers that are barely over two lanes wide and are very curvy, parkways, scenic byways, and even a few miles (less than twenty!) on interstates. We dodged critters – deer, dogs, cats, and raccoons – and saw (and smelled) plenty of evidence of those that didn’t get out of the way fast enough. We delighted in the thousands of lightning bugs we saw last night, and we noticed that even the smallest of towns in eastern Kentucky seemed to have Dollar General Stores, Arby’s, McDonald’s, Subway, Long John Silvers, KFC, and of course, Wal-Mart. A dismal commentary, in my mind!
We traversed the Daniel Boone National Forest, much of which probably hasn’t changed since Daniel Boone passed through, and we rode up the Country Music Highway. We have a new appreciation for the other end of our home state, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we come back some day. So what’s in your backyard that you haven’t explored? What is it you don’t appreciate or that you just take for granted? I’ll bet that if you made it a point to treat your home town or state as an exotic location, you’d find jewels just like we have!
Monday, 6 June 2011
Cumberland Falls KY to Ripley WV 324 miles
We started our day with a big delicious breakfast at the Dupont Lodge. The dining room looks out over the Cumberland River, and one wall of the room is windows. Just outside the windows is a garden with lots of bird feeders. Brilliant yellow gold finches were feasting on thistle seeds and ingenious squirrels were doing their best to get a free meal, too. The window next to our table had little paw prints on it, about two or three feet up. We weren’t sure which animal had made them until we saw a raccoon out there scrounging around! We had a good laugh when we looked up to see a man in plaid shorts and a beret out there, too!
We were thrilled to see country ham on the breakfast menu – we had come home! We shared a breakfast of country ham, potatoes, cooked apples, biscuits, redeye gravy, and eggs. It was the perfect way to start the day and it made us think of Daddy, who LOVED country ham and redeye gravy. After our meal, we went up to the patio and took some pictures of the river and the valley below, and then we were off to the Falls.
Cumberland Falls is the only waterfall in the western hemisphere that has a regular and predictable moonbow. Victoria Falls in Africa is the only other waterfall that does, although Niagara sometimes has one. A moonbow occurs only during a full moon, just after the moon has risen high enough in the sky to cause enough light to shine on the falls in a way that forms a spectrum like a rainbow. Sadly, we weren’t there during a full moon, but we enjoyed the rainbow that was vibrant and big on this day! Lots of photos later, we were ready to hit the road. Never mind that it was after noon before we left – it took us a while to get back in road trip mode!
The first town that we came to was Corbin, home of the Colonel Sanders Cafe and Museum. Given our late start, along with other things that we wanted to do and see, we didn’t stop…but we did stop at a Farmer’s Market to buy some fresh peaches. Even though Kim and I grew up in Kentucky, neither of us had been much east of I-75, so we were looking forward to exploring Appalachia in our home state. It was surprising to us to see so many coal mines still operating. Our drive through the mountains was beautiful, though, especially in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Another surprise along the way – a traffic jam in Hazard – go figure! It was caused by an accident, but still! Our main route today was Highway 23, also known as the Country Music Highway because of the multitude of talent born and raised along this route. We stopped at the Country Music Highway Museum in Paintsville to learn some more about these singers. It was a small museum, but pretty new and very nicely done. The most famous singers from this area are Loretta Lynn and her baby sister, Crystal Gayle, who were born in nearby Butcher Holler. Other big names that you may recognize are Tom T. Hall, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, Naomi and Wynonna Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dwight Yoakam, and Patty Loveless. There were others, but that should give you some idea! The woman in the museum was so friendly and helpful – we were glad we had stopped!
From Paintsville we continued north on US 23 until we were almost to West Virginia. We crossed the Ohio River on the Kentucky side of Huntington and hopped on US 60 into Charleston. Highway 60 goes all the way across Kentucky to Paducah, so it was fun to be on it in West Virginia. We had hoped to stop in at the Blenko Glass museum in Milton, but it was after five by the time we got there, so we just kept going. Thankfully, the capitol building in Charleston was open until 7 PM, so we knew we would get to see it! Charleston was much prettier than I expected it to be, and the capitol was big and domed. It was not the prettiest one we’ve seen, but by no means was it the ugliest, either! My favorite thing there was a cool statue of Abe Lincoln out front. It was called “Lincoln at Midnight” and he is pacing the halls in his bathrobe. Oddly enough, just a few yards away was a statue of native son Stonewall Jackson. That unpleasantness really caused big divisions, didn’t it?
A couple of high school kids were getting their (prom? graduation?) pictures taken on the capitol steps, so that was some good entertainment for us. She was in a short bright royal blue dress and had a matching blue streak in the front of her very blonde hair. She wore 4″ high heels (black) and her bra was almost completely exposed in the back as her strapless dress rode lower and lower. Her boyfriend was wearing a blue tie that matched her dress, and someone’s mom was playing photographer. A little brother was getting over it pretty quickly. We just snickered. And took a couple of pictures. So mean.
We had thought we would spend the night here, but it was early enough when we left the capitol that we thought we’d move on, provided we could find a place to stay that wasn’t too far away. Once we got that taken care of, off we went. Ripley was our destination, and we got there with no problem. Our biggest fear once there was that we wouldn’t find a place for dinner, and breakfast was a LONG time ago! The only non-chain restaurant in town (that we could find out about) was a Mexican joint in a nearby strip shopping center, so that’s where we went. Kim had enchiladas and I had a chili relleno and a burrito. Not bad! So there you have it – day two, in the bag!
Sunday 5 June 2011
Nashville TN to Cumberland Falls KY 210 miles
My flight was late, but my bags made it (long story, just know it’s a minor miracle that they made it to Nashville with me and not to Austin with Rex. Rex’s bag was found a few days ago in Baltimore…) and Kim picked me up at BNA about 4 PM. We were both starving, so we totally broke one of our major Sassy Sister Road Rules and stopped at Wendy’s for a little snack. It just turned out that we had exited on US 31E, which is exactly where we needed to be, so after we were not starving, off we went. Our destination – Cumberland Falls State Park in Kentucky, allegedly 3.5 hours from Nashville. And what was the first photo that we took? It was a pink elephant! Who knew it would not be the ONLY one we saw?!?
As we drove along admiring the many large horse farms, old tobacco barns, and the gently rolling hills of middle Tennessee, we realized that a big storm must have recently passed through. We saw branches and even trees down, and lots of leaves and sticks all over the place, and the road was still wet. Glad we missed that! Before long we were in Kentucky, and it was here that I had to really start paying attention to the maps and navigating. Those of you who have followed us in years past will be glad to know that we remembered to gas up before we got off the main highway! We also had to stop around 9 PM or so at an Arby’s (twice in one day we are ordering from chain restaurants!!) and get some food to take with us so that we could have a little supper if we ever arrived.
