What you will get here is mostly a summary of my travel adventures. You will be able to follow me during my travels and and read about some of the people I meet many of the wonderful sites that I see along the way. Sometimes I may post a random thought, some of which you might agree with, some things you won't. I do not strive to be politically correct, as politically correctness has no common sense. I don't even strive to be entertaining,
After 8-days, 7-states and 2,081-miles, I arrived home yesterday afternoon about 4 p.m. The 320 miles trip from Lexington, Kentucky back to Christiansburg was uneventful except for about a 15-mile stretch on Interstate 64 between Huntington and Charleston, West Virginia. Road construction slowed traffic to a crawl and it took about 45-minutes to travel this 15-mile section.
The last two time that I had traveled through Charleston the West Virginia Capitol Dome had been covered while they was cleaning and repairing the cold leaf. This time, the Gold dome of the capitol was glistening in the sunlight. It is one of the most beautiful capitols in the United States.
While traveling through Kentucky for the past 8-day, I discovered that I wasn't the only one of my friends that were in the area. A day or two after visiting the Buffalo Trace Distillery I saw a Facebook post that my former co-workers and good friends Ralph Howell and Darrell Bowling were there the next day. They were in the area touring some of the same distilleries that I had toured and while our paths never crossed, they were traveling some of the same ground that I had traveled.
Then yesterday another good friend, Dennis Bradner were only about 60-miles ahead of me on Interstate 64. Dennis and three others were returning home from a two week trip to The Black Hills. They passed me Thursday night while I was in Lexington and spent the night about 60-miles east of me. As I travel I am always amazed at just how small this world is.
Well, not that this trip is over, what's next. The next major trip will be my Amtrak Journey to Arizona in October. I may take a couple of little weekend trips between now and then but nothing really lengthy.
For now I have got to get busy editing photos and videos. If you get a chance slip over to MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL and take a look at my videos. I try to add at least one new video each week. And if you want to see ALL of the Photo from my travels check out MY FLICKR site.
Last week when I was in Louisville severe storms hit Lexington, Frankfort and Louisville hard. At one point close to 100,000 people and businesses were without power. As a result several places that I wanted to visit were closed, so after a trip through Western Kentucky and up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, I returned to Louisville with the hope of visiting Cave Hill Cemetery and the Louisville Slugger factory.
So today I was up early and off to Historic Cave Hill Cemetery. Traffic was light and I made the 15-mile drive in less than 30-minutes. Cave Hill is a beautiful old cemetery with a number of notable people resting here including Colonel Harland Sanders, General George Rogers Clark and Muhammad Ali who passed away in 2016.
I spent about an hour at Cave Hill and then Headed downtown to tour the Louisville Slugger Factory. I had been here before in 1990 but it was on a weekend and had no problem finding parking. That was not the case this time. There are a number of surface lots in the area along with some parking garages. I tried two parking garages and they were full. I found a surface lot about 3/4 of a mile away but there was a rather seedy looking man at the entrance demanding $20 to park. I suspect this was a scam so I pulled away and decided to move on.
Striking out in downtown Louisville, I head toward The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. I am glad I decided to visit during the week because I can see this place being tremendously crowded. They charge you $10.00 to park and it's $48 admission to Just the Ark Site. This same company has another attraction located about 20-miles away called the Creation Museum and you can purchase a combo-ticket for $60 that includes admission to both attractions.
Upon entering the attraction you will have to park in a large parking lot and walk to an open shelter to buy ticket. I am not a fan of any attractions that makes you stand in line to buy ticket, and trust me, the lines can be long really, really long. One you buy your ticket you stand in line again to board a bus that will take you to the Ark. I can see these line being very very long at peak times.
I was pretty luck, as I only had to spend about 15-minutes in the ticket line and another 15-minute in the bus line.
Once the bus drops you off at the Ark it an awesome site. Pictures can not do it justice as to the shear size of the Ark. When I say it is huge, I mean it is huge. And the inside is amazing, with life size stuffed animals and on the upper levels the working an living space for Noah, his wife and their sons and their wives.
It took me about 3-hours to go through all three levels of the Ark, and I was really amazed at the detail and enjoyed it tremendously.
There are live animal exhibits in an area around the Ark along with refreshment stands located throughout the area. I had lunch in the on site buffet restaurant. It cost me $10.59 for all you could eat, and the food was really quiet tasty. I would highly recommend have a meal here.
All total I ended up spending about 5-hours here at the Ark and by the time I had concluded my visit It was very late in the afternoon. So I decided to return to Lexington and spend the night before heading home tomorrow.
I don't have any planned stops tomorrow but you never now what I might find. We will just have to wait and see.
My original plan for today was to leave early and head east back toward Louisville, but when I got up this morning I decided to head into downtown St. Louis and re-visit the Arch, which I last visited in 2013. Since that visit they have built a new museum and visitors center. Come to find out the tram rides to the top had only re-opened earlier this year.
I left the hotel at a little after 7 and made the 30 minute drive into downtown. Arriving early allowed me to find parking in one of the parking garages just a couple of blocks from the Old Courthouse and the Arch. After walking around the ground and snapping a pictures I made my way into the visitors center and purchased my ticket for the tram tide to the top.
The tram is actually 8 small pods that seat 8-people. The interior of the pod is very, very small so be prepared to get close to your traveling companion. It takes about 3 and a half minutes to get to the top and once there you can stay as long as your like.
