So, it’s not even 10 PM and we are in our PJs, unwinding after another fun day. We could not find a single place in Colby, Oakley, Oberlin, or McCook to have breakfast, so we opted for a quick bite and a big iced tea at Sonic before we left Colby. Took us until day 3 to stop at Sonic – I think that’s a record!
We traveled up US 83 out of Kansas and into Nebraska, and saw very few cars and almost no big trucks, so we made great time. We had traveled this road before, so we didn’t make stops in those towns this time, especially since not much is open on Sunday mornings.
We decided to have lunch in North Platte, and we chose the Lincoln Highway Diner because we love the Lincoln Highway. It was an okay choice – we’ve been pretty underwhelmed with food options so far! We each had the hot roast beef sandwich and we left the bread and some of the mashed potatoes behind. It was tasty. Since it was a for real diner, you know they had pie, so we did, too….
We continued on Hwy 83 to Thedford, where we hopped on Nebraska 2, which is a scenic drive across the middle of the state. Lots of green rolling hills (if you’ve been to Scotland or Ireland, it’s very reminiscent), plenty of wildflowers, and NO traffic. We passed two cars, one motorcycle passed us, and two cars that were ahead of us briefly turned off. That’s it. Five other cars going the same direction that we were in almost two hours. We saw more trains than cars!
When we hit Allliance, we figured we may as well stop in at Carhenge (again). We were first here in 2007, on the Roadside Giant Tour. It hadn’t changed much, although now there is a little gift shop/concession stand and a for real parking lot. We drove on through Alliance and turned north to Chadron, NE.
We got to town about 5:30 and checked in our hotel and settled in, then went back down the road to the Chadron State Park for a little hike. We had done very little but ride and eat all day! We drove a couple of miles up a gravel road and then did the Black Hills Overlook trail. The scenery is so interesting here – think the prairie meets the badlands – and we were walking right along the top of a ridge. It was VERY windy – there were times we felt we could be blown right off the trail. Thankfully, we were not wearing our Sister Bertrille headgear (or any headgear!) so we stayed on the ground.
The sun was just setting as we drove back to town and headed to the Country Kitchen for a nice salad. Finally! We were about sandwiched out. Then we had to try out the famous ice cream shop here….
So that was our day – not too exciting, but a nice day for a Sunday drive!
It was another slow-starting morning! We had lots of catching up to do, both on sleep and on blogging and Facebooking and photos after our weekend in New Orleans. We didn’t really have too much on our agenda today – we planned to learn a bit about Acadian culture, eat some good Cajun food, and visit our childhood friend Merrill in the capital city of Baton Rouge. So it was after ten when we finally found ourselves at Dwyer’s Café in downtown Lafayette, ordering our sweet potato pancakes with sugar cane syrup and some eggs. We sat outside on the patio, right on the main drag, where we could admire a beautiful mural painted on the side of a building across a parking lot from us. A local couple joined us outside and we chatted with them throughout our meal. That’s one of the most fun things about this kind of travel – we’ve met some really interesting and nice folks along the way! We had read about this restaurant in several of our books, and it did not disappoint! The pancakes were especially tasty – and healthy, too, right? Oh, and just as we were leaving, Elvis, in the flesh, came walking in the door. I couldn’t get a photo – sorry!
Love the colors in the mural. And you know how I love street art!Delicious sweet potato pancakes
After breakfast, we drove downtown, looking for the Borden Dairy store where we planned to have a frappe’ later on. We heard at breakfast that it was being renovated by its new owner, but that it was now open for business – good thing! Sure enough, when we went by, the parking lot was full of workmen. At least we knew where to find it when we were ready for ice cream! Our next stop was at the Jean Lafitte Acadian Cultural Center, which is home to a museum about the exile and relocation of the Acadian people from Nova Scotia and areas around there. We’d also heard they had a very informative movie about the exile, too. Turns out we got there in mid-cycle of the movie, and even though it appeared we were the only ones there, we would have to wait for the next show. So, we took our time in the museum section, which was really well done.
Borden’s Dairy Bar in Lafayette LA
In case you don’t know, this area of Louisiana has quite a storied history. The Acadians were French immigrants who settled in and around the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. When the French and Indian war began, the British expelled these people, who sailed around the east coast of America, only to be repulsed and denied safe harbor in any of the colonies. They continued looking for a home and eventually settled in the area that is now present-day Lafayette, Louisiana, and includes 22 parishes, which are now known as Acadiana. The word ‘Cajun’ is a derivative of the word ‘Acadian’ and descendants of these people still speak a dialect of French and observe many of the traditions of their ancestors. Many other peoples settled in this untamed, mostly unclaimed area of the Louisiana Purchase – native Americans were already here, and they were joined by Spaniards, Africans, Germans, English, and West Indians. Many of these other cultures refer to themselves as Creole, but there has been a lot of blending of cultures over time. All I know is the food is fantastic, the music unusual but fun to listen to and impossible not to move to, the language is like music to the ears, and the people are friendly. What’s not to love?
The movie started eventually – a private showing for Kim and me – and even though it was very well done and quite moving, I found myself nodding off at times. Kim said the movie was sad and she wondered why she was sitting there watching it while I slept! But I didn’t miss it all! You may be familiar with the Longfellow poem “Evangeline”, which is the story of two lovers separated by the exile of the Acadians. Lots of roads down here (and other things, like businesses) are named Evangeline, which now we understand. After the movie was over, we finished looking at the museum, and then we were off to explore Breaux Bridge and find some of the good restaurants we’d heard about there. But first – we went back to town to get our frappe’, only to be direly disappointed – CLOSED on MONDAYS!! Sadly, we were about to learn that this would be the theme for the day….
The bridge at Breaux Bridge LA
We soon found ourselves in Breaux Bridge, parking on the street, right in front of Café des Amis. That should have been our first clue…and indeed there on the door was the dreaded “Closed on Mondays” sign. See what we missed (check the menu) and you’ll know how bummed we were! Okay, on to our next place, which was Champagne’s Breaux Bridge Bakery, allegedly serving breakfast and lunch and not to be missed. Hmmm…maybe something has changed since the Road Food people rolled through, but I doubt it. Didn’t look like much had changed in thirty or forty years, but believe it or not, there is a website! One room, no tables, no drinks, no parking, no menu, lots of cookies, and a handful of meat pies. So we bought a dozen cookies for the road – two each of: the specialty of the house, a pink filled sandwich cookie, a similar looking chocolate crème filled cookie, some cookies that looked like Kim’s favorite, the Mexican wedding cookie, chocolate crinkles, macaroons, and brownies. We crossed back over the bridge (yes, there really is one, built in 1950, crossing the Bayou Teche and topped by a giant crawfish) and went to the Visitor Information Center, rather than heading down a rural highway to get the best cracklin’s in the state (according to our breakfast friends) in a place that MIGHT just be closed on Mondays.
Can’t leave a bakery without cookies for the road!Mulate’s was deserted when we arrived, but not for long.
The nice lady there thought we should go back to Mulate’s, which we had seen on the way into town, for some good Cajun food, so we did. Since it was about two thirty, the place was deserted, until we got there. As is often the case, almost immediately the place filled up – four tables came in! You’d be surprised how often that happens to us. Anyway, we weren’t really hungry, but we had no idea where we were going that night or when we might eat again, and you’ve probably noticed that if we go too long without a meal, we might require medical assistance. We split a catfish po’boy and that was just right! The restaurant was dark and cool inside, and you could see there was plenty of room for dancing in front of the stage that, sadly, was empty this afternoon. Looks like lots of famous area musical acts have played here, and we were sorry to miss that fun! Get a shot of ear and eye candy and you’ll almost feel like you were there!
We called our friend Merrill in Baton Rouge, and it turned out she was waiting for us (sorry, Merrill!!) so we hopped on I-10 and skedaddled across the Atchafalaya Swamp, arriving in Baton Rouge in front of the Old State Capitol at about four. We found Merrill, who we haven’t seen since Jr. High School (gotta love Facebook!) and went inside. I loved this old building! It looked like a big castle, and on the inside, it had the most beautiful stained glass windows and dome! We walked around a bit, noting what a pretty place it would be for a reception or party, and we didn’t find the missing statue of George Washington, either. Even though it was warmish outside, we opted to walk down to the ‘new’ capitol building, which was built in about 1935.