Along the way, we saw lots of critters – dogs, cats, alpacas, skunk (well, we mostly smelled them, and knew we were home again!), and LOTS of deer. Our favorite critters of the night – a rock formation on the side of the road that was painted to look like a cow jumping over the road, and the thousands of fireflies that decorated the countryside and transported us back to our childhoods. Kim did a great job dodging the deer, many of whom jumped out onto the road as if they wanted to ride with us.
We’ve learned a few things about the numbering system of highways – the big US highways are usually one digit or two; state roads are often double or triple digits; county roads are the triple digits; and the four digit roads….well, they are often like single lane streets, and they don’t always find their way onto printed maps. We’ve become pretty familiar with some of them over the past few years! We found ourselves on routes 90, 92, 27, 700, 1162 (as well as some un-numbered and unnamed roads), and 90 again before we made it to Cumberland Falls, but of course, we made it. One other observation from our evening drive – we are still baffled by roundabouts, especially when listening to the Garmin!
We checked into DuPont Lodge at Cumberland Falls State Park, found our room (not without a bit of difficulty, and without the benefit of elevators), and had a bit of a laugh about it. We had been told it was a small room, but we figured any room that was big enough for two queen sized beds couldn’t be too small. Let’s just say it was big enough for two queen sized beds. But it also had a chair, a table with a TV (old kind, not flat screen) on it, and a night stand. That was pushing it a little! We got settled, enjoyed our little Arby’s picnic, and hit the sack, ready for a big adventure.
We weren’t in a big rush this morning, since we didn’t have far to go today. On the agenda – breakfast, a visit to Graceland Too in Holly Springs (allegedly open 24/7, in the home of an eccentric Elvis-loving man), a stop at Kim’s house in Memphis, and ending up in Paducah in time to eat at Doe’s (we were already craving chocolate cobbler…) It was a little drizzly and foggy – the perfect weather for dawdling. We weren’t sure where to eat, but since Oxford is a college town, we knew there would be some great breakfast places nearby. Sure enough, a little research on the iphone took us straight to Big Bad Breakfast, which was tucked away in a little strip shopping center. I was pretty sure I would like it just from the name, but when we walked through the front door, which was clearly recycled from a college classroom and bore the label “Organic Chemistry” I knew we had come to the right place!
The menu looked great – obviously lots of dishes were prepared with locally grown and/or fresh ingredients, although you can probably guess that there weren’t many ‘heart-healthy’ items on the list. Kim chose the Big Bad Breakfast, which was scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast. I got the Secret History, which was fantastic! It was a huge omelet, made with shallots, fresh herbs, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese, and it was served with home fries and a big biscuit. Best part about the biscuit (which I couldn’t finish) was the homemade raspberry jam. Great way to start the day! Another thing we loved about it was the light fixtures over each booth. All different and all made from recycled items – see for yourself!
Holly Springs and Graceland Too are just up the road from Oxford, so off we went. Kim’s daughter, Kerry, has visited GT many times, so we had an idea what to expect. It would be a little hard to describe, and many others have tried. Sadly, there were two things that we weren’t prepared for – first, the house is not pink and second, contrary to ALL published accounts and first-hand reports, NO ONE CAME TO THE DOOR! We rang the bell, we knocked, we honked, we yelled, we circled the property, we attempted to agitate the dog, we stood around for much longer than we should have, and we DIDN’T GET IN!! Bummer. NOTE: It is permanently closed as of 2014, when the owner died.
Spurned by the host who is always home, we dejectedly got back in the car and headed for Memphis. We arrived just about the time we knew that Jim would be on his lunch break, and sure enough, we tracked him down. Since we were still stuffed from breakfast and Jim had finished lunch, we just settled for hugs in the parking lot. We stopped by Kim’s house just long enough for her to gather up some things she needed, clean out the car a little bit, off-load some things we wouldn’t need any more, and to give Kim some time to take care of a little business since she’d been gone for a couple of weeks.
In one of our less than stellar moves, we decided to take the “scenic” route to Paducah, and rather than taking the normal, albeit boring route up the parkway from Fulton, we got back on the Great River Road and toured rural (very rural) western Kentucky. There had been so much rain lately that the road itself looked like a river in places! There was not much to see, although we did see a magnificent heron taking flight.
We had some fond memories of family outings and picnics at Columbus-Belmont State Park, so we set our sights for it. To give you a little background – Columbus Belmont is right on the Mississippi River, and it’s where Confederate troops got the bright idea to stretch a giant chain across the river in an attempt to stop the advancing Union troops. You get a gold star if you figured out that the plan didn’t work. But here’s a piece of the chain and a look at the river!
Columbus was called the “Gibraltar of the West” by the Confederates, and was considered by them the key to their defense of the upper Mississippi River valley. The anchor weighs six tons…
It was dreary and raining a little bit while we were here, and it probably goes without saying that we were the only ones visiting this out of the way state park today. I’m not even sure if the rangers were there! We are impressed by the Kentucky State Park system, though. Many of the parks have gorgeous and challenging golf courses, and most of them have pretty decent lodging and camping facilities. Much better than the NC state parks I’ve seen! As we left the park, we just decided to make a beeline for Paducah (not that there is a very direct route from here to anywhere…) but we got stopped by a commotion in the middle of the road.
It was almost dark by the time we got to town, so we checked into our new home away from home (it’s really strange to stay in a hotel room in the town you grew up in) and then we went straight downtown to Doe’s. The Barbeque on the River fest was in full swing, although given the lateness of the hour and the rain that was starting to fall, we were able to get a parking place without too much trouble. The lower blocks of Broadway and Jefferson were closed to vehicles, and there were still LOTS of people downtown. Thankfully, most of them were eating barbeque, so we got a great table right in front of the Ole Miss – South Carolina football game on the big screen. Gotta love Thursday night football! Doe’s was worth the wait – man, is their food good! Kim opted for their famous tamales and chili, but I splurged on a nice big rare filet and a perfect baked potato. Good eats! But the best was yet to come – the main reason we came was for the chocolate cobbler, and we were not disappointed! Don’t miss Doe’s when you come to Paducah!
We were excited to be back in our hometown and were looking forward to reconnecting with our high school classmates over the next few days. But for now, stuffed and sated and sleepy, it was dreamtime!