Today was crystal clear and the view was magnificent. Looking to the east you get a great view of the
Mississippi River and the Illinois Country side. Looking west is downtown St. Louis with a spectacular view of the Old Courthouse, the Former TWA and Later Edward Jones Dome and Busch Stadium.
A trip to the top of the arch should be on everybody's bucket list. It is simply outstanding.
After completing my visit to the Arch, I made the short walk down to Busch Stadium, Home of the St. Louis Cardinals and purchased a ticket for the Stadium Tour. A stadium tour ticket also included admission to the Cardinal Museum and Hall of Fame.
The stadium tour last about 45 minutes and included a visit to the dugout and in to KMOX Radio Booth where John Rooney and Mike Shannon broadcast Cardinal Baseball to 40-states. It's a great tour and any baseball fan (well maybe not Cub Fans) would enjoy.
The Cardinal Hall of Fame and Museum is simply outstanding. Packed with historic artifacts from the early days of St. Louis Baseball, including a number of artifacts from the greatest Cardinal of them all Stan Musial.
The KMOX Broadcast Booth
I ended up spending the better part of the Morning in downtown St. Louis and still had a 250 mile drive across southern Illinois and Indiana and am now back in Louisville for the night. Tomorrow is another play it by ear day but in the next day or two I am going to start heading home.
Today, I moved from Paducah, Kentucky to St. Louis for a quick visit to a couple of sites that I had skipped on my previous visits to the City of the Arch. While the most direct route would have taken me north across the Ohio River on Interstate 24 into Southern Illinois and the up to Interstate 64 and into the City of St. Louis. However I opted to take a move round about route and headed west on U. S. Route 60 to the Town of Wickliffe, Kentucky.
The Confluence of the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers
It is here in Wickliffe that the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers merge. Just north of town I cross the the Ohio River just a few yard before it merges with the Mighty Mississippi. By crossing the the river I leave Kentucky and enter into very southern tip of Illinois. Less than a minute later I cross the Mississippi River and leave Illinois and enter the State of Missouri. So I actually drove through three different states in a matter of 2-minutes. After crossing the Mississippi, it was just a short drive over to Interstate 55 where I headed north for two hour drive to St. Louis.
With very light traffic I arrived at the U. S. Grant National Historic Site in South St. Louis. This was the home of Frederick Dent, and it was here that Ulysses Grant would meet and marry his wife Julia Dent. Ulysses first visited here to visit his West Point Classmate and friend Frederick Dent. During one of his visits Grant met Julia Dent who would become his wife on August 22, 1848. Following their marriage Grant was stationed at various posts in Michigan, New York and in the west. Julia continued to live here with here parents until Grant resigned from the army in 1854 and returned here to live with Julia and the Dent Family. The would live here until 1859 when the couple and their small children moved to Illinois. When the Civil War began Grant answered the call and as they say the rest is history.
Only the first floor of the home is open for tours and none of the furnishings are original to the house or belongs to the Grant or Dent Families. A ranger is on site to answer any questions.
Just across the street from the Grant Historical Site is Grant's Farm which is the site of the Grant/Dent Farm that was operated the families in the mid-1800's. Today the farm is operated by Anheuser-Busch and is no way connected with the Grant Historical site.
From the historic site I made my way to Grant's Farm. Basically it was a cluster from start to finish.
It cost $13 to park which includes admission to the farm. After parking I was greeted with a long line waiting to enter the park. Come to find out you can only gain access to the park by riding one of the trams. The lines for the trams extended across the road and into the parking lot. It took me abut 50-minutes to make it from the parking lot across the street. Once across the street it was another 40-minutes in line just to board the tram.
Once on the tram you ride through a small animal park that features deer and elk. Then they let you off where you can go through what is basically a petting zone where they will sell you animal food to feed goats, camels and a few birds.
This is one of the few thing that I have done when on vacation that I absolutely didn't enjoy at all. After over an hour in line to get into the park, I ended up spending less than 45-minutes in the park.
I made it back to the parking lot and spent a few minutes touring the Clydesdale Barn before heading south to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. I had visited the Cemetery on a previous trip to St. Louis but it was too early to check into my hotel so I decided to make a return visit.
Buried in Jefferson Barracks are Lieutenant Michael Blassie andJohn "Jack" Buck. Lieutenant Blassie was originally buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery as the unknown soldier from the Vietnam War. He was entomb at Arlington from 1984-1998. His remains were eventually identified and were reinterred here.
Just a short distance from Lieutenant Blassie is the Grave of John F. Buck, who is better known as Jack Buck, the long time voice of the St. Louis Cardinals. Jack Buck is a member of the broadcasters wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame and was one of the greatest voices the game of baseball has ever known.
From Jefferson Barracks I made the 3-mile drive to my Hotel and after a quick supper I ventured about 5-miles north to one of the Iconic sites on old Route 66. I 1941, Ted Drewes opened up a frozen custard stand on Historic Route 66 which is today known in St. Louis as Chippewa. For over 70 years it has been a staple of travelers on the Mother Road and is still one of the most popular spot in St. Louis.
After enjoying a cup Peach Custard it was back to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow, I really don't have a plan other than to eventually end up back in Louisville.