Crossing the swampThe old state Capitol
The brainchild and pet project of then-Governor Huey P. Long (yes, of bridge fame!), it is the tallest state capitol building in the US at 34 stories! The interior of the lobby and first floor is very ornate and looks like a capitol building that is out to impress – lots of naked women on murals on the ceiling and some pretty Art Deco features – but the tower was closed for maintenance so we didn’t get to see the view from the top. As it turns out, Governor Long, aka the Kingfish, ran for US Senate and won, so he never occupied this building as governor of the state. Even sadder, it was here in the back hall of this building that he was gunned down and killed by a mild-mannered-looking doctor when he was only 42 years old. Long was a much loved and evidently much hated figure in Louisiana politics, and pretty much of a legend around here.
The Louisiana state capitol is one of four ‘skyscraper’ capitols in the US.Naked lady mural…
I neglected to mention the outside of the capitol – it sits on a bit of a hill, looking out over a mall of sorts, complete with a huge statue of – you guessed it – Huey P. Long. The front doors of the capitol are HUGE, and there’s lots of great statuary out front. There are a lot of wide steps leading up to the doors – thirteen on the first section, each one labeled with the name of one of the thirteen original states and the date of its entrance into the Union. After a landing, more stairs of the other states, in order of statehood, ending with Arizona, which I guess was the last state at the time the building was completed. All in all, it was a lovely capitol and one more to add to our collection of capitol buildings we have seen and/or visited. This trip has been kind of fun in that we’ve been through the capitals of each state we visited – Nashville, Tennessee; Frankfort, Kentucky; Jackson, Mississippi; and now Baton Rouge. Technically, we were in Alabama for a few miles on the Natchez Trace, but we’ve both been to Montgomery before anyway.
The stairs leading up to the capitolHuey P. Long, of courseMassive doors!
As we walked back through downtown Baton Rouge, Merrill showed us some of the other great buildings there and told us how, like many other places, the downtown is finally being revitalized and people are starting to come back to their city again. We are glad to see that happening all over the country and regret that the 70’s and 80’s had the influence on city centers that they did. We still reminisce, as we did that day with Merrill, about our bus trips to bustling downtown Paducah when we were kids, getting dressed up, window shopping with our friends, and spending our allowances at the counters of Kresge or the booths of Walgreen’s. Remember that strawberry pie, y’all?? Good times! Speaking of – we sure were glad to find one coffee shop (Community Coffee – a local business) still open (just before 5, downtown!) so we could get that refreshing glass of iced tea – we were all HOT, HOT, HOT!!
We parted company with Merrill back at the Old Capitol, across the street from what used to be the Yazoo and Mississippi Railroad Depot and is now a museum, and we decided to go a little farther north since it was still pretty early. We set our sights on St. Francisville, the second oldest town in Louisiana, and we took the Great River Road to get there. This part of the GRR is often called Plantation Alley for all the lovely antebellum homes that used to line the land behind the levees of the Mississippi here in the Delta. Of course, it first took us past the “Chemical Corridor” of Baton Rouge – evidence of the oil industry that still thrives here – we get to see all the sights! Soon we were in rural Louisiana, passing fields of sugar cane that made me feel like I was back in Queensland for a minute! Somewhere along the way we ended up on the west side of the river, and since St. Francisville was on the east side, we weren’t exactly sure how we would be getting over there. Guess the navigator should have looked ahead!
Sugar cane fields aboundOn the ferry, heading to St. Francisville.
Turns out a ferry boat ride was in order, and it looked like we might have just missed the one that supposedly ran on the hour and the half hour, which was not a good thing, since we were both feeling the effects of our two glasses of tea. But we were in luck! The guidebooks were misguided, and the ferry actually runs at a quarter past and a quarter to the hour! Saved!! Kim bravely steered us on board the ferry, following the directions of the boatman that no one else seemed to need. I reckon most of the folks on this late afternoon ferry are on it twice a day, every day. So it goes without saying that they all had a big laugh when the horn sounded and we about jumped out of the sunroof! We ate some of our cookies to take our minds off the fact that there were no facilities on board, and that worked pretty well, in case you ever need a good remedy. The ride was short and uneventful, the best kind, and soon we were leaving the ferry in a cloud of dust and making our way into St. Francisville.
Our lodging for the night – St. Francisville Inn and Wine Parlor
You’ve likely guessed that St. Francisville was named for none other than THE St. Francis, he of the friend to birds and other animals. The town grew up around one of the French Catholic monasteries that dotted this area of Louisiana, and it is home to many well-preserved homes and antebellum manors. We had plans to see a few of these in the light of day, which was fading fast, but we had no plans for dinner or lodging. We had called a few places on our way into town but had not found a place to sleep yet. No worries! We pulled into a gas station to see what our options were, and when I looked up, it was to see a sign that said “St. Francisville Inn and Wine Parlor”, and we were right next door to it! So, guess where we stayed?
The proprietor, Laurie Walsh, couldn’t have been nicer, and soon we had a key to our B&B room with two beds, which is not an easy thing to find! She also gave us a map of a walking tour and told us which restaurants were still serving (after all, it was 7:30!!!) and so around the corner we went, to George’s Feliciana. Even though it was our only choice, it was a GREAT one!! I thought I’d have a light supper of a shrimp remoulade salad and some corn and shrimp soup, and Kim opted for a shrimp po’boy. Then we threw in an order of sweet potato fries, just because. Well, when our order was ready, there was enough food on our tray to feed the whole restaurant! I have to tell you, my soup was really yummy, but my salad, which was FULL of lemony shrimp and lined with huge chunks of avocado and tomatoes, was to die for!! I ate every last bite! Kim couldn’t begin to eat all of her sandwich, which must have had about a pound of fried shrimp on it and around it. Needless to say, the BUCKET of sweet potato fries went largely untouched, which was too bad, because the ones we did eat were perfect. We were not even tempted to even think about ordering pie, which looked yummy, too.
Gigantic and delicious shrimp saladAnyone hungry? We had a gracious plenty!
I forgot to say that we had attempted to eat at a little place across the street at the V3 Motor Lodge, but the Baldwin Sisters were playing and they stopped serving soup and sandwiches at 7:30. Got lucky, I guess! Sometimes it pays to be slow. We shuffled our over-stuffed selves back to our room to watch the rest of MNF (Go Colts!) and do a little blogging, even though we had no internet. Can’t have everything, but now you know how easy it is for me to get behind on these trips!
I was sound asleep before Peyton was able to work his weekly miracle, but Kim saw the demise of the Dolphins and then could rest easy. It was time to head north in earnest, but we sure have enjoyed our time in Cajun country!
Amazingly, I was clear-headed this morning but seriously wondering why on earth we agreed to a 9 AM start! I got my day going right with a large glass of iced tea from the Starbucks in the lobby of the hotel, and that turned out to be one smart move! Sunday morning in N’awlins means Café du Monde for beignets, so off we went. There was more activity than I expected at this hour, and it was hot, hot, hot already. But we didn’t have to wait long, and soon we were stuffing our faces with those hot, melt-in-your-mouth, powdered sugar-coated morsels that make me drool just writing about them. We sat and savored them for as long as we could, given the people in line waiting for their turn at nirvana.
We strolled around the shops near Jackson Square, buying some pralines and a few little lagniappes for friends back home. We got a kick out of the street performers and the buggy drivers, and Alex and Kim bought some art from the street vendors. We took our time getting back to the hotel, and when we got there, we saw Storm Troopers (from Star Wars) in the lobby. Go figure. We dropped off our purchases, and everyone got a glass of tea to go this time. It was HOT! Even though we had just eaten (a seemingly non-stop activity this weekend), we walked over to Canal Street to catch the St. Charles streetcar so that we could have lunch at the Camellia Grill.
The streetcar ride was lots of fun and something I had not done before. Kim was really getting her money’s worth for her first trip to the Big Easy! We rode past the Garden District – great houses! – and past the Audubon Zoo, and Tulane, Loyola, and Newcomb on our way to the end of the line and the treats that awaited us there. The Camellia Grill is an institution that almost met its end, but has been resurrected. You’ll want to make plans to get there as soon as you can!
Our wait wasn’t too long, and it just gave us time to digest breakfast. Soon we were at least inside, in the AC, waiting for our turn at the counter. White-coated, bow-tied waiters and cooks worked with flair and economy of movement as they grilled, fried, and soda-jerked our burgers, onion rings, fries, and shakes. And they had the most awesome crushed ice!! My all-time favorite meal – loaded cheeseburger and onion rings – stick a fork in me now ‘cause I am DONE!!! It was SO GOOD!!! We absolutely could not eat a piece of pie this time! Josh, our waiter, even filled up my giant Sonic cup with that wonderful ice, and we were ready for the ride back to the hotel.