As predicted, the day dawned a bit on the overcast side. We wondered why we had not saved the cave for today, but since it sounded like it was REALLY raining in the area where we would be going, we decided to spend a little more time in Kentucky. After getting clean in our little slanty wigwam shower, we headed out into a little Mother Nature shower, bound for the Cream and Sugar Cafe that we passed yesterday in Cave City. It was a lovely space, with a hardwood floor and cheery yellow walls filled with original art. Our server was a little ray of sunshine on this cloudy day, and our breakfast arrived in a jiffy on darling little cherry plates. Kim had country (not city) ham and eggs with a biscuit, and I got the Highlander omelet – ham, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and cheese – with a biscuit. The perfect way to start the day!
Here’s how nice they are at Cream and Sugar – my friend Anne liked the dishes in this picture so much that she emailed the cafe, and they wrote her right back with info about where to purchase them!
[NOTE: Cream & Sugar Cafe is permanently closed. So sad.]
Our morning’s destination was Kentucky Down Under, an attraction in nearby Horse Cave that boasted a collection of Australian animals, a cave, and several other items of interest. Since I’ve just returned from Australia, I thought it would be funny to have pictures of kangaroos taken in Kentucky! We got there just in time for the 10 AM cave tour, which we weren’t necessarily planning to take, but when we heard it was a short tour and that the cave had lots of formations, we changed our minds. Our tour guide, Shannon, was a local girl whose grandfather had led tours of this same cave. The only other cavers with us were a mom and her four-year-old son, so we got personal attention. This cave is called Mammoth Onyx Cave, as the owners of this land tried to catch tourists before they got to Mammoth Cave (back in the day).
The cave was allegedly discovered by a young girl in 1799, who stumbled upon the entrance (a 30 foot deep sinkhole) while she was playing in the woods. When the owners first began exploiting the cave as a tourist attraction, visitors climbed down (and back up) a wooden ladder through this hole. Imagine the clothes women wore back in the early 19th century and picture that! Since this small cave is open to the surface and is not protected by a sandstone layer like Mammoth Cave is, it is a wet cave and therefore has lots of wonderful formations. It was slippery going in the cave, and some of the passages were quite narrow, but the formations were pretty cool. My favorite one looked like a chocolate fountain! The colors ranged from a light brownish yellow to deep red-orange to chocolate brown. Early visitors to the cave were allowed to break off pieces of stalactites to take home as souvenirs, but today more care is taken to protect the cave.
There was a small pond in the cave that used to be a home to eyeless fish and crawfish, but they are no longer living due to the number of pennies that were thrown into the pond by sightseers (over $20,000 worth!) One of the fun things they always do in caves is turn out all of the lights so that you can experience utter darkness – it is always a surprise to me how very BLACK it is with no light, and how even one little light can illuminate so much! On the way back up the stairs and out of the cave we spotted several small (two or three inch long) salamanders, which is a good sign for the health of the cave. Thankfully, even though it had been overcast and much rain was predicted for the day, we didn’t get flooded down in the cave. Shannon told us she had given tours ankle deep in water!
Back out in the heat and the light (did I mention the humidity?), we went to our first Down Under exhibit, which was about bringing non-native plants and animals to the continent of Australia. I found it interesting that there was no mention of bringing non-native animals (like kangaroos) to the US, but maybe that’s just me. The presenter of this exhibit, Jesse, did a great job. He talked about seemingly non-threatening animals that the British introduced that have since caused much harm, chief among them being rabbits. The Australians had even built a LONG ‘vermin-proof’ fence in Western Australia just to keep rabbits out of the many sheep stations there. Of course, the rabbits just burrowed under it. Other animals he talked about were dogs, sheep, goats, and camels. The camel turned out to be a good thing, as it was good for traversing the desert which occupies so much of the interior of Australia. We met Camelia (original name, huh?) and then we were on to our next stop – the kangaroos!
The exhibit here had three kinds of kangaroos – the reds, the Eastern grays, and the smaller wallabies. We were able to pet a couple of them, but most of the kangas were just lying around being lazy. They were cute, though, and it sure was funny to see them in Kentucky! Also in the enclosure were black swans and emus. We got to pet an emu, too, and feel how thick its feathers are. No wonder it can’t fly – they were heavy! From the kangaroo pen, we walked over to the lorikeets. These birds were by far my favorite Australian birds – they are so colorful! Green, blue, red, and yellow – just like a rainbow of birds. These guys knew it was feeding time, and they could hardly wait until we got in the pen. One landed on Kim’s shoulder and stayed there the whole time! Another stopped on her head for a little while, but it was really funny to see the birds on the heads of the bald men!
We had missed the border collie shepherding event, but we got to feed some lambs and see several different kinds of rams. I didn’t realize that some rams do not have horns, and I surely didn’t know that one variety of ram can have up to twenty horns!! The little boy who had been on our cave tour also got to milk this GIANT cow. From here, we went through the exhibit that had lots of different bird cages. The birds are so exotic and pretty! We had missed the morning digeridoo recital, and we chose not to wait for the 3:00 show, so after a quick stop at the dingo pen, we were on our way. This was a nice little park and one I would recommend if you find yourself in the area for a few hours.
Since we were trying to let the southern torrential rains work their way east before we went south, we decided to take the Cordell Hull Scenic Byway down to Tompkinsville, KY instead of going straight to Nashville. This route took us through the metropolis of Glasgow, where we got hungry for some lunch. Even though we had our Road Food book with us, it was of no use in this part of the state. As much as I’ve liked most of the places I’ve eaten on the Sterns’ recommendation, my biggest gripe about their books is that often, you need to stay in one area for many meals, and then you might go hungry before you find your next good place to eat! You’ve probably realized that our trips are as much about food as anything, and we’ve learned to sniff out the local eateries pretty well. Now with Garmins and iphones, in addition to AAA and books like Road Food, it’s even easier. And so we found ourselves navigating the streets of Glasgow, circling the town square and landing in the parking lot of the Li’l Country Diner, a very non-descript looking building with a large, mostly empty, gravel parking lot. Given that it was about 2:00, this didn’t dissuade us. Good thing, ‘cause there were some good eats inside! We got the meat and two, for which both of us chose roast beef and gravy, mashed potatoes (and gravy), and green beans. I also succumbed to the pull of a freshly made deviled egg, and of course we each had a roll and a huge glass of iced tea with lemon. The pie of the day was butterscotch, but for once we were able to control ourselves. We did have the foresight to take a half-pint of homemade pimiento cheese with us, and you can’t beat the prices here – both of our lunches, plus the cheese, cost under $15…
[NOTE: I think this place is closed, too.]