Today was a relatively long day mileage wise as I covered a little over 300-miles, which is more than I usually do. I try and keep my daily miles somewhere between 200 and 250 mile which gives me a chance to stop and see the sites along the way.
Today, I travel from Louisville to Paducah with stops at Mammoth Cave, The Corvette Museum and a side trip to the small town of Rosin, Kentucky before arriving here in Paducah for the night.
I left Louisville this morning shortly before 8 a.m.as I wanted to get to the Cave early and hopefully beat the crowd. On the way from Louisville to Mammoth Cave I switch time zone, moving from the Eastern Time to Central Time so I arrived at 8:30 Central Time.
I made my way to the visitors center and found that several of the more popular tour were already sold out. Evidently most folks pre-purchase their tickets online in advance. So I opted for the simple 30-minute self guided tour, which takes you through the historic original entrance and in to several large rooms.
Mammoth Cave is the larges cave in the world with more than 400 miles to explore. I only explored about a half a mile on my brief tour but enjoyed the experience none the less.
From Mammoth Cave it was a short drive down to Bowling Green and the National Corvette Museum. The Museum features over 80 Corvettes including mint condition classics and several historic vehicle.
On February 12, 2014, 8 of the classic Corvettes were swallowed up when a giant sink hole opened inside the museum. Today the damaged vehicle are on display in the same room over top of the repaired sink hole. Damage to the vehicle alone was estimated at over 1-Million Dollars but that is a conservative estimated as several of the vehicles were regarded as priceless.
Leaving the Corvette Museum I made a detour to Rosine, Kentucky which is the birthplace of Bill Monroe, who is regarded as the Father of Bluegrass. Bill Monroe made popular a style of music that was played on front porches and in the hollows throughout the south. He called this music Bluegrass. Bill was one of the most popular stars on the Grand Ole Opry and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.
Bill died on September 9, 1996 and is buried in the Rosine Cemetery just a few yard from Pendleton Vandiver who Bill make popular in a song called "Uncle Pen."
From Rosine it was on to Paducah where I made a quick stop at Oak Grove Cemetery. Here is buried Thomas Scopes, who was a school teacher at Rhea County High School in Tennessee. Scopes was charged with having broke Tennessee Law by teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution in his high school biology class. Scopes was tried in 1925 with Williams Jennings Bryan as one of the prosecutors. On of Scopes defense lawyers was Clarence Darrow, and after being found guilty and fined $100, the verdict was overturned on appeal. The "Scopes Monkey Trial" was one of the landmark court cases of the early 20th century.
Following the "Monkey Trial" Scopes was unemployed for two years before he took a job as a geologist with United Gas Corporation working in Houston, Texas and Shreveport, Louisiana until he retired in 1963. He died on October 21, 1970 from the complications of Cancer.
My final stop of the day was at Mount Kenton Cemetery where I visited the final resting place of Alben Barkley, who served as the 35th Vice President of the United States under President Harry Truman. On April 30, 1956, Barkley was addressing the mock convention at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. While delivering his remarks, Barkley suffered a heart attack and collapsed and died on Stage.
After visiting the grave of Vice President Barkley I grabbed supper and checked into my hotel for the night. Tomorrow I am off to St. Louis and where I hope to visit Grant's farm and the Budweiser Brewery.
When I got up this morning I had a plan to stay in Louisville and tour Cave Hill Cemetery and the Louisville Slugger Factory. But the storms that pass through Kentucky a few day back had done some damage to the Cemetery and when I arrived there this morning the gates were closed and padlocked. When I checked the Louisville Slugger website it show closed today even though when I checked yesterday it showed open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
So it was back to the drawing board and a new plan quickly took shape and 45-minutes later I was in , Kentucky at the Birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln. It was here at Sinking Springs Farm that our 16th President was born on February 12, 1809. The tiny one room cabin that sits inside the Birthplace Memorial Building is not the original cabin but one that day backs to the mid-1800's. While the cabin was originally thought to be the authentic birthplace cabin and the memorial building was build to protect it between 1909 and 1911, it was later learned that the existing cabin was build on the original birthplace site several years after the Lincoln family had left the area for Illinois.
By visiting the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site I was able to get another stamp for my National Park Service Passport Book. Earlier in this trip I got The Cumberland Gap National Stamp and hopefully before returning home I will be able to visit Mammoth Cave which will give me all of the National Park sites in Kentucky.
My Bottle waiting for me to dip it in the signature red wax
From The Lincoln Birthplace it was about a 30-minute drive through the country to the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. Of all of the tours that I have taken on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Maker's Mark Tour was the best by far. Our guide, Woody, was excellent and was able to hold our attention throughout the hour long tour. The tour takes you into the Mash House where the grains are "mashed in" to make the "beer" that is distilled into the "white dog," which is the clear liquid that is punt into the 53 gallon charred white oak barrels. The liquid is then age for several years in the barrels that are stored in "rick houses" all over the property. The aging in the charred barrels is what gives the bourbon it rich amber color.
At the end of the tour, visitors are given the opportunity to buy a naked bottle of their favorite bourbon and hand dip it into the red wax that is unique to Marker's Mark. Yes, I purchased my own bottle and hand dipped, giving my bottle my on unique look.