This time, our streetcar driver wouldn’t let me on because my cup of precious ice had no lid, so I had to toss it…so sad!! So I didn’t enjoy that ride back as much as I would have!! By the time we got back, it was our late checkout time – Kim and I had miles to go and Rex had a plane to catch, but Jim and Alex weren’t leaving until Monday. I’m not sure I could have eaten or drunk any more rich New Orleans food! We said our goodbyes to the guys and headed down to the car, and it probably won’t surprise you to know that we had an interesting adventure just trying to get out of New Orleans. Never a dull moment in the car with us! But we made it, and soon we were crossing the Huey P. Long bridge (or at least an annex of the bridge!) and were on our way to Houma.
We were going to Houma to see my friends Rod and Beulah, who had befriended Rex and me and fed and housed us four years ago when we were in Houma to build a Volunteer Village to house people who were coming to aid with relief from Hurricane Katrina. The village is still being used, as relief still continues for a part of the state that was very badly damaged yet receives little notice from the rest of the world. Camp Good Earth is run by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. It was no surprise to me that Beulah is still a force! My daughter, Kim, and I stopped in to visit Rod and Beulah last summer when we were on our way home from Austin – it is always good to be in their home.
Houma is deep in the heart of Cajun country, and Rod is a bona fide Cajun (and boy, can he cook, too!!) Back in the day, he used to host a Cajun radio show, in the native tongue, and he plays in Cajun bands. We headed even deeper into Acadian Louisiana, bound for Lafayette. We passed bayou after bayou, noting the ‘bear crossing’ signs with interest. Hmmm – we would have to find out more about that!
It was almost dark by the time we found our hotel in Lafayette, and Lee the Garmin man was hell-bent to send us through the hood to get to the restaurant we were going to. It’s not easy finding things open on Sunday night (by night, I mean after about 7:30) so we headed to Prejean’s, which was open. Good choice, once we got there! I had corn and crab chowder and crawfish enchiladas, and Kim had a huge bowl of shrimp gumbo. More good eats!
We had an easier time getting back to the hotel, and were looking forward to learning about Cajun country over the next few days.
How lovely it was to sleep in this morning!! We had a date to meet Jim and Alex in the lobby at 11:15, so we were able to take our time. No breakfast needed, as we were heading for a gastronomic experience at Galatoire’s, a New Orleans institution – and it was just down the street, so no worries! Alex is a NOLA planner extraordinaire, and we were along for the ride and loving every minute of it! Even Jim and I were on time for this fine day, so off we went. Let the good times roll!
Galatoire’s opens at 11:30 and doesn’t take reservations for the downstairs dining room, so we made sure to be there early. First stop – the upstairs bar. Bloody Marys for Jim and me, Mimosas for Rex and Kim, and a brandy milk punch for Alex, and before we had finished them, it was time to get our table. Jim and Alex are regulars here on their trips to New Orleans, and Bryant is their server of choice – we can see why! He was great! Baskets of fresh bread were waiting on us, and our drinks were quickly refilled. Garlic bread was next, followed closely by shrimp remoulade and oysters en brochette. We had a couple of salads, one with shrimp and one with crabmeat, then it was time for the main courses. Alex and I had two of our favorite things – Eggs Benedict and a filet, Jim had broiled drum, Rex had Poisson meuniere amandine, and Kim had a filet. I think. We also ordered cauliflower au gratin, onion rings, and asparagus with Hollandaise to share, and there was plenty of Bearnaise sauce for our meat. Rex, Jim, and I decided to try a Pimm’s Cup, and Kim and Alex stuck to beer.
One thing I love about New Orleans restaurants, beside the obvious, is that they are lined with mirrors so you can see everything going on around you. We had fun people watching, and were pretty sure we had spotted a celebrity. Kim recognized Laurie from Trading Spaces, and sure enough, she and her husband were there celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. We sang Happy Birthday about half a dozen times (but not to Rex!), too. The table behind us looked like the Sopranos had come to town, complete with a little kid who looked like Eddie Munster and who kept falling asleep between courses.
You may think we’d eaten so much that we couldn’t possibly want more, but there was more! Alex had arranged for us to have some Café’ Brulot (a brandied coffee drink that Bryant flamed at our table), and I even had two cups of it. And I HATE coffee!!! Out came dessert – a couple of chocolate sundaes for Jim, Kim, and Alex and an order of banana bread pudding (not banana bread, but bread pudding with bananas) for Rex and me. Oh my. When we looked at the time, it was 3:30 – we had been there for FOUR HOURS!!!! What a special treat!! Thanks, ALEX!! When you come to New Orleans next time, make sure you save time for Galatoire’s!
We waddled back to the hotel thinking we might spend some time by the pool (don’t ask what we were thinking – I had not brought a maternity bathing suit with me and I’m sure the one I had wouldn’t hold me after that lunch!!) but there were too many young people out there, so we just put on our shorts and t-shirts and went for a walk. Somehow we ended up at a bar, one that may be the oldest continually operated bar in the country. It was Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, which we thought was fitting, since Saturday was “Talk Like a Pirate Day”. It is home of the Voodoo, a frozen concoction that tastes like a grape Icee but is full of vodka. A most dangerous combination!! We all had to have one, of course, and since Florida was kicking Tennessee’s butt, some of us (Jim, Alex, and I) had a second one for the road.
This time we walked down to Jackson Square, watching street performers and just taking in the sights. I loved seeing all of the creative hanging signs outside the shops that lined the streets, and the balconies covered with lush green plants and laced with wrought iron were so pretty! Somehow, we ended up back at the voodoo place, where the three of us had yet another drink. What were we thinking?? By 8:30 or 9:00, we were thinking we might should eat (what?!?!) so we got a table at Mona Lisa’s pizza, where I am told we enjoyed really good garlic cheese bread and a couple of pizzas.
It was a fun, full day, but it was time to call it a night. We walked back to the hotel (wasn’t this a cool shadow we saw along the way?) and made plans for the morning, and I’m sure the rest of the gang didn’t think I’d remember enough to write this! And I know David and Kim enjoyed getting our (possible impaired) text messages from the Mona Lisa!!
It would have been the perfect Saturday if the Vols had won…
Although we had very few ideas about what we might be seeing in Natchez today, we were excited to find out what the possibilities were and we were stoked to know we’d be in New Orleans by dinner time. At least, that was the plan!! We found a little breakfast place on one of the downtown streets and tried to be a little healthier than usual. We split a yogurt, granola, and fruit cup, and Kim had a cranberry orange muffin (she said it was like eating cake!) and I had a blueberry scone that was about the size of a softball. I didn’t even eat half of it!! We asked the nice lady in the coffee shop what we shouldn’t leave Natchez without seeing, and she suggested St. Mary’s Basilica, just around the corner, and the Longwood Plantation, also not far away. We already knew we would be driving out of town past Mammy’s Cupboard, so that seemed like a good start – we could always come back through this way on the flip side.
We had noticed the basilica on our way to the hotel last night, even commenting on it, but we hadn’t known what it was. There was a lovely park just behind the church – trees festooned with Spanish moss, a gorgeous fountain, a Civil War statue, and benches set in shady spots. We walked around the corner to the TALL front doors of the building – it was quite an imposing ediface! After taking a few photos from the outside and noting that mass was at 8:30 AM (it was about 11 AM), we started to go into the sanctuary when we realized there was a service of some sort going on, so we made a note to stop back in on our trip home, because the stained glass windows are supposed to be stunning.
Off we went to Longwood, following the instructions on the Garmin, so we saw neighborhoods that most people would have missed. We passed several other plantations on the way, so we wondered what made Longwood so special. We pulled into the drive and were instantly transported to an earlier time, driving down a long drive under an arcade of trees full of Spanish moss. Our first glimpse of the house was impressive – it was very tall, and it was octagonal! We couldn’t wait to see the inside of it! We parked and found our way into the gift shop, which was darling and full of funny books about the South, lots of good sounding cookbooks, postcards, and little pretties. We did a bit of shopping as we waited for our tour to start – reading material for the road!