Off we went, stopping at the Sonic for our road tea, headed for Tompkinsville, where we didn’t know what we might find. The road was pretty and before too long we were there. We saw signs for the Old Mulkey Meeting House, so we went to see what that was. It was a lovely old log church meeting house, set in the woods next to some old cemeteries. In the afternoon mist it made a great picture. Several of Daniel Boone’s relatives, including his sister, were buried there. Sheila, the lady at the visitor center told us that back in town, Tompkinsville was famous for its Rolley Hole Marble players. She suggested that we stop in at the Monroe County Marble Club Super Dome and watch some marbles being played. She gave us a map and a description of Rolley Hole marbles, so off we went.
Well, I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but this was NOT it!! I’m afraid a written description won’t do it justice, and neither will my photos – you sort of had to be there! To get to the Dome, we hung a left at the IGA and went past the Armory and its many warnings and no trespassing signs, and then we came upon a sort of Quonset hut-like structure, if Quonset huts were made of wood and looked like they could fall down any time. Since we were looking for a dome, we were a little surprised, but since the road ended in the parking lot (I use the term loosely), we figured this was the place. Then we saw the ‘marquee’ that said Monroe County Rolley Hole Marble Dome and we were sure we were in the right place. We were soon greeted by three men who somehow knew we were not regulars there! We were just hoping we weren’t about to become permanent residents. But we needn’t have worried – they were very hospitable and invited us into the inner sanctum.
The arena consisted of a large dirt (special dirt) floor marked off by a wooden wall about 8-10 inches high. The court (?) rink (?) was surrounded by chairs and recliners in all stages of disrepair. Sort of like a LaZBoy hospice. Or cemetery. In the middle of the court were three shallow holes, apparently where you want the marbles to end up. The shooters that the men use are made of flint or granite and can be different sizes. They can make you one, if you forgot yours. The place was even air-conditioned, if you count fans and large open doors as air conditioning. I’m thinking it could get cold in there in the winter!
HERE is a great article about the Rolley Hole Super Dome and the men who play there. Spoiler alert, they are WORLD CHAMPION Rolley Hole players! And if you have a dead recliner, send it to Tompkinsville, KY. They can use it at the Marble Dome!
These were our hosts at the Rolley Hole Super Dome.
On the way out of town, we stopped at the IGA to get supplies for the road – saltines for our pimiento cheese, cold brew tea bags, and ice. We were good to go! We had thought we might take scenic route KY 100 over to Scottsville before heading south to Nashville, but after our recent Close Encounter of the Deliverance Kind, we just went south!
Right past the Tennessee state line, we came face-to-face with a grazing buffalo, and then we started seeing some large horse farms. Soon we were nearing Gallatin and surely we were passing some homes of country music stars – big spreads! Kim’s son’s girlfriend, Laura, works in Gallatin, so we gave her a call and stopped in to see her. We invited her to dinner with us and made arrangements for our room for the night, and then we took off for Franklin via downtown Nashville. Even at 6 PM and leaving about 15 minutes after we did, Laura had time to go to the grocery before Lee (our Garmin mate) had gotten us through the center of town. We did get a good look at the Titans stadium, the Cumberland River, the old Union Station, and the state Capitol though! We drove right through Vanderbilt’s campus and eventually got to our hotel in Brentwood. Laura met us there and we enjoyed being in civilization by getting sushi at Peter’s Sushi in Cool Springs. I got Spicy Catfish (a Thai entrée) and Kim and Laura got sushi rolls. We didn’t see anyone famous except In the photos on the walls.
We were grateful to have made it to Tennessee and to have missed most of the rain, although it was POURING when we got home from dinner. Tomorrow, it’s Natchez Trace time!
This morning we were up before the sun – a rare occurrence – because we had lots to see and do. Just as we were leaving the hotel, we got a message from Jim, another of our high school friends who lives in Louisville. We decided to take a short detour by his house to say hello on our way out of town. It was great to see him and his home studio – he’s gone from lawyer to artist, so that’s a good thing in my book! I ate part of my caramel Dutch apple pie (no, Kim didn’t want any) on the way there and we didn’t ever really stop for a proper breakfast, so Kim scarfed down a granola bar for sustenance.
Today’s destination was Mammoth Cave National Park, which is in south central Kentucky. I think we took Hwy 31 E down there – whatever road it was went through some pretty green rolling hills and some not too thriving looking little towns. We decided this part of Kentucky is nice where there is no population center but looks pretty shabby where there are people. Not sure exactly what that says… We passed very little industry – a small cooperage, likely making bourbon barrels, was about the extent of it.
Our route took us through Hodgenville, which is the birthplace of Kentucky’s favorite son, Abraham Lincoln. Just north of there we passed Abe’s birthplace, which was being reconstructed (?) by state workers and cleaned up by state detainees. We didn’t linger. The town square of Hodgenville is dominated by a large statue of Abe, and banners were flying that noted it was the 200th anniversary of his birth. We sort of took a wrong turn (I know, hard to imagine) on our way out of town, so we missed the shrine to the cabin where he actually entered the world. We had seen it before in our formative years, so we didn’t turn around. We were on a bit of a schedule, never a good thing with us, since we had a cave tour at noon.
We knew we were getting close when we passed Wigwam Village #2, which was where we would be spending the night. We drove on through Cave City and as soon as we neared the interstate interchange, we found fast food joints lining one side of the highway and really cheesy looking ‘attractions’ lining the other (cave side). This couldn’t even qualify for one of our “Gatlinburg of the ____________” designations – too depressing! We saw Dinosaur World, a couple of closed and/or abandoned mini golf courses, Big Mike’s Rock Shop, an almost reasonable facsimile of a water slide, and a few campgrounds and playgrounds. You could tell there is a recession here!
The drive to the cave is lovely – tree-lined and peaceful, at least for today. One of the many benefits of traveling in the off-season! We arrived at the visitors’ center (also under construction, so at least someone is working) in plenty of time for our tour. As we sat through the requisite warnings about the dangers of city spelunking, we wondered about the people in our group to whom the ranger seemed to be talking, but who did not seem to think they were the targeted audience. I’m thinking it would be a great idea to have something akin to the height requirement sticks like they use at Disney, except for girth here! No lie, sitting near us was a large man so square that he looked like Sponge Bob, and he didn’t even look at his wife (also on the large side, but in a completely different way) when the ranger talked about traversing Fat Man’s Misery and walking up 400+ stairs in the dark, gloomy, cold, remote, deep cave. Go figure.