After an enjoyable tour of the Maker's Mark Distillery, I made the short drive up to Bardstown and toured "My Old Kentucky Home." The mansion that became the subject of the Stephen Foster Song, is a 200-year old house that sat at the center of the Rowan Family Plantation. Over the years, 3-generations of the Rowan Family lived here. Our tour guide, Madison, began the tour in the entrance hall and after a brief introduction, she delivered a very nice rendition of "My Old Kentucky Home." I have never had a guide sing to me during a tour but I must say it was a very enjoyable part of the tour.
It was pouring rain and I was unable to spend a lot of time at the mansion so I headed out to a place called Happy Hollow. Here just a couple of miles off of Interstate 65 is the Jim Beam Distillery. I arrived about 15 minutes before closing time, but was able to roam the property and take a few photos.
My stop at the Jim Beam Distillery is the last of the distilleries that I plan to visit. Over the last few days I have toured 4-different distilleries. The tour that I enjoyed the least was Woodford Reserve. I don't know what it was but everyone there including my fellow tourist seemed sort of uppity and gave the impression that they were doing you a favor by allowing you to tour their facility.
The Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg was #3 on my list of distillery tours simply they were in the middle of their summer shutdown. Nothing was being produced so there wasn't a lot to see. The best part of the Wild Turkey Tour was the view of the Kentucky River and the decommissioned railroad trestle where the more daring tourist can bungee jump. I am not that brave so I passed on the Bungee Jumping.
Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort was #2 on my list because of the history and again we had a great guide named Jimmy. Jimmy kept your attention and was well versed in the rich history of the distillery which is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United State. While many distilleries were force out of business during prohibition, Buffalo Trace obtained an exemption and was able to produce bourbon for medicinal purposes.
As I said earlier, my favorite tour was Marker's Mark just because they were in production and our guide was great. Plus being able to dip your own bottle into the signature red wax was a great way to end the tour.
So for a day that I completely threw together on the spur of the moment, I had a great time. I am back in Louisville for tonight and tomorrow I plan on moving on toward Mammoth Cave and the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. So that is the plan, but that is subject to change.
As I ended yesterday's blog I was tucked in safe and sound at the Hilton Doubletree in Lexington, Kentucky. Severe storms had passed through Lexington and Frankfort between 4 and 7 yesterday afternoon and according to the local news well over 100,000 customers were out of power.
About midnight last night another line of severe storm went through Lexington resulting in more damage and power outages. The area where I stayed was south of downtown Lexington, and businesses in the immediate area never lost power, all you had to do was travel a mile or two in either direction to find trees down and power out.
As I left the hotel I made my way to down town Lexington and made a quick stop at Commonwealth Stadium and Rupp Arena. Some of the traffic lights were working while some were not. After a quick stop at Rupp Arena I made my way up to historic Lexington Cemetery where a number of trees were down and a few of the cemetery roads were blocked.
Cemetery Crews were working to clear the damage as I worked my way to several notable graves. My first stop at the tomb of Henry Clay, who served the Commonwealth of Kentucky for more than 24-years in the United States Senate and ran for President in 1824, 1832 and 1844. He also served at the 9th Secretary of State and the 7th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
The Henry Clay Monument is not hard to find. Enter the Cemetery and make an immediate left and it is just a short distance on the right. It is the tallest monument in the Cemetery.
Other notable people that are resting here are John C. Breckenridge, who served at the 14th Vice-President under James Buchanan. He also the Confederate Secretary of War under President Jefferson Davis.
Actor Jim Varney, "Know what I mean Vern" is also buried here in Section C-1. One of the most visit graves here in Lexington Cemetery is final resting place of Adolph Rupp, who coach the University of Kentucky Basketball Team for more than 40-years, winning 4-National Championship. The Father of Big Blue Nation was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Many of the traffic lights were out on this side of town and only a few gas stations had power and those that did has long lines. So I decided to head north toward Louisville to see if thing were any better.
As I made my way west on Interstate 64 it was hit or miss with who had power an who didn't. Many of the stations along the Interstate around and west of Frankfort were without power. I met several convoy's of electrical trucks traveling east on the Interstate toward Lexington so it looks like help is on the way. The closer I got to Louisville the better the power situation got.
My first stop in Louisville was at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. I opted to spend the $15 for the General Admission Tour which features a 20-minute video and a 30-minute walking tour of the Paddock and a short walk onto the track, which give you the opportunity to grab a few classic photos.
I ended up spending about an hour at Churchill Down and then I was off to Pay my respects to our 12th President, Zachary Taylor who is buried in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. President Taylor died on July 9, 1850 and was originally buried in a vault near the back of the cemetery. In 1926 he and his wife were moved to the current private mausoleum adjacent to the Zachary Taylor Monument.
Also buried nearby is President Taylor's father, Colonel Richard Taylor who fought in the Revolutionary War. A number of Taylor descendants are resting near the Monument and Presidential Tomb.
After leaving the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, I made my way to Rest Haven Memorial Park. For me no trip to Louisville would be completer without visiting the grave of my all time favorite Dodger Pee Wee Reese. Pee Wee was a Louisville native and was the captain of the Great Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950's.
Following his playing day, he turned to broadcasting and was paired with the great Dizzy Dean to broadcast the Game of the Week sponsored by Falstaff Beer. He later returned to his roots and came home to Louisville where he went to work for Bud Hillerich and the Louisville Slugger Company. Pee Wee lived the rest of his life here in Louisville and died August 14, 1999 from the complications of cancer.