As is typical on many of these tours, we could not take pictures of the main floor, so I won’t be able to share a whole lot with you, but here are a few of the details I remember. The house was the dream of Dr. Haller Nutt, who wanted a different kind of plantation home, hence the shape and style of the house. To build the facade, a kiln for making bricks was built on the property and 750,000 bricks were produced here. At the time the war broke out, the facade was finished, as was the 10,000 square foot basement, consisting of nine rooms. The house was six stories and would have 30,000 square feet of finished space when it was done, but most of the builders and craftsmen were from Pennsylvania and other states in the northeast, so they left most of their tools and supplies and went home. At the time, people thought this ‘uprising’ would be settled quickly, so the workers thought they would soon be back to finish their work. As you may have guessed, this never happened.
The war lasted four years, Dr. Nutt lost his fortune and then died before the end of the war, and his wife and eight children lived in the finished basement of the house for the duration. As hard as it is for me to believe, the house NEVER got finished, yet it somehow survived. It was finally purchased by a Texas man who has stipulated that it never be completed but that it be open for the public to enjoy as it is.
One thing that adds to it’s historical value – since the facade was completed and the flooring put in for the other floors, the top five stories of the house were used for storage. That means that almost EVERYTHING – packing crates, even for the piano – was stored in the house and many of the original boxes are still there. Be sure to visit it when you come to Natchez! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, and you can tell that the people caring for and showing this house really love it!
Although we were sure when we started out this morning that we would be on the road before Mammy’s Cupboard opened for the day, we were now going to be lucky to get there before it closed! Only open from 11-2 and closed on Mondays, we were afraid if we missed it today, we might have missed it for good. The Garmin sent us off in exactly the opposite direction than we should have gone, but common sense, a phone call, and the iphone got us to Mammy’s. And yes, Mammy’s could be considered politically incorrect, although she is now painted more of a flesh-tone than I’m sure she used to be, but who could help but want to eat lunch under the skirts of a 28 foot tall woman? Okay, that didn’t sound exactly the way I intended it, but maybe you get the picture. If not, look at our picture and then go to http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/3344 for the rest of the story.
Even though we were still stuffed from breakfast, we could not resist lunch here! Homemade bread, delicious sandwiches, and mile high pies – oh my goodness!!! My roast turkey sandwich came with avocado and blueberry chutney, and it was served with homemade vegetable soup and a side of potato salad. It was SO GOOD!!! Kim had a ham sandwich that looked equally tasty, but so that we could have some pie, we each only ate half of our sandwiches, then we shared a piece of chocolate icebox pie (we only shared it because it was the last piece…) We could not wait to come back here when we were really hungry!!
By now we were afraid Rex would arrive in New Orleans before we did, so we skedaddled off down Highway 61 (the Blues Highway) bound for Baton Rouge and New Orleans. No more stops for us (except for tea!) and we probably passed the airport about the time Rex’s plane landed!! But since we were sure we would have already been in NOLA and drinking by then, we’d had Kim’s friends Jim and Alex arrange a ride for Rex! We found our way into the city, to the hotel, and into the parking garage without incident, and soon we were joining Jim and Alex for drinks at the Old Absinthe House, just across the street from our hotel. Rex got there not long after we did, so our New Orleans party weekend could officially begin. I probably forgot to mention that we were celebrating Rex’s double-nickel birthday, which is really on the 26th, and ORIGINALLY, the rest of his family (adults, not our kids) were to be partying with us. We see how well that went over…they won’t know what fun they missed and will have to read about it here!!
We met some of Jim and Alex’s friends at the bar – thanks for the great hotel rooms, Allison!! – and then went back to the Royal Sonesta to make arrangements for dinner. Russell, the concierge, set us up with late reservations at Clancy’s, on Annunciation in Uptown New Orleans. We cleaned up a bit, then took a taxi over to St. Joe’s Bar for a drink before dinner. It was a cool bar complete with church pews and other icons. We sat out on the back porch until it was time to walk over to Clancy’s.
Clancy’s was a hopping place – packed with people (mostly local, I’d say) having a good time and enjoying great food – and it was loud! I’m sure I won’t remember what everyone else had, but I got some shrimp and crab gumbo, the Clancy’s crab salad, and an order of fried green tomatoes. With crabmeat! Rex and Kim got the gumbo, too, and I think Jim and Alex got salads. Jim and Alex got veal, Kim got the same crab salad I did, and Rex got the lobster risotto that I was thinking about ordering – saved! We had a pretty long wait for dinner (good thing the bread was good!) but it was worth it – delish!! We split some desserts – Kim, Jim, and Alex shared a big brownie with ice cream, and Rex and I had a frozen lemon pie. Oh man, we hit the mother lode! That pie was fantastic!!
Somehow, we made it back to the French Quarter and walked around a bit. Kim had never been to Nawlins, so we made the obligatory trip to Pat O’Brien’s for a nightcap. The streets were wild – it’s Friday night – so we saw all we needed to see and then went back to rest up for our big lunch date at Galatoire’s. I probably gained five pounds today – it was great!!
We got off to a fairly early start, at least for us, in Tupelo. Not finding any mention of good breakfast places in any of our books, we went looking on our own and arrived at Shockley’s, which looked pretty grim, outside and in, but had decent enough breakfast. Kim liked her hash browns and said her ham was mighty tasty. I had a cheese omelet, which was fine. Since the atmosphere was depressing (think school cafeteria, or worse), we didn’t linger. Besides, we were off to see where Elvis grew up.
We’ve learned that no matter where we travel, Elvis finds us – hunts us down and pretty much haunts us – and begs us to have something to do with him. So here we were in his birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi. Did we have a choice? It was not difficult to find the two-room shotgun shack that Vernon Presley built for his wife and what was to have been twins, but instead was the larger-than-life Elvis. Sadly, two tour busloads of people, some from England, had beat us to the punch, so we opted not to pay money to stand in a single file line to go through the house. We got photos of the actual Assembly of God church where Elvis and his parents attended (it had been moved to the site, complete with an outhouse, which I’m not sure belonged with the church or the house) and where Elvis first discovered gospel music. We saw a modern chapel with brilliant stained glass windows that was built and dedicated to Elvis’s memory after his death, and then we stood around the Fountain of Life, which marked the years Elvis lived in Tupelo. I thought the most interesting exhibit was an outdoor wall which was lined with memories about Elvis from the now-grown children that he went to school with and played with as a boy in Tupelo. They painted a picture of a poor but proud boy who always knew he would be somebody and who had a God-given talent for music. The house looked much better than it probably ever did when Elvis lived in it, and it was encircled by a sidewalk of squares commemorating every year of Elvis’s life (but only telling things about the Tupelo years). Did you know Vernon had been imprisoned when Elvis was young? The family moved to Memphis when Elvis was entering his teen years in hopes of finding a better job for Vernon and a better life for the family.
After a quick Sonic stop for our morning tea, we were back on the Trace, headed for Natchez. The sky was not promising, and the weather reports were grim – RAIN, and lots of it, was predicted for the whole southeast. We were not sure we would be able to avoid it today. The first interesting thing we saw along the parkway was another Indian burial mound site, but we just did a drive-by and didn’t stop to see them. We did stop at French Camp, which turned out to be most enlightening. French Camp was established by Louis LeFleur as a stand (inn) in 1812, and it became a school for boys in 1822. It later had a sister school for girls that served as a finishing school, which burned down long ago. Today French Camp Academy is a private Christian boarding and day school serving area youth. There was a house that’s been restored, a blacksmith shop, an old school building that now serves as a museum, and several other outbuildings, and they make sorghum here in the fall. We spent about an hour just poking around and talking to the museum lady (don’t think she gets much business) who showed us her senior picture (class of 1947) from FCA. The sun was shining brightly, and it felt like you would expect a summer day in Mississippi to feel – a little sticky! While looking at the house, we came across a mother cat and three little kittens – that was about the extent of our excitement.
Our next stop was the town of Kosciusko, which you may have heard of since it is Oprah’s birthplace. It was named for a Polish general who served with Washington in the Revolutionary War. He was an amazing engineer who designed many forts all over the eastern US and who fortified West Point. We had a little picnic at the welcome center here, where the nice folks manning the desk allowed me to charge my laptop while we ate. We sat out on the slightly damp picnic benches and had the pimiento cheese from Glasgow on our leftover rolls from Nashville, the tomatoes we bought in Danville, and some almonds that Kim had brought. It was all good!
The crazy weather continued after we got back on the Parkway – it rained on us while the sun was shining. We were getting so frustrated because we couldn’t find the rainbow that we KNEW had to be there!! This ended up being a theme for the afternoon, as this action was repeated about six times! At one point, we pulled off at a turnoff just to try to find the rainbow, and instead we happened upon the most lovely sight – the Pearl River, covered with lily pads and with several beautiful birds wading in the water. We finally found a couple of rainbows, too!