We had chosen to do the two hour Historic Tour of the cave, which meant we just walked down the hill to the original entrance to the cave. Before we even got down the stairs to the entrance, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees. The cave stays about 54 – 60 degrees F year-round, so most of us were putting on jackets at the entrance. Mammoth Cave is VERY aptly named – it is HUGE!!! To date, about 367 miles of passageways have been mapped, and some people estimate there could be as many as 1000 miles of caveways!!! Our first stop was the enormous Rotunda, where there is still evidence of the salt peter mining that took place here in the early 1800’s. An essential ingredient for gunpowder, the cave was a major supplier of ammo for the War of 1812.
Deeper into the cave we walked, wondering what it must have been like to have been one of the early explorers of such a giant underground labyrinth. Because this cave is covered by a layer of sandstone (the cave itself is limestone), it is largely protected from the elements and is a dry cave. That means a couple of things – it’s not slippery and wet like some caves, and it doesn’t have the same kind of cool formations like stalactites and stalagmites that most of us associate with caves. That did make the walking part a bit easier, but we still squeezed through the serpentine Fat Man’s Misery and duck-walked through Tall Man’s Misery. We sort of stayed at the end of the pack, not wanting to witness anyone getting stuck…Thankfully, no one did that we saw!
We passed the Giant’s Coffin and the Bottomless Pit, the Methodist Church and the Cathedral, and then it was time to start back up and out. We didn’t find the stairs to be too bad, but we were in the minority. Lots of whining and huffing and puffing going on! One man kept asking if anyone had ever had a heart attack down here – who needs to know that??? Turns out our ranger, William, was from near Paducah, but he never would say exactly where. Out we went from the coolness of the cave into the heat and humidity we’ve long been accustomed to. It was 2:00 on the nose (I don’t know how they do that) so we headed back to Cave City in search of food.
But wait – a detour – we stopped in at Big Mike’s, where we somehow refrained from buying more glass rocks (even though they had some nice ones!) and went straight for the main attraction – Big Mike’s Mystery House. At only $1 per head, how could we resist seeing gravity defied??? Clearly devised in the late 60’s or early 70’s by someone stoned, we loved it! Black light posters that we used to have lined the hallways, and we stood up on a slanty table, watched water flow uphill, and got damn near dizzy with the optical illusions there. David, our guide, cracked us up, too. As he reminded us – it’s only a dollar!!
By now, we were really hungry, so we stopped in at the Watermill Restaurant because it was open. They had a great buffet, but since it was almost three, we didn’t want to spoil our dinner. I had the vegetable plate with green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy.. pinto beans, and cornbread. Kim (of the no-breakfast) had a cheeseburger and fries. We were ready to face the rest of the day!
We had just enough time to run down to Bowling Green and see the National Corvette Museum, so off we went. WOW!! It’s a huge complex, just across the street from where ‘Vettes are manufactured. They’ve done a wonderful job with the displays and dioramas, and you just wouldn’t believe how many people have donated or loaned their cars to the museum. Of course, we loved the Route 66 display! There’s also a Hall of Fame section (which is housed in the cool part of the museum that you see from the outside). One of the cars there is the only 1983 Corvette still in existence.
After the museum closed at five, we headed back to Cave City and our Wigwam, and then we called my friend Leanne, who lives nearby. These wigwams weren’t quite as nice as the ones we stayed in while in Holbrook, AZ, on Route 66, but they were very similar! Not much extra space, and no internet connection (unless we sat outside on the bench in front of our teepee). Leanne came over for a wigwam visit and then she went with us to eat dinner at Snappy’s Pizza [NOTE: Permanently closed] in Horse Cave. Kim and I had spaghetti that was just fine, but we were closing the place down at about 8:30. Sidewalks roll up early here!
Back at the wigwam, we sat outside on our computers until a cat jumped up on the back of the bench, leapt over me, and walked across Kim’s keyboard. That put me inside, where I had to take care of a giant green grasshopper in our shower. It’s such an exciting life! The TV was attached to a cable, but reception was awful, so that was it for me.
Having a bad day in Louisville? Just head on over to Lynn’s Paradise Cafe and World of Swirl and everything will be all better! And did you know they take reservations there – definitely the way to go!! We had made reservations for 11:30 Sunday morning and even though the place was packed and the line was long, we got seated on the patio right away! It was a gloriously beautiful day, and being surrounded by all the pink, purple, yellow, and red silk flowers just made it perfect. And then we saw the menu. OMG!!! I almost got what would have amounted to dessert for breakfast – thick slices of cinnamon swirl bread, griddled in vanilla nutmeg batter, smothered with chocolate sauce, strawberries, and whipped cream, disguised as French Toast – but sanity prevailed. Instead, I had the Kentucky Farmhouse Scramble – three eggs, scrambled with roasted red peppers and country ham, topped with local cheese and tobacco onions, served with fried green tomatoes, bread with honey butter, and a side of cheese grits like you’ve never tasted! I guess that could be a heart attack disguised as breakfast, but it was SO GOOD!!!! Kim had the fried green tomato BLT with a side of fruit. She is so good…
[NOTE: Sadly, Lynn’s is no longer open, as of January 2013. A pity.]
We loved the people watching there and had fun after breakfast looking through the gift shop (the World of Swirl) and checking out some of the fun displays out in the parking lot. Peppy had fun posing as a spoon. From here, we drove over to the lovely Cave Hill Cemetery, which is the final resting place of Colonel Sanders and George Rogers Clark, among others. The cemetery is HUGE, and even though we got directions to the Colonel’s grave, we got a little lost. Imagine that. But we found it, many other interesting monuments (we loved the magician’s), AND we got out.
Our next stop was Churchill Downs, where the famous twin spires have pretty much been overshadowed by the sky boxes, museum, and other signs of progress… The museum was closed due to flood damage, so we just took some photos out in the parking lot. The monument to Barbaro was stunning – he looked like he was in full gallop, riding through the air.
We drove through the UofL campus and found our way back to the Hyatt, where we parked the car and started off walking. On the way to the Louisville Slugger plant, we passed lots of the Gallopalooza horses on display throughout town, and then we went past the 21c Museum Hotel, which was decorated with red penguins and had a pomegranate stretch limousine parked out front.
Perhaps we should have stayed here – check it out:
“21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, KY is the first of its kind—a 90-room hotel dedicated to accessible luxuries, Southern-style hospitality and contemporary art from living artists, exhibited throughout its galleries and public space. Among the many upscale offerings: iPods with a wide variety of music for guests’ listening pleasure, award winning design and décor, poster art, 42″ HDTV flat screen televisions, WiFi, 500 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets imported from Italy crowning the exquisite bedding, silver mint julep cups, gourmet coffee makers, mini-bar refrigerators, Malin + Goetz bath amenities, and nightly turn down and Concierge services. The hotel also offers a full exercise facility with a steam room, sauna and spa services. And, of course, red penguins.”