All and all it was a busy but good day. Tomorrow I will stay in Louisville and see what the day brings.
I awoke this morning to rain and a few storms in the Lexington Area but as I was checking out of the Hotel I could see blue sky to the west. So I decided to alter my plans for today and head west toward Versailles.
My first stop of the day was at the Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg. The distillery is located on the banks of the Kentucky River and the Visitors Center give you a commanding view of the river and the decommissioned railroad trestle. Just a note the old railroad trestle is now use for bungee jumping.
I signed up for a tour which costs $11, and ended up with a really nice couple from Dallas, Texas. Our Tour guide Andi was really great. She knew here stuff and is a great ambassador for the Wild Turkey Brand.
The distillery was in a two week summer shutdown, so we didn't get to see any bottling or production but Andi made it interesting none the less.
After leaving Wild Turkey I made a quick stop at the Pisgah Presbyterian Church. Here is was able to visit the grave of two time Kentucky Governor and former Commissioner of Baseball A. B. "Happy" Chandler. Happy Chandler was one of the most beloved figures in Kentucky serving as the states 44th and 49th Governor. But his most enduring legacy came when he was the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. During his tenure he fully supported Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodger's efforts to break the color barrier with Jackie Robinson. With his support Jackie Robinson made his major league debut on April 15, 1947.
From Pisgah I moved on to Frankfort, Kentucky's Capitol City. Here I made a quick stop at the grave of Daniel Boone in the Frankfort Cemetery. Originally buried in Missouri where he and his family settled after leaving Kentucky, he and wife Rebecca's remains were returned to and reburied in Frankfort Cemetery in 1850.
Frankfort Cemetery sits on a hill over looking downtown Frankfort and the Kentucky State Capitol Building. Frankfort is one of the smallest capital cities in the nation and the Capitol Building dominates the area.
There are 5 statues in the capitol rotunda. At the center of the rotunda is a statue of Abraham Lincoln, with statues of Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy), Alben Barkley (35th Vice President), Henry Clay (Senator) and Dr. Ephraim McDowell.
I found the statue of Dr. McDowell interesting because if you are traveling on Route 11 North of Lexington, Virginia there is a brick enclosed cemetery on the north side of the highway just south of Fairfield. Buried in this cemetery are a number of Dr. McDowell's relatives including his great grandfather, also named Ephraim and his uncle Captain John McDowell who was killed by Indians on December 14, 1742.
Dr. Ephraim McDowell was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia and moved to Kentucky. Dr. McDowell was the first person to successfully remove an ovarian tumor as well as the first person to conduct open abdominal surgery. Dr. McDowell died in 1830 and is buried in Danville, Kentucky.
My final stop of the day was at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United State. It even continue to operate during prohibition because is secured permission to distill medicinal spirits. My tour was interrupted because severe storms that passed through the area from the west. These were wicked storms with lightening, thunder and high winds.
After leaving Buffalo Trace, I headed back toward Lexington where I was planning on spending the night at the Holiday Inn in the Hamburg area. The closer I got to Lexington the worse the storms got. When I got to the Hotel I discovered that much of Lexington was without power including the Hotel. Traffic lights were out and traffic was a total mess.
I found a Cracker Barrel that had power and was able to have supper but when I got back to the Holiday Inn is was informed that more than 77,000 people were without power in the Lexington Area. The hotels that had power had filled up quick and I must say that I wasn't looking forward to making a drive up toward Louisville and trying to find a room there. According to Google Maps the drive from Lexington to Louisville would take about 3-hours as Traffic was basically stopped on Interstate 64.
Before deciding to head toward Louisville I stopped at a Hilton Doubletree and found that they not only had power but had rooms available. While this was good enough news, the young lady at the front desk told me that the rate for this weekend was $164 a night, but because they did not want to take advantage of people who were caught in these storms she would be checking me in with a rate of $99. Wow, That was totally awesome. There are still companies and people that take care of people caught between a rock and a hard place.
So I am settled into my room at the Hilton Doubletree here in Lexington and will hit the road tomorrow and hopefully move on up closer to Louisville.
Well, I am on the road again and over the next few days I going to be exploring the Dark and Blood Ground of Kentucky. I got up early this morning and after a quick stop for gas, I hit Interstate 81 just a few minutes after 6:30.
Traffic was light on the interstate and I was able to cross the Tennessee Line and after making a quick stop at the Tennessee Welcome Center, I headed west on U. S. Route 58 toward my first stop of the day, the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.
Locate at the very western tip of Virginia, the Cumberland Gap National Park is actually located in three states, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. If fact near the Dr. Thomas Walker Parking area, visitors can actually stand in all three states at one time.
After Passing through the mile long Cumberland Gap Tunnel, I checked in at the Park's Visitors Center where I watched a very interesting 24-minute film about the first pioneers who passed through the gap and encountered the hostile Shawnees. These early pioneers were lead by Dr. Thomas Walker and of course Daniel Boone.
From the visitors center I took the 4-mile drive to the top of the mountain and the was afforded a
grand view from the Pinnacle Overlook. The overlook is 2,440 feet high and offers a splendid of all three states. In fact when I was standing at the overlook which is actually located in the very western part of Lee County, Virginia I was closer to nine other state capitol than I am to Richmond. The nine other capitols are, Frankfort(Ky), Nashville (Tn), Columbus (Oh), Atlanta (Ga.), Columbia (SC), Raleigh (NC), Charleston (WV) and Montgomery (Al).