We pulled into the parking lot of the Cypress Swamp and got out for a little nature hike just as the thunder started in earnest. We didn’t let it scare us and we had a really nice, albeit wet, walk through the swamp. Lots of fungi and other cool nature all around us! It is hard to believe that at one time, ALL of the cypress trees in Louisiana had been harvested. They are so pretty!
We made one other stop before it got too dark, and that was at the “waterfall” at Owens Creek. My oh my, worse than the other waterfall we stopped for, but at least this time we didn’t end up hiking down (and back up) 900 feet to see it! It started raining again, and this time it was getting dark, too, so no rainbows. We did see lots of deer lining the parkway, so Kim did well to avoid hitting them and to drive in the rain with no streetlights. By the time we arrived in Natchez, the rain had stopped.
On the way to our hotel, we passed Fat Mama’s Tamales, which I knew to be the home of “Fat Mama’s Knock You Naked Margaritas”, so we were thrilled to find it was within walking distance of the hotel. Like next door. No need to tell you where we ate dinner!! And boy, were those margaritas good!
It was pouring down rain when we got up, so we just didn’t get moving. We caught up on some computer time and were just avoiding the inevitable when we got a call from the place where our mom lives in Durham. They reported that mom had been found on the floor next to her bed that morning, and that while she seemed okay, could I please come take her to the doctor? Needless to say, that was a no, so they took her to the ER at Duke, where she spent the day but was released in good shape. David and Rex went to visit her last night and said she seemed none the worse for wear and that she apparently just rolled out of the bed in her sleep. We are grateful that it was nothing more!
We had thought we might go back to the Loveless Café for breakfast, but Laura had told us about another place we might want to try called Barbara’s Home Cookin’ on Old Hillsboro Road. It was almost 11:30 and still raining by the time we got over there, but boy, was it worth it. We were greeted at the door by a lovely South African woman and a sign that said “Barbara’s Home Cookin’ welcomes all families HOWEVER, unruly children Will Be DEEP FRIED (the secret is in the sauce)” – ya gotta love it! We had the CUTEST server in the world named Matt. We knew we loved him when he brought us a basket of three huge hot rolls with our iced teas. For those of you Clark School kids who remember how you never wanted to miss Thursdays because it was hot roll day in the cafeteria – these were the closest thing to those that I’ve had in years! Heaven in a yeast roll, with a huge bowl of butter, too!
NOTE: Barbara’s Home Cookin’ closed in December 2025 after being in business for almost 30 years.
Matt proceeded to help us order from the giant blackboard right above our table. Kim chose a vegetable plate with cucumber and tomato salad, broccoli cheese casserole, and fried okra, and I had a scoop of the chicken salad on top of a bed of spinach with feta cheese and fresh fruit – strawberries, grapes, and oranges – with a little yummy dressing. Right after we ordered, one of Kim’s college roommates, Debbie, called. She lives just up the road, so she came over and joined us. She got the poppyseed chicken casserole with turnip greens and zucchini and tomato casserole. Dessert proved to be impossible to resist – we were going to share the peach cobbler, until it became either blackberry or blueberry, so I went for the chocolate chip bread pudding with caramel sauce, and Kim had ice cream. Debbie abstained, and she also didn’t eat her basket of rolls, so we took them with us to go with our pimiento cheese. We wanted to take Matt with us, but we didn’t have room in the car…
It was still raining when we left Barbara’s, so Debbie led us to the terminus of the Natchez Trace, which is right next to the Loveless. It was almost two when we started off, and it’s 444 miles of 40 to 50 mph parkway. Yikes! Right away we pulled off to photograph the beautiful Birdsong Hollow bridge, and the rain even let up some. The bridge is 155 feet above the valley below, and its double-arch construction has won design awards.
We considered stopping at the historic Leiper’s Fork, but it was raining too hard to be worth it. The rain was short-lived, though, once we got going on the Trace, and we stopped off at several overlooks, historic sights, and hiking spots along the way. In fact, we stopped so much that after almost three hours, we’d only covered about 50 miles! We hiked down about 900 feet to see a waterfall that we thought would be raging, given the recent rains, but we were wrong. It was better than the Western Australia waterfall, but it was not much! We stopped at an old tobacco barn and were able to drive about a mile down an original section of the Trace, and we hiked down to a place where there was a ferryboat landing, way back in the day. We stopped at Meriwether Lewis’s grave, crossed the bridge spanning the Tennessee River, and saw several ancient Indian burial mounds. For those of you unfamiliar with the Natchez Trace, make plans to drive it someday when you are not in a hurry to get anywhere. It was originally a buffalo trail, then an Indian one, and then it was a postal route from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. Now it’s a parkway, similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway, just without the mountains. It’s a beautiful drive!
It was almost dark when we rolled into Tupelo and found our hotel. We got the car unloaded and then went to Harvey’s, a local restaurant. Great food and friendly service! Kim and I both had Blue Moons, then she had a salad and I had the tenderloin kabobs with rice pilaf, vegetables, and a side salad. We split a delicious coconut chess pie for dessert, then headed back to the hotel. We had a long drive ahead of us tomorrow since we still had about 270 miles of Parkway to go before we got to Natchez.
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.
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!
Our trip may be over, but we still have some accounting to do!
Critter Count 2008
As usual, we saw lots of wildlife on this trip. Here’s a list:
lots of horses, cows, goats, butterflies, and fish
many deer, mostly up close
2 wild turkeys
plenty of chipmunks
2 snakes
too many raccoons, some live, some not, and some babies
several dead possums (at least they looked pretty dead – hard to tell with possums)
1 red tail hawk (up close and personal)
lots more soaring hawks
ducks, ducklings, and more ducks
several schools of fish (albino ones, too)
rabbits
plenty of donkeys
a whole barnyard full of sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, ponies, and roosters
6 pet dogs, including sweet Quincy (who went with the two cute young men from Vermont), Chase, Buddy, Boo, and Tess
lots of cats
a gazillion ground hogs
lots of bluebirds, as well as some goldfinches and robins, orioles, chickadees, sparrows, and woodpeckers
ravens
swans
a few squirrels
a trainyard full of Thomas crazy little boys (if you don’t think they are critters, think again!)
a gaggle of geese
frogs and tadpoles
1 very large, very dead snapping turtle
many, many June bugs and other flying insects
a goodly number of very drunk, nicotine addicted, tie-dyed, friendly, and feeling no pain ‘hippies’ (for lack of a better word)
a camel (really, not a llama)
alpacas
a cormorant
a black bear (really!)
a herd of ostriches
an osprey
fainting goats
a skunk (real, not just Peppy)
a parrot
Where’s Peppy?
To liven up this trip, we had a game where we asked our followers to guess where our travel companion, Peppy, was based on a photograph and a clue. For those not familiar with Peppy, he is a plaster skunk who was a 7th grade art project of Kim’s. Our mom dutifully saved him all these years, then gave her to Kim one Christmas. Just after Kim and her kids held a ceremonial going away party for Peppy and dumped him in the trash, Mom called to tell Kim she’d better not throw that skunk away! Needless to say, Peppy lives!
We took him with us on our first Sassy Sister trip, The Mother Road, in 2006 and photographed him at iconic Rt. 66 stops. He is a great conversation starter, allowing us to talk to the strangers Mom told us not to talk to, so there you have it.
There are still some unanswered questions, but I’m not sure we will even remember where some of them are!
Where’s Peppy #1
Hooray! At long last Suzanne has figured out that this was at the USS South Dakota Memorial in Sioux Falls, SD, from last year’s trip!
Where’s Peppy? #2
Congrats to Patty C, who submitted the correct answer! Peppy is with Merlin at Foamhenge, Natural Bridge, VA.
Where’s Peppy? #3
And the prize goes to Patty C (she is so smart!) who knew Peppy was on the tail of a dinosaur at Dinosaurland, White Post, VA
Where’s Peppy? #4
Has Peppy flipped his lid?
Where’s Peppy? #5
This is an easy one…and we have a winner! Patty C correctly placed Peppy at the National Toy Hall of Fame in the Strong Museum of Play, Rochester NY
Where’s Peppy? #6
Babs has somehow figured out that Peppy is at the TePee Trading Post in Cherry Valley, NY. Good work!
Where’s Peppy? #7
Congrats, Babs, for knowing Peppy was keeping secrets in the Secret Garden at the Stone Hill Quarry Art Park!