Around the corner, we passed a strange sculpture of Daniel Boone, and then we arrived at the Louisville Slugger factory and museum. You can’t miss it – the world’s largest baseball bat is propped up on the building. It’s 120 feet high and weighs 68.000 pounds!! It’s hollow, and could hold 30,000 gallons of water…. We had to laugh, because right next door is the Kentucky Mirror and Plate Glass Company, complete with a mural of a baseball breaking a window. We popped in long enough to get our tour ticket, even though supposedly they don’t do tours on Sunday, and then we walked around the corner to GlassWorks. One of the cool things about Louisville is that lots of the museums are all situated near each other – the Science Museum was just across the street from Louisville Slugger. Makes it easy to see a lot in a little bit of time!
Glassworks was worth a look – we wanted to see the gallery there. Kim is a fused glass artist (she has done some great stuff!!!) so even though there was a lot more blown glass than fused, it was still fun to see all the creativity and talent on display. Back we went to the Slugger, where we joined about 20 other people for a really interesting tour of the factory. Great interactive displays and very knowledgeable guides made this a fun activity. It was hard to believe that all Louisville Slugger bats are made here, and that most of the wooden bats in use are Sluggers. Yet another example of a family-owned, small, very successful Kentucky companies – they may be onto something! Make sure to stop by next time you’re in Louisville!
On the way back to the hotel, we walked down by the river (the mighty Ohio, for those a little geography challenged) and we agreed that Louisville has really not capitalized on the riverfront like it could have. The Ohio also flows past our hometown of Paducah, where it is a focal point of the city. No wonder riverboat riders are pleasantly surprised when they stop over in Paducah! We re-entered the city on 4th Street at the Galt House and took our souvenir bats back to our hotel room. When we got hungry (did you notice we didn’t have lunch???) we walked down 4th Street Live in hopes of finding something good, but we found nothing that suited us. Back to the car!
We found our way down Bardstown Road and stopped in at Wick’s Pizza, which was hopping with football fans. It reminded me of Mellow Mushroom, so you know it was good! We chilled over our Blue Moons and pizza and watched a little football, then we went looking for Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen. Aaahh, sweet reward! This is my kind of place! We shared a piece of chocolate chess pie with cookie dough ice cream, and I got a piece of caramel Dutch apple to go (for a healthy breakfast). We sat outside – perfect weather – and enjoyed our slice!
Since we didn’t have a wheelbarrow, we had to waddle back to the car and to the hotel, where I was too stuffed to blog. What a satisfying day!!
We were up early for the exciting festivities of the day, but it was still later than we wanted it to be by the time we got going. We went back to the area where we were last night, since we had seen a little diner that we were hoping would be open. Sure enough, the “Open” light was glowing in the window of the Backstretch Diner, so we found a booth and settled in. We were glad to see country ham on the menu, so we both ordered it – that is some good eatin’! The diner was not full, but was doing a brisk business – well, not too brisk – we had to wait a pretty long time for our food, but it was tasty.
After breakfast, we stopped at a little bakery across the street and got some cookies for the road – you never know when you might find yourself out in the middle of nowhere… We were so impressed that the young girl behind the counter at the bakery tied our box with string, although it was clear she had grown up there. Her pictures, from birth to present, were covering the walls of this family-owned shop. Any place that you can get freshly baked cookies at 9 AM is all right with me!
From cookies to candy we went – straight to the Rebecca Ruth candy factory, which is housed in a house! There’s a wonderful story here but all you really need to know is that they make the BEST bourbon balls, as they should, since they invented them! It’s hard to believe that all this delicious candy is made in this little factory inside a house on a regular street in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Around the corner we went, and soon we were standing on the front steps of Kentucky’s state capitol. We found it to be one of the most beautiful capitol buildings we’ve seen, and we make it a habit to stop in any capitols we happen on as we travel. We had to laugh though, to realize that even though we spent our first 18 years living in Kentucky, we had never been to our own state capitol. Guess that’s what happens when your parents are from Tennessee! I was most surprised to see that Kentucky honors Jefferson Davis in its rotunda – not that I think they shouldn’t, I was just surprised they did. It has always been interesting to me that both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were from Kentucky, a border state that never went one way or the other during the War Between the States. Of course, we’re still a bit backwards here in Kentucky, since smack in the middle of the First Lady Inaugural Ball Dress exhibit was Martha Layne Collins, and she was the GOVERNOR, not a first lady!!!!! What gives there?
Capitol buildings intrigue me, too – some are in small towns like Frankfort, in the middle of a very normal, middle-class neighborhood, while some are in the center of huge cities. Some are surrounded by security and official looking cars and signs, and some you just walk right in without seeing anyone around, but ALL of them are such works of art, built at a time when building was not easy, and I always wonder if buildings like this could even be built today. They are a testament to the power of our government, too – democracy in action, buildings that house the people who we elected to make the laws of our states. Check out your own capitol someday!
We stepped out the back door of the capitol in search of the Floral Clock that Kentucky is famous for. Never heard about it? Here’s what the website says: There are other flower clocks in the world — one in Canada at Niagara Falls, some in Europe, and smaller ones in the United States. Kentucky’s is unique because it keeps time over a pool of water instead of resting on a bank of earth. The face of the giant clock is 34 feet across. The planter that holds it weighs 100 tons. Dedicated in 1961, the floral clock was a project of the Commonwealth and the Garden Club of Kentucky. We had a little trouble finding it, but it’s hard to hide a 34 foot clock made of flowers!
From the stately halls of the capitol, we went in search of a truly Kentucky Saturday afternoon event – the Great Outhouse Blowout, which would be held on the grounds of Penn’s Store in the bustling metropolis of Gravel Switch, Kentucky. I know you think we are making this up, but we’re not. We had hoped to have time to stop in at a few distilleries along the way, but we didn’t want to miss the Privy Parade, so we chose to believe that if you’ve seen one bourbon distillery, you’ve seen them all. I know that’s not true, and we’ll probably stop in at least one more, but we have our priorities.
We had gotten directions from the website, from AAA, and we had the Garmin (Lee did NOT want us to go the way we wanted to go), but it was the Maps app on my iphone that got us there. We were afraid that we would have missed all of the outhouse action since we were running late, but not to worry, so were they!