From Cumberland Gap I made my way west through Middlesboro, Kentucky on U. S. Highway 25 to the Town of Corbin, Kentucky where I made a quick stop at the Original Sanders Cafe. It was here in this tiny town on busy highway 25 that Harland Sanders operated a restaurant and motel from 1940-1956. It was here that Colonel Sanders developed his secret recipe for fried chicken. His recipe and method of pressure cooking the chicken eventually become what we know today as "Kentucky Fried Chicken."
Today, the Colonels original cafe is still serving up his famous chicken in one part of the building while another part is preserved as a museum, including the Colonels Office, and the original kitchen. The Sanders Cafe was listed on the National Register of Historic Place in 1990.
From Corbin I hit Interstate 75 and headed north toward my final stop of the day, Historic Fort Boonesboro State Park. Here on the banks of the Kentucky River Daniel Boon and his men constructed a frontier fort in the Spring of 1775. Within the walls of the fort were 26 one story log cabins and four blockhouse on each of the forts corners. The interior of the fort also featured a tavern and store, a blacksmith shop, and a weaver. The men who would tend to livestock and crops outside of the walls, would have to be on constant watch for hostile Shawnees who on a number of occasions attack the settlers and the fort.
Today, The Fort Boonesboro State Park has a reconstructed fort near the original site with employees in period dress demonstrating various aspects of frontier life. There is an $8.00 charge $5.00 for seniors 62 and over. I would suggest you start your self guided tour by watching the short video which shows the hardship of life on the western frontier.
The fort closes at 5 p.m. and as the ranger was standing by to close the gate, I made my way about 10 miles further north to the Comfort Inn on the Athens Boonesboro Road in Lexington, where I am spending the Night.
Tomorrow I plan on spending the day taking in the sites of Lexington.
I guess you could say that since retiring I have turned into a grumpy old man. Not that I was a barrel of happiness when I was working, but I guess I have a lot of time on my hands and pay more attention to things that I really didn't notice when I was working.
When I worked I was some what thankful for stupid people because they represented job security. Now stupid people are a pestilence and annoyance. I really have no patience with stupid people and in the last few months I have noticed a lot more of them. Like the lady at the gas pump at Kroger's the other day who parked long ways across three parking spots. When another man said something too her she replied F...You and kept walking.
Just to show you that stupid people actions have unplanned consequences, another guy parked is pickup withing the confines of a legal parking spot directly behind her. there were only about 6-inches between the back of her car and the side of his truck. Another car was parked directly in front of her leaving only about a foot from the front of her car and the side of the other car. Lady Stupid wasn't going any where.
When she came back and found she wasn't going anywhere she was some kind of mad. I left and went across the street to the CVS while she was still cussing and ranting in the parking lot. When I cam out of CVS, I looked across the street and saw two police cars in the Kroger Parking lot.
I parked close enough to hear the police officer tell Lady Stupid that they couldn't do anything to help her. The officer told her that the cars in front of her were properly parked, she was the one improperly parked and would just have to wait it out. She continue to rant and rave until the officer basically told her to calm down or she may face a disorderly charge.
What made this even more entertaining was the drivers of the two properly parked cars had been sitting around the patio furniture in front of Kroger's watching the entire situation unfold. After making Lady Stupid wait a total of about 45-minutes the two driver decided they proved their point and returned to their vehicles and drove off without comment while Lady Stupid sat quietly in her car fuming.
Another thing that I am not a fan of is something called Lip Sync Challenge that police officers seem to be doing. First I think the entire Idea is stupid and Second, while some may find it cute, it find it a total waste of time, money and effort. Police officers should be out enforcing the law and not making YouTube and Facebook videos.
I was involved in law enforcement for over 40-years and never found this type of activity necessary or something that I would remotely want to be involved in. People say that it shows the human side of police My personal opinion is that this entire lip sync stuff is ridiculous and does nothing to impact the community view of police officers. Thugs will always be thugs whether police do lip sync challenges or not.
I am a huge baseball fan and we are basically half way through the season. Today while listening to the radio I heard one of the sports hosts on the radio ask the Commissioner of Baseball if anything was going to be done about the pace of play.
In a rambling answer all kinds of thing were being considered, including the implementation of a pitch clock, putting a limit of pitching changes, and limiting visits to the mound. These are all BS Suggestions.
First Major League Baseball has always had a pitch clock in the rule book. Simply put the rule says that the pitcher must deliver a pitch to the batter within 20-second of receiving the ball from the catcher. If he fails to do so, the umpire shall warn the pitcher. Future violations will result in a ball being awarded to the batter.
Now I know what you are saying, what if the batter is not in the box. Well that is covered too. The rule simply stated that the batter shall promptly take his position in the box when instructed to do so by the umpire. If the batter fails to do so the umpire shall warn the batter and award a strike for future violations.
Simply enforcing these two rules would speed up the pace of play significantly. I have umpired at various levels for over 30 years, and have enforced these rules only on a few occasions in high school. Enforcement is not popular and every time resulted in an argument and an ejection. But you only had to do it once and from then on pitchers pitched and batters stayed in the box and the game went quicker. But the fact of the matter is the NCAA and MLB does not want these already written rules enforced. You try and enforce these rules in the Major Leagues and the Players association would lose their mind and threaten to strike, but simply have pitchers throw a pitch in a timely manner and keeping batters in the box would significantly improve the pace of play.