Where’s Peppy? #8
Cool moove…and MOO! to Suzanne, who knoooo that Peppy was on the grill of the Ben and Jerry’s truck in Waterbury VT!
Where’s Peppy? #9
Rock on! Suzanne has correctly placed Peppy at the Rock of Ages granite quarry. He’s actually in one of the cages that the workers get lowered down (by a huge crane-like thing on a derrick) into the 600 foot deep quarry.
Where’s Peppy? #10
Congrats to Cathy P! Peppy is taking a break on the front porch of the Sugar Hill Inn in Franconia, NH
Where’s Peppy? #11
Slow down!
Where’s Peppy? #12
Which way to Canada?
Where’s Peppy? #13
Once again, Babs knew Peppy was in the mood to talk at Moody’s Diner!
Where’s Peppy? #14
Babs knew Peppy was wanting a ride on an old Ford at Owl’s Head!
Where’s Peppy? #15
Babs was on a roll (thankfully, Peppy wasn’t, even though he was cleverly disguised as a lobster!)
Where’s Peppy? #16
Even me?
Where’s Peppy? #17
Home, sweet home – Anne recognized Sandy’s beautiful roses hanging over her picket fence and correctly placed Peppy in Stonington, CT
Where’s Peppy? #18
Good job, Suzanne! Peppy was not in Madison County, but he is in the covered bridge at Kent Falls, CT
Where’s Peppy? #19
Kim Mc knew Peppy was in the press box at Yankee Stadium!
Where’s Peppy? #20
Like talking to a rock!
Where’s Peppy? #21
Rex correctly placed Peppy under the treads of a tank at West Point
Where’s Peppy? #22
That’s right, Suzanne! Peppy’s standing on Lucy’s toes.
Where’s Peppy? #23
Can you spare a quarter for a tune?
Where’s Peppy? #24
You’re right, Suzanne – Peppy is peeping through the window of the Shoe House in Haddam, PA
Where’s Peppy? #25
I’m not leaving!!
Our Favorites
Each year, we try to come up with some lists of our favorites. Stay tuned!
Best Eats
Favorite Experiences
Biggest Surprises (and Disappointments)
Coolest Icons
Memorable People
Funniest Things
States Visited
North Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
Maryland
Pennsylvania
New York
Vermont (toured the capitol in Montpelier)
New Hampshire
Maine
Massachusetts
Rhode Island (toured the capitol in Providence)
Connecticut
New Jersey
Delaware
Friends We Got to SeeAlong the Way (and who were kind enough to host us!)
We had another packed agenda for the day, as we planned to ride all over Connecticut on our way to our cousin’s house in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, and then take the train into the city, so we did not tarry at Sandy’s this morning. We took some pix of the house – we loved the way it was decorated, and we were so intrigued by the ingenious way Sandy had managed to pack so much into such a compact space. The stairs were particularly fascinating to us – they were very narrow and quite steep, since there really wasn’t enough room to put a full flight of stairs from the first floor to the second. My favorite room was the dining room, which felt sort of cavelike, since the one wall was a huge boulder. Very cool digs – thanks again, Sandy, for letting us stay for the night, and for your great recommendations of Noah’s and Kitchen Little.
Speaking of Kitchen Little, that’s where we were headed for breakfast this morning. In addition to Sandy’s suggestion, we had already read about Kitchen Little in Road Food, where it received great raves. It really is a teeny place – about 400 sq. ft., according to Road Food! We opted to eat outdoors, where we shared a picnic table with an elderly local couple. It was a beautiful day, and we were almost a little chilly in the shade.
Kitchen Little lives up to its motto, “AM Eggstasy” – I had a difficult time making my breakfast choice! If I had seen the special board before I ordered, I would have had no problem, since I would have gotten Eggs Benedict with avocados and tomatoes, but somehow I missed that. I don’t remember the name of what I had, but it was some concoction of eggs and vegetables and cheese over potatoes, and it was delicious. I will leave Kim’s breakfast choice up to you to guess… The view from the patio was so peaceful and serene – if only I could start every day this way!
From Kitchen Little and Mystic, our route took us up the Connecticut River to East Haddam, where we would be touring the Gillette Castle. Almost everyone guesses that this was built by the razor blade Gillette’s, but it wasn’t. William Hooker Gillette was a stage actor who was famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. He lived for many years on a 104′ houseboat (that he later expanded to 144′) named the Aunt Polly, and one day as he sailed up the river, he found a spot he liked, hopped out, hiked up, loved the view, and decided to build his ‘retirement home’ there. He never really retired, but he designed and oversaw the building of this extraordinary home and the railroad around it. I could write for PAGES about this place – it was definitely one of my favorite places – but I invite those of you who want to know more about it to go to http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325204&depNav_GID=1650 and/or http://www.friendsofgillettecastle.org/sofgillettecastle.org/ – they both have great pictures and plenty of facts.
The castle was named Seventh Sister, after the mountains in the area. Gillette was fascinated by trains and built three miles of narrow guage railroad around the property, including switches, turnouts, trestles, a roundhouse, a repair shop, and Grand Central Station. He had two engines built, an electric engine and a steam engine, and he had two Pullman cars which held seven passengers each, and one serpentine observation car that held 20 passengers. Albert Einstein and Calvin Coolidge both rode on the Seventh Sister Shortline, which cost $50,000 to build. The house itself cost a million dollars, and it took twenty men five years to construct. After Gillette’s death, his heirs sold the Castle to the state of Connecticut for $30,000.
As we left the Castle, we passed by a pond covered with lily pads, so we pulled in for a closer look. I love taking pictures of frogs, lily pads, and lotus blossoms, and I felt sure there would be plenty of opportunities here. I was right! There were about six HUGE frogs sitting near one side of the wall, then a couple of giant tadpoles that were maybe two weeks away from being frogs, and after carefully scanning the lily pads, I found a couple of frogs sunning on them. Aren’t the lotus blossoms beautiful?
By the time we left the castle grounds, it was after noon. We went through several little Connecticut towns, many of which had horrible traffic patterns (Middletown and Meriden, to name a couple). It seemed like it took us forever to get even just a little way across this small state. We stopped in at the Timexpo Museum in Waterbury and learned tons about clocks, watches, and timepieces as well as the role that this factory played in the town’s history.
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From Waterbury, we made our way to the rolling hills of Litchfield, and by now we were pretty hungry, even after our big breakfasts at Kitchen Little. The first place we tried to eat in Litchfield was a little bakery that had already stopped serving lunch (it was three o’clock…) The girl there recommended a couple of other places around the corner, so we went in search of food.
The first place we went to didn’t seem to have a door, so we went back to the Village, where we sat at the bar and had a couple of salads. The walls of the bar were covered with pictures from the Litchfield Hills Road Races throughout the years. This was a pretty little town, and we had parked on the town square right next to a statue honoring Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was born here. We were really running late now, so at Torrington, we altered our route and went across the state to Kent Falls, which had a little covered bridge and a waterfall that went on and on. We took the quarter-mile (straight up) hike and got so many different views of the waterfall. Everything was so lush and green – not at all what I had thought about seeing in Connecticut!
As we were leaving the Falls, we saw some exquisite dragonflies. Aren’t they pretty?
After we left the falls, we intended to make a beeline for Croton, but then we passed a huge spillway and saw a sign for a one-lane covered bridge, so you know what happened next… We were at Bulls Bridge, where we took a short hike that was right next to (and on a pretty slippery trail) the roaring river.
It was almost six by the time we left, so we went straight to Croton with no other stops. Much to Melanie’s surprise, we showed up at her door without having to call for specific directions, and without Jill’s help, since she had gone silent on us. Remember our fuse problem? It was still not fixed (no thanks to you, Clifton Park Toyota!) and now we apparently have blown another fuse, since neither auxiliary adapter works now. Needless to say, the XM is not singing to us, either. Anyway, it was great to see our cousin Melanie and her daughter, Nora, and Nora’s boyfriend, David. Melanie fixed us drinks and she had already cooked some yummy chicken and a Caesar salad, which we ate out on the terrace while looking across the Hudson River all the way to Manhattan. On a clear day…
Soon it was time for Kim to make her virgin run into NYC! Melanie took us to the train station (after we practically totally unloaded the car and re-packed for the city) and walked us through the ticket buying process and delivered us right to the track, where the train arrived about five minutes later. Wouldn’t want to rush into anything… The train ride was uneventful and Kim loved Grand Central Station and its beautiful ceiling and just the grandeur of the whole place. We caught a cab and yi-haw!!! Off we flew! Actually, we started at a crawl through Times Square, but the minute our cabbie saw daylight, we were off for the races! We were staying at the Hampton in Chelsea, and we got there about eleven, got settled, and crashed, ready to see the city the next day!