Once again, we had the experience of driving to some remote location, not seeing any other vehicles headed our way (or even going the other way), and arriving at our destination only to find HUNDREDS of people there!! Where do they come from, and how did they get here? It’s enough to make you believe in Close Encounters of the Third Kind… We paid our entrance fee (for door prizes!) of $3, well under our $5 limit, and parked our car in the huge pasture available for parking. We could see the rolling outhouses across the meadow, so off we went. There is one paved road leading to Penn’s Store, and it was serving as the racetrack. It was turning out to be a really hot day – I was glad we didn’t have an entry into this race! We watched a few heats and talked to a couple whose daughter was running in one. They told us we had missed the near-collision of an outhouse and a loose dog on the track – no injuries, but the privy was damaged when it turned over. Hate that we missed that!
When we’d had enough, we strolled over to the store for a look see. Penn’s Store is the oldest country store in America being run continuously by the same family. It’s been in the Penn family since 1850!! You may have seen it on the Today show. There were about 20 people crammed in the shade of the store, and since that was about 18 too many, we didn’t stay to browse. We paid homage to Penn’s Privy, the outhouse that started it all (reminded us of Girl Scout Camp!) and then got in line at one of the ‘caterers’ outside, hoping for a cold drink, but waiting way too long with nothing happening. Time to get back to real life! We gave up any chance of winning a door prize and headed for the car.
With no particular plan in mind, we decided to wander over to Danville, Kentucky, home of Centre College, and another place we’d never been. It’s a pretty little town and we strolled around an almost deserted campus for a while, then drove down to Constitution Square. Danville was the capital of the Kentucky Territory of Virginia, and the constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was written here. We stopped at a street vendor’s market along the way and bought some grape tomatoes, which were juicy and tasty. We wandered around the old buildings in Constitution Square – the first post office, a church meeting place, the jail, a tavern, and a schoolhouse – and then we took off for Louisville. You may have wondered what happened to lunch – we did, too! We broke out the cookies to sustain us for the long ride ahead. Yum.
We got to Louisville a little before five, after passing some beautiful horse farms in this lovely bluegrass section of Kentucky. The rolling hills and green (didn’t look blue to me!) grass reminded us of Amish country – it was the perfect day for a ride through the country. Once in Louisville, we checked in to our hotel and then met our friend Mike Dalton for a beer and some reminiscing. And some football! Note to Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee quarterback: The object is to throw the ball TO the guys in the bright orange uniforms. It is not like hunting, when you try NOT to hit the men in orange. I hate UCLA.
We didn’t really eat dinner either, unless you count chips as dinner, which we did. Thanks, Mike – great to see you and we appreciate the hospitality! Back to the hotel we went, where I promptly crashed and Kim watched football. It was a great day, except for Tennessee football. But go, Duke!
Our first thoughts this morning were of this date eight years ago and the lives that were lost in America that day. How much things have changed in America since then! We honor the memories of those who died and we are grateful for the men and women in the armed forces who continue to defend our borders and protect our freedoms.
Even after all of our chances to learn the “don’t start the day without eating breakfast” rule last year, we left without eating, which we would soon regret. But, we had lots we wanted to see and do today and time was a wastin’! Our first stop this morning was the Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown, KY, which Kim’s friend Jim told us about. One of his good friends from college is married to the owner, so of course, we dropped by to say hello. Kathy wasn’t in, but we loved the old (1779) place.
The Old Talbott Inn is the oldest inn in Kentucky
Next door was what used to be the old jail and is now another bed and breakfast, complete with stocks our front. We took a few photos and got ready to leave, when a man in a UK cap stopped to talk about John Calipari when he saw Kim’s Memphis Tigers license plate. He ended up telling us about lots to see and do in the area and pointed us in the direction of My Old Kentucky Home. On the way to the Home, we passed the Stephen Foster Story, so we had to stop there first. It’s an open air amphitheater that’s only open during the summer, so we wouldn’t get to see the performance. We were able to look around and go down to the stage, all the while listening to a medley of Stephen Foster songs. We were in the middle of one of Kentucky’s many state parks, most of which have really beautiful golf courses. This one is no exception, and given the nice day, the links were busy!
Just down the road was My Old Kentucky Home, originally known as Federal Hill, which was the private home of the Rowan family. Now there is a lovely visitors’ center, gift shop, meeting facility, and large outdoor rotunda and they give guided tours of the home. History tells us that Stephen Foster was related to the Rowan family and had visited them here, where he was inspired to write “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night.” The house was HUGE – the three stories were each 13 feet tall and the rooms were big. Renovated just a couple of years ago, the house is decorated in a style befitting a family of such wealth in the 1840’s. The colors were bright and bold, and the look was really quite modern.
We couldn’t take photos inside, but here’s the exterior of My Old Kentucky Home.
The day was heating up and we felt sorry for the women dressed in period costume (well, except for the tennis shoes) who led the tours, but we were getting pretty hungry and were a little afraid we might be having a touch of low blood! Of course, the people in our little tour group kept asking questions that Tammy, our guide, didn’t know the answers to. Like, what did they use for toilet paper on the cushioned chamberpot seat? Seriously. Now we can say we daughters of Kentucky have finally been to the mecca. Weep no more, my ladies!
We couldn’t get back into town soon enough – we were so hungry! We decided to go back to the tavern, and just as we got there, Kathy called and said she’d come over to say hello. Business was booming, and Kathy arrived just as we were being seated, so she joined us at the table and then proceeded to treat us to a most delicious lunch! Thanks, Kathy!! Kim yet again showed remarkable restraint and ordered a salad, while I was lured into trying the Hot Brown. And the fried green tomatoes! Kim and I shared the tomatoes, which were beyond good. My Hot Brown was mighty fine as well. For those of you who don’t know, a Hot Brown consists of a piece of toast topped with ham, turkey, tomatoes, a supremely yummy cheese sauce, and bacon. It’s served hot and in a casserole dish – it’s a Kentucky favorite that was invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. Try one if you get a chance.
Cheesy perfection – a Kentucky Hot Brown
After lunch, Kathy showed us around the property – we saw the tavern, which is a hopping and lively place at night, the old pub, and some of the guest rooms at the inn. We decided to walk over to the Tom Moore Distillery to see the world’s largest bourbon barrel, so Kathy came with us. On the way, we passed the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, which used to be the archdiocese of Kentucky until it moved to Louisville. This particular distillery used to be Barton’s, then it was Constellation Spirits, and it is in the process of becoming the Tom Moore Distillery now. We were too late for a tour, and it turns out you can only see the giant barrel on a tour. Oh well, maybe we walked off half of a fried green tomato!
On the walk back to the Tavern, we passed some fun yard art, old businesses, and great homes, and then we found ourselves at an old cemetery just behind the old jail. Turns out the tavern is supposed to be haunted, so it’s no wonder – with this ancient burial ground just next door, the ghosts don’t have far to go. We told Kathy goodbye and started down the road to Heaven Hill and Maker’s Mark, more stops on the Bourbon Trail.