Limiting Mound visits is being tried this year but basically the trial rule has not teeth. There is basically no penalty for exceeding the limit. Limiting pitching changes may have some merit. I was in Pittsburgh earlier this year and pitching change after pitching change caused the game to drag to almost 4 hours. One rule I heard discussed is to require the new pitcher to face three batters or record 3-out before another change could be made. Or if a pitcher other than the starting pitcher starts an inning he must face a minimum of 3 batter before an in inning change could be made.
I know what you are going to say is what about pitch hitters being used to negate the change. If a pitch hitter is announce, then he is officially in the game. If the pitcher is then changed and another pitcher is used is used that hitter will be required to play a minimum of three out in a defensive position. In the American League where you pitch hit for the Designated Hitter then the pitcher would be force to bat for the remainder of the game.
Another way is to force the umpire to call the strike zone that is spelled out in the rule book. The rule book strike zone is any pitch that crosses any portions of home plate between the batters letters and the top of the knees. In reality today, anything above the belt is called a ball and anything over the inside half of the play is also a ball. The plate is 17-inches wide, and if a batter crowds the inside part of the plate and a pitcher happens to pitch inside the batter acts like an idiot and wants to charge the mound. Umpires need to call strikes that are strikes.
I was told early on in my umpiring career, you get paid for outs and strikes. Every strike you call early is one less you will have to call late because after the first time through the batting order that batters will know that you are going to be calling the entire strike zone and will be swinging the bat.
Swinging the bat either puts you one strike closer to an out of it puts the ball in play, neither is a bad option and games will speed up.
These rule adjustments may or may not work. But there are ways to speed up the game without major adjustments to the rules.
Yea, I am getting grumpy in my old age but what can I say.
Finally, last year I visited the small town of Crawfordville, Georgia. I have uploaded the video of that visit so here it is.
Well it's the day after the 4th of July and the Summer Heat Continues. Today was the 6th day in a row that the temps have been in the mid-90's and the humidity continues to climb. But there appears to be some relief in site as low pressure is expected to move through tomorrow and bring with it lower temperatures and some rain. After the front clears out this weekend we should have temps in the high 70's or low 80's with lower humidity.
Last night's fireworks here in the NRV were a little bit disappointing. The fireworks were moved from the High School to an area adjacent to the New River Valley Mall. I realize the new field turf at the High School can handle the fallout from the fireworks but moving them to the Mall which is already a traffic night mare had the makings of being a big mistake. AND IT WAS. Traffic all around the mall was a total cluster and NOBODY WAS HAPPY. Christiansburg, you really screwed the pooch on this one.
I did walk over to the street behind my house and myself and about 40 other folks had a pretty good view of the Fireworks from about a mile and a half away. This years show only lasted about 15-minutes and wasn't all that great. Once again Christiansburg, you screwed the pooch.
One other thing that Christiansburg has done recently, is lowered the speed limit on several major streets. And so far they haven't wasted any time enforcing the new limits.
Some of you may know that I sorta, kinda like watch trash TV. Yes I like shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race and Big Brother. But I must admit the last couple of seasons of the Amazing Race and Big Brother have left a lot to be desired. The producers have tried to hard to trick thing up with both casting and deviating from the original game. The CBS Casting and Production have really screwed the pooch on the last few season.
This season of Big Brother started last week and after a disappointing last season I had all be decided that I wasn't going to watch this year. However, I found out that there was a girl on the show this season from Stuarts Draft and decided to give it a shot.
Samantha, Sam for short is a tomboy welder from just up the road in Stuarts Draft and has an sugar coated southern accent. I hope she lasts a while, but if she doesn't I probably will give up on the show as I really don't like any of the other player.
Finally, the summer heat has really made me lazy and I have screwed the pooch as far as editing photos and videos. I started working on a video of some of the cemeteries that I visited in the Dallas Area but about half way through the video was over 12-minutes long. One of the largest cemeteries in the Dallas Area is Sparkman-Hillcrest. It also has a large number of notable graves, so I decided to make it into a stand alone video and then make a second video of all of the others.
So here is the latest video from my Texas Vacation. The Tombstone Tourist Visits Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park.
Well we are halfway through the year and the the summer heat has settled in. Temperatures here in the New River Valley have been in the mid-90's with high humidity. So I have been staying pretty close to home. I have been doing my daily walk in the morning and even though it was still hot I have been averaging 5 to 6 miles in about 90-minutes.
Usually, I can sit on my back deck and watch the annual 4th of July fireworks from the High School, but this year due to construction on the Football field they have moved them about two miles away. I haven't decided if I am going to make the effort to walk down the Huckleberry Trail and steak out a vantage point or just take a a chance I will be able to see some of them from the house. I do know that I am not going to drive anywhere as in years past traffic immediately before and after the fireworks has been totally horrendous.
Since retiring I have had time to rediscover some of the simple pleasures of life. One thing that I enjoy doing each day is reading. I have always enjoyed reading but while I was working I failed to make time for reading a good book.
I love history and over the last few month have read several books dealing with American History, including "The Last Stand" by Nathaniel Philbrick which deal with Custer's March to the the Little Big Horn.