After a great night’s sleep at Denise and David’s, we slept in for a little bit – a much overdue rest! Denise kindly agreed to accompany us today, and even better, she offered to be our tour guide and drive! We both got to take a break from our jobs as driver and navigator. Unfortunately, we practically had to unload the car to make room for a third person, since the SisMo was packed! In the process of taking things out, we discovered that we had had a leak of dishwashing liquid, which had dried over much of the back seat. I was afraid to put water to it, thinking we might get sudsed out in a scene similar to I Love Lucy or the Brady Bunch or something, so I just cleaned it off as best as I could with paper towels.
We made our way through Round Pond heading for US1, and in the process we passed an old cemetery that still had a doorway leading to a storage vault. Back before we had heavy equipment for grave-digging, it was often too cold for men to dig graves in the cold northern winters, so they stored caskets in these vaults until spring thawed the ground enough for digging. It’s amazing the things you learn on the back roads! We also passed some recycled metal sculptures, mostly in the yard of one man who either needs to start selling them or stop making them…
We were on our way to the world famous Moody’s Diner on Route 1 in Waldoboro, Maine, where we love their slogan – “When I get hungry, I get Moody’s!” We bought a sticker of that saying for Kim’s kids to give to her ex, since it fit’s him to a T! We had a fantastic breakfast there – Kim had her usual, I had eggs scrambled with lots of veggies and home fries, and Denise had some yummy looking blueberry pancakes. We loved the diner – it’s truly a Maine landmark, and it has a great gift shop.
Denise modeled a moose hat that was really funny – with her sunglasses on she reminded me of Bullwinkle! (Sorry Denise – it was too cute not to include in the pictures!)
From Moody’s we went to the Maine State Prison Store, in which inmates sell mostly wooden furniture, games, and functional pieces (salad bowls, cutting boards, bird houses, etc.) that they have made. The state prison is no longer there, having been torn down some years ago, but they did leave one concrete watch tower to commemorate the space. One of my all-time favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption, was set there (but not filmed there). Of course, we all found something there that we couldn’t live without… We were impressed with the inmates who were working there, too – they were very well-mannered, helpful, and we could tell they were proud of their handiwork. Too bad all prisons aren’t teaching their residents great marketable skills while they are incarcerated.
Our next stop was the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum, which was HUGE and very cool. The very first exhibit we saw was a flying machine whose wings were completely made from bird feathers. There was a full scale model of the Wright Brothers plane that flew 120 feet at Kitty Hawk, NC, and then there were coaches, cars, bikes, and planes from every era. I loved the cute little midget car and the Red Baron’s plane, but that stylin’ Packard was my fave. After we finished looking at the exhibits, we all three got to ride in a Model T out behind the museum. Way cool!
We left Owl’s Head for Boothbay Harbor to the south, hoping for a game of candlepin bowling. We got to peer in the windows at the bowling lanes (the pins are really narrow, the balls are small and wooden, and you set your own pins) but the official summer season didn’t start in Maine until the next day. Rats! We drowned our sorrows in ice cream – homemade, no less! I had Maine Moose, Kim had Whoopie Pie, and Denise was good and had Mango sherbert. Ours was better, though! We wandered around the harbor a bit. Did I mention they make some of the best ever salt water taffy there? In the interest of truth in advertising, we all tried some so that we could assure you, our dearest readers, that it really is GOOD!
On the way back to Round Pond, we saw Miss Piggy, who changes clothes with the season. She and the rest of Maine are busily gearing up for the 4th of July, which Denise tells us is a big huge deal up in these parts. It was neat to see all of the bunting and flags up, as well as reading about all of the fun parades that were being planned. We just had to stop in at Edgecomb Pottery, ostensibly just to look. Ha! I bought jewelry and Kim bought pottery. Denise already has a good sampling of their gorgeous wares! Their stuff is really beautiful and so unique. We could have spent hours there, to say nothing of lots of dollars! After we left there, we stopped in to see some ostriches and fainting goats, and then we were off to King Ro’s to pick up some Moxie soda. King Ro’s is a great New England general store, with little bits of everything. Their gas pumps are old and don’t go to $4 (too bad gasoline does!) so they just make the price half of what it really is and then they post a note saying to double the total. Ya gotta love it! I’d like to see them try that in Durham!
Back at the house, I took some time to download and back up pictures while Kim and Denise went down to the dock to look at starfish. I wish we had a picture that would do them justice, but we don’t. Kim reports they were of all colors and sizes and that there were hundreds of them! Denise said that they had not ever seen them until they built the bridge out to the dock. Just believe us when we all say they are so fascinating! Before we left for dinner, Kim and I bravely tested our Moxie and then gave the rest to Braxton, who happily guzzled it down. He is more of a man than we are!
We were going to Shaw’s for an early lobster dinner, but first we stopped by the Pemaquid Lighthouse. It is so picturesque, and the rocks of the shoreline were unbelievable. You can almost see geology in action, as there are layers of sedimentary rocks alternating with metamorphic rocks.
We stopped by the grocery store where Wyche works so that he would know to join us for dinner, and then we were off to Shaw’s where several lobsters there were swimming their last. Great onion rings, a cold Cape Cod, and succulent, fresh lobster, a beautiful view overlooking the water, and friends to share with – what more could we ask for?
When we left Shaw’s, it had started raining pretty hard, but this couple was oblivious to the fact that everyone else had moved indoors. Ah, love and lobster!
After we got back to the house, Kim and I took Tess down to the docks for a last look at the starfish. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend in Maine. Thanks, Denise and David, for your wonderful southern hospitality and Maine knowledge, and for opening your stupendous home to us!
Belated greetings from the coast of Maine, even though I’m writing from the coast (sorry, SHORE) of New Jersey. Apologies for getting so far behind, and we appreciate your patience. Good things come to those who wait!
The first day of summer started for us about 1 AM as we loudly creaked our way up the stairs of the Sugar Hill Inn in Franconia, NH. We were so lucky to have stumbled upon this great inn! It was so old that the floors slanted downhill and the doorways were too short for Rex to have fit through. We were in the Blue Room, which as you may have astutely deduced was decorated in shades of blue. The bathrooms in this old inn have been remodeled and renewed, so we were treated to wonderful showers. We got to sleep in a little bit (until 7:15) since breakfast was not served until 8. We got there about 8:10 and found that Joey, Kathy, Jean, and Keith were already there and Jean and Keith did go for their morning run! We were impressed with their diligence and discipline, especially since we kept them up partying until way after their bedtimes! Not only that, we were jealous, because they saw a moose on their run. We still have not seen a real live one yet.
However, we did have a little excitement at breakfast. We had finished our meal of fresh strawberries and blueberries, a blueberry muffin, eggs scrambled with cheddar cheese, bacon, and home fries when Alan called out, “There’s a bear!” We all looked to see where he was pointing, and it was at the house across the street. And when I say at the house, I mean the bear was up on the front porch looking like it was ringing the doorbell! It was a good sized black bear, and when no one came to the door, it went around the house and came out on the other side and headed across the yard to the woods. Not an everyday occurrence for us! We said our goodbyes to everyone and pointed the car in the direction of Mt. Washington and the famous Cog Railway. As usual, we had intended to be there when the first train ran at 9 AM, but since we didn’t leave until about 9:30, that wasn’t happening. In addition, we foolishly left the directions to Jill, who told us we were there when we were still miles away…
As you know, though, we are resourceful and able to read maps (perhaps better than the people who program GPS systems) so we pulled in the parking lot about 10:30, in plenty of time to catch the 11:00 train. The ride takes about 3 hours in all, which includes a twenty minute stop at the top of Mt. Washington, home to some of the worst weather in the world. In fact, the highest wind speeds ever recorded were there – 231 mph!! Mt. Washington is in the Presidential Range, and it’s the second highest mountain east of the Mississippi (NC’s Mt. Mitchell is the highest). The Appalachian Trail runs along the ridge to the summit, so it was funny to see hikers taking pictures of us on the train as we took pictures of them. We each probably thought the other was crazy.