We really wanted to see Maker’s Mark, where the last tour started at 3:30, so we waved as we passed Heaven Hill and took off for the tiny village of Loretto. Maker’s Mark puts on quite a show! The campus is gorgeous and I recommend taking the tour there. Did you know that if you go to their website you can become an Ambassador? Ask me how I know… That means your name will be put on a plaque (along with 29 others) which is put on a barrel of your very own bourbon. You’ll get updates about the status of your mash (it takes 5 to 7 years to make this liquid gold!) and when it’s ready, you are invited to come fill two bottles and dip them in Maker’s Mark signature red wax. Sign up today!
Our tour guide, Mike, was great and once more we were surprised when we arrived for the tour. We had been driving on back roads in Kentucky all alone – no other vehicles on the road – and we arrive to a full parking lot and about 50 people on our tour. How did they get there and where did they come from??? Shades of Oatman on our Route 66 adventure!
Big vats of mash at Maker’s Mark
After the tour, we were ushered into the gift shop for a bourbon tasting. First, we were taught how to smell it (not with your nose – inhale through your open mouth over the glass) and then how to sip it (letting the liquid roll over your whole tongue before swallowing it). Before we sampled the finished product, we tasted “white dog”, which is the uncured pure grain alcohol – pretty raw stuff! Then we got the sweeter amber concoction – so smooth! Kim hated it and thought she was going to die – it took her breath away! I loved it, so I finished hers, too. Nothing I wouldn’t do for my sista!
We had considered going to Louisville this evening and watching a ballgame – the Louisville Bats were playing the Durham Bulls!! – but instead we opted for the capital city, Frankfort. We were beat and just chilled in our hotel room for a while, then we went to a nice little Italian restaurant down next to the old state Capitol building.
The restaurant was Serafini’s – good food! We ate outside right next to the street, where we were surprised to see that a train track ran down the center of Broadway in front of the old Capitol. I had one of my favorite salads – apple, goat cheese, candied pecans, greens, and the risotto of the day, which came with a fish I’ve never heard of and can’t spell and therefore cannot google. The risotto was portabello and leek with a pink peppercorn sauce and asparagus – very nice! Kim had Penne Santini, which had shrimp and a spicy tomato cream sauce with vegetables. We were strong though, and didn’t have dessert, even though they sounded wonderful!
During dinner, we were “serenaded” (although not nearly as nice as the Stephen Foster music) by an amateur guitar player/singer who unfortunately had access to a microphone & PA system across the street at the old Capitol. There had been a 5K run earlier and lots of kids were still milling around and listening. About the time we finished up, so did our troubador…. We took a walk around this area of Frankfort after dinner – lots of small bars and bistros with an eclectic crowd – interesting place! We found a diner we may check out for breakfast, and we look forward to seeing our home state’s Capitol in the light of day.
So that was our day, and you won’t believe your eyes when you see what’s in store for you tomorrow!! Here’s a hint: it involves a parade, but one we bet you’ve NEVER seen or even heard of! Talk to you later!
Welcome aboard! We’re glad you decided to ride along with us this year – Peppy is always happy to have some company, and it should be an exciting trip, since we haven’t planned it in advance. We’re just taking a page out of Daddy’s book and making it up as we go along, so fasten your seat belts!
Here’s what we do know: we are going to hit the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky, then we are taking the Natchez Trace from Nashville to Natchez MS, the we are meeting Rex and friends Jim and Alex in NOLA, and we are ending up in Paducah for our combined 35th and 36th high school reunions on the weekend of BBQ on the River. For that reason, we’ve named this adventure Bourbon, Blues, and BBQ.
Everything is inside out and upside down this trip – I flew over to Nashville where Kim and Peppy picked me up, and Kim is driving and I’m navigating. This has already proved to be a great example of us not working to our strengths – we had done at least two (maybe three) U-ies before we got out of Nashville, and we came mighty close to running out of gas. Could be interesting!
Kim had never eaten at the Loveless Cafe before, so that was as far as I’d gotten by way of planning for today. What a treat!! Check it out for yourself at www.lovelesscafe.com and check out our pix! It’s been a Nashville institution since 1951, and is famous for its homemade biscuits and jam, fried chicken, breakfast all day, and just FINE country cookin’! It was almost dark when we arrived, which was great because the neon was looking good and the sky was gorgeous.
There was no line tonight, so we got right down to the business at hand – devouring the hot biscuits set down before us, complete with butter, homemade jam (strawberry and blackberry) and honey. They were calling to us so loudly we had almost finished them before we remembered to take a picture for you!
And check out those giant glasses of refreshing iced tea with lemon. I’m in heaven, since I’m just back from a month in Australia, which I loved, but where it was almost impossible to find iced tea. Or ice, period!
Choosing what to eat was no easy task, either. I’m trying to undo some of the damage I did Down Under, but I had to defer any stab at healthy eating while at Loveless! When someplace is famous for fried chicken, you order fried chicken! Or at least I did. Kim got grilled catfish, which looked great. We had both toyed with getting veggie plates – the list was so good! I settled on slow-cooked green beans and hashbrown casserole and Kim got fried okra and mac & cheese. We both exhibited a little restraint and didn’t clean our plates. Of course, that was because you know when you walk into a place like this that dessert will find its way to your table. We split a bowl of peach/blackberry cobbler (with ice cream) and didn’t eat all of it either! We had fun chatting with Tammy, our server. She was intrigued that we could spend this much time together in a car. We are so lucky that we like each other and we get along!! Miles of smiles!
It helps to laugh, especially when your navigator (that would be me, today!) is too ADD to pay attention to the road signs. But we found our way from the airport to Loveless AND back to the highway. It was dark thirty by the time we left, so onto the interstate we hopped, bound for Our Old Kentucky Home. Really! We’ll show you pictures tomorrow! I was no help at all, as my very early (3 AM) morning had caught up with me, piling onto my already jet-lagged self, and I was soon snoozing while Kim drove. I woke up in time to help her find the hardly-traveled-on Bluegrass Parkway, but I didn’t notice that the gas tank was on empty. Or beyond. Neither did Kim, until we passed the last gas station…
So, for my gratitude journal today, I’m thankful for airplanes that land safely, country cooking, my sister, a car that says it can only go 323 miles but really goes 405, and a 24 hour gas station in a town where nothing is open 24 hours!! And my iphone, that got us where we were going!
We even found a place to stay, so we’re ready to crash tonight and hit the trail – the Bourbon Trail – tomorrow!