I just finished "The President Is Dead." by Louis Picone, which deals with the death and funeral of our Presidents. It is a unique look at the final days, funerals and burials of our Presidents; from George Washington to Gerald Ford.
I found it very interesting that more than a third of our Presidents have been reinterred, several more than once. Abraham Lincoln was reinterred a total of six times, giving new meaning to "Rest In Peace."
One of the most known of the presidential facts is three presidents have died on the 4th of July. Both Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams died on the same day, July 4, 1826, which was the 5th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. James Monroe, our 5th President died on July 4, 1831. There has been only one President born on the 4th of July and that was our 30th President, Calvin Coolidge.
As we celebrate our Independence I thought that I would share some of the more interesting facts about the deaths of our presidents with you.
1. George Washington was our first president and he was the first to die.
2. After Washington died it would be 26 years before another president would die.
3. Following Washington Death, the 2nd and 3rd President (John Adams & Thomas Jefferson) died on the same day - July 4, 1826.
4. The original obelisk that marked the grave of Thomas Jefferson is currently displayed on the Campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia.
5. John Adams was the first President to have his funeral held in a Church.
6. James Monroe was the first President not to die in his own home. He died at the home of his daughter in New York City. The building no longer exists.
7. James Madison buried in the family cemetery at Montpelier. His grave was unmarked for over 21 Years. His parents are resting in the same cemetery and the location of their graves are unknown and unmarked.
8. William Henry Harrison was the first President to Die in office. He server only 31 days in office.
9. Sam Houston traveled from Texas to Nashville to visit his old Friend Andrew Jackson, but arrived too late. Houston arrived just 2-hours after Old Hickory had taken his last breath.
10. John Quincy Adams was the first president to serve in Congress after leaving office. He died in the Speakers Room at the United States Capitol. His body was the first President to be Transported by Funeral Train.
11. James K. Polk died just 103 days after leaving office.
12. Zachary Taylor was the last President to have his body exhumed and reinterred. His body was exhumed in June 1991 so that DNA samples could be taken to determine the cause of death. His remains were reinterred in his tomb at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.
13. John Tyler is the only President to be buried under the colors of a "foreign" nation. After serving as the 10th President, Tyler was elected to the Confederate Congress. He died in January 1862 and because he was member of the Confederate Congress he was buried under the colors of the Confederate Flag.
14. After leaving office, Martin Van Buren saw 8 different men hold the office Of President.
15. Abraham Lincoln was the first President to be Assassinated. Following his death his body was transported from Washing to Springfield, Illinois by Funeral Train. His remains have been reinterred 6-time, the most of any President.
16. Jame Buchanan was the only bachelor president.
17. Franklin Pierce was good friends with Jefferson Davis and corresponded with him while he was in prison and lobbied for his eventual release.
18. A medal detector invented by Alexander Graham Bell was used by doctors to search for the bullet lodged in President James Garfield's back.
19. The Tomb of President Ulysses S. Grant is the largest mausoleum in the United States
20. Abner Doubleday marched in the funeral of President Zachary Taylor and then 35-years later marched in the funeral of President Ulysses S. Grant.
21. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was an honorary pallbearer at the funerals of General William T. Sherman and President Ulysses S. Grant.
22. J. M. Toucey was the engineer of the funeral train for both President Abraham Lincoln and President Chester A. Arthur.
23. Rutherford B. Hayes war horse "Old Whitey" is buried Near Him.
24. Rutherford B. Hayes home - Spiegle Grove has 31 rooms - 18 of which are bedrooms.
25. Benjamin Harrison was the first president to die in the 20th Century.
26. James Whitcomb Riley served as a pallbearer for President Benjamin Harrison. Riley is buried on the hill overlooking President Harrison's Grave.
27. The site of President William McKinley's assassination is marked by a small historical marker on Fordham Avenue between Elmwood Avenue and Lincoln Parkway in Buffalo, New York.
28. The Milburn House where President McKinley Died was torn down in 1957 and the site is now a parking lot. A historical marker stands near the site.
29. President Grover Cleveland was born when Martin Van Buren Was president and died during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. A period that spanned 19-Presidents.
30. President Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to have has remains transported by an automobile.
31. President Warren G. Harding was the third Ohio Born President to die in office.
32. President Warren G. Harding was the first president to die on the West Coast (San Francisco, California.)
33. President Woodrow Wilson is resting in the Washington National Cathedral.
34. The House in Washington, D. C. where President William Howard Taft died, was later used as the Syrian Embassy.
35. President Calvin Coolidge is buried in New Hampshire, further north than any other President.
36. President Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to be buried at the site of his birth.
37. Blackjack, the riderless horse who participated in the Funeral of President John Kennedy, also participated in the funerals of Presidents Herbert Hoover and Lyndon Johnson.
38. President Herbert Hoover was born during the administration of President Ulysses Grant and died during the administration of President Lyndon Johnson. Like President Grover Cleveland, a period that spanned 19-presidents.
39. President Dwight Eisenhower was buried in his military uniform and an $80.00 Military Casket.
40. Following his death the remains of President Harry Truman never left the State Of Missouri.
41. President Lyndon Johnson died only 28-day after attending the Funeral of President Harry Truman.
42. President Lyndon Johnson Body was transported from Texas to Washington on board the same plane (SAM 26000) that he took the oath of office following the assassination of President Kennedy
What better way to celebrate our Freedom and Independence that with a little Lee Greenwood!