What was really crazy was that there was a road race going on that morning, too, which was just ending as we approached the peak. Believe it or not, LOTS of people actually ran up the road from the bottom to the top of Mt. Washington! They are the really insane ones! There they were in their shorts and sleeveless tanks while everyone on the train was putting on their fleeces and jackets. And no telling how long they’d been running! The Cog Railway is really something. It goes up the opposite side of Mt. Washington as the road, and the train is powered by coal. On the way up, a locomotive pushes the train and it runs on a cog system. On the way down, gravity takes over and the brakeman earns his keep. You’ll have to check out all the details at http://www.cog-railway.com/.
It was after two when we left Mt. Washington, headed for Maine. Not being quick learners, we again let Jill do her thing. Big mistake. An hour later, we might have gone 15 or 20 miles, but at least we were on the right track.
We didn’t have much of an agenda for the rest of the day – we wanted to see the famous Lynchville, Maine, signpost and we wanted to get where we were going by about 7 PM. Could we make it??? When we were just stopping for lunch at 3 o’clock (and finding almost everything closed) and we were STILL in New Hampshire, it was beginning to look like we would not make it all the way across Maine to the coast.
For heaven’s sake, we couldn’t even get out of New Hampshire and we were maybe 50 miles from the border at most to begin with! We were in Gorham, and thankfully found a small café that was still serving. SALT was in the basement/bottom floor of a building that used to be a bank, and it was really cool. The nicest young man served us, and Kim had a chicken sandwich with roasted tomatoes and lettuce on delicious looking bread, and I had a chorizo meatloaf with pepper jack cheese sandwich, also on very tasty homemade bread. For dessert we split a whoopie pie, which was two cakey chocolate cookies (big ones) with buttercream frosting in between them and homemade toffee bits on the edges of the frosting that were showing. YUM!! The toffee was so good we got a piece to go!
Soon after we got back on the road, we crossed the border into Maine. One thing we have noticed on this trip, as well as our other road trips, is that we can almost tell when we’ve passed from one state to another even without ‘Welcome to….” signs. It’s like they each have a very distinct personality and geography. The road we were on (Route 2) was extremely bumpy and clearly suffered from many harsh winters. We were a bit leery about getting off of this ‘good’ road onto a smaller one, but that’s how we had to go to see what we wanted to see. As it turned out, the smaller road was just fine and in much better shape. Before long, we passed a yard with lots of interesting yard art and a man out working in it. We were reminded of John (on Route 66 last year) and we thought about stopping to chat with him, but we didn’t.
Until we noticed the signpost in the corner of his yard – STOP!!! We found a place to park not too far down the road and came back for some photo ops. We found out that the owner of the property was from London, and even though he’s been in country for 16 years, he still sounded like an East Ender. We asked him how that happened, and he laughed and said he didn’t want to sound like an American!
Back on the highway, we were on a mission to get to Round Pond. We bypassed ice cream and only stopped to take a picture of Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, and by some minor miracle, we pulled into Denise and David’s driveway (which is a mile long!) just a little after seven. Friends from Durham who have recently built a dream vacation home in Maine, Denise and David were so kind to offer us a place to stay for a couple of days. I can’t begin to describe how beautiful and well thought out their ‘cottage’ (aka, palatial home) right on the rocky coast is! Besides being huge and wonderfully planned, it is decorated perfectly. Not one detail was overlooked that I could see, and our room was looking so comfortable and inviting it was all I could do to not crawl into bed and snuggle under. Except for one thing – dinner and music!
We took off for Schooner Landing where some friends of David and Denise’s were playing in a trio there that night. The Horseshoe Crabs were great and the food was mighty good, too! I had fresh fried oysters, just pulled out of the water out back of the restaurant that day, a baked potato, and cole slaw. Kim had broiled haddock, a salad, and garlic chive mashed potatoes. Worth driving all day for! We listened to the music for a while longer, and then made our way back to the house. I spent a while downloading and backing up photos, and then it was bedtime. Let me just say right now that Denise wins the prize for best bed, best shower, and best house right now. Kim and I give her a five or ten star rating! And she was worried about being one of our curiosities! We told her the only thing curious about her was that she invited us to stay with her, but we are so glad and grateful that she did.
We were up early this morning at 6:15, even before our alarm went off! You would have thought that meant we were going to have a great day where all went according to plan. You would think…
We had in mind to eat just a little something as we left town, as we were headed to Manchester, VT, for breakfast at Up for Breakfast, which came highly recommended. So we had a Kashi bar and some iced tea, but it was still almost 8:00 by the time we got going. We got gas and finally got headed in the right direction, and then we got stopped at a sheriff’s checkpoint. Seat belts or inspection stickers, we’re not sure, but we passed. Then we came upon a Toyota dealer, so we decided to stop in and get them to get us a new fuse. Remember the day we sat in the driveway at the Pollywogg Holler office trying to get online? Pretty sure we blew a fuse then as we tried to use the AC adapter to charge the computer. Ever since then, that charger outlet and the XM radio have not worked… Anyway, even though we told the Toyota service people what we thought was the problem, and we told them we were from out of town and needed to be on our way, they told us they might be able to work us in. In an hour. Give me Mark Jacobsen any day! By now it was after 8:30 and we were still in Clifton Park!!! It was a sign.
Jill took us all over the countryside as we just tried to get to Manchester, but we made it. On the way, we saw this giant chair, so we had to have a photo of it. We bypassed Bennington, but we saw this monument to Robert Frost. Finally, we stopped at a pharmacy and got great directions to the restaurant, and boy, was it worth the wait! Kim had ‘The Standard’ (their menu title of her usual breakfast – two eggs, scrambled, with some meat (Canadian bacon today) and toast) and I had wild turkey hash (peppers, onions, mushrooms, pine nuts, spices) topped with two poached eggs and Hollandaise. It was fantastic! Kim had really tasty hot chocolate topped with real whipped cream and I had pomegranate iced tea. It was good, but hardly worth $3.95!! We sat at the counter and watched the cooks (one was the owner) at work. We knew we wouldn’t be needing lunch today! We realized we had neglected to adequately plan our route in Vermont, so we went to the library to get online. We were only semi-successful, but we came up with a plan. We took off for Highway 7, easier said than done, and eventually we even got there. We took 7 to Rutland, and along the way we saw “Boy with Boot” and the Bear Family. They came upon us so quickly that we didn’t even get pictures, but if you want to see them, go to http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ and go to Vermont.
At Rutland, we went west toward Killington, where we were looking for the Tree with Bras, which is supposedly on a ski run at Bear Mountain there. We drove up to the top of Bear Mountain (Killington is a total ghost town in the summer!) but saw nothing like what we were looking for. We saw the dragon and the bear, but we decided not to ask anyone where we could find the bra tree. On Highway 4, we saw a bear made out of hay bales, and when we went back for a photo, we realized the little store there was really cute and had a neat, working water wheel. We bought Powerball tickets (cross your fingers!) and then scooted over to Highway 100, aka the Skier’s Highway. It was a very scenic drive through many small towns, and it looked just like you would expect Vermont to look. Rolling green hills, lots of trees, a stream by the roadside, and quaint little villages with greens and white churches. We stopped at one point to walk over to see a waterfall, and who did we park behind? A couple from Raleigh, NC. Funny, huh?
Finally, we made it to our real destination: Waterbury, home of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream!!! We got a scoop each (Coconut Seven Layer Cake for Kim, Coconut Almond, Chocolate Chunk for me) and then took a tour of the plant. At the end of the tour we got a sample scoop – of the flavor Kim had! We learned about another new flavor, Yellow Cake with Chocolate frosting, so we split a scoop of it. Oink, oink.
It was raining a tiny bit when we left B&J’s, but it was not far from there to Stowe and our splurge at the Trapp Family Lodge. We arrived at just five o’clock, 200 miles after leaving Clifton Park this morning. We love the lodge! It really felt like Austria when more than half of the guests we saw were speaking German. The grounds are gorgeous and the hallways are filled with photos and memorabilia of the von Trapp family. Our room is huge and we have a balcony overlooking the mountains. We had a delicious dinner in the lounge (since the dining room required ‘smart casual’ dress, and we only brought dumb casual), starting with a beer and ending with us splitting the two house specialties – bratwurst and wiener schnitzel. No mistakes there, except eating it all!
We’ve spent a quiet evening in front of the tv, with Kim mapping our route for tomorrow and me blogging and becoming very frustrated when I finished yesterday’s blog and lost it as I got kicked offline just as I tried to post it. It was not pretty. We walked around the grounds after dinner – they are lovely, and even have the final resting places of the von Trapps in a beautiful garden. There was a gorgeous sunset and a full moon. Heavenly!
