Day 24 - Paducah, KY (Day 2)

Yesterday, we couldn't find a suitable campground near the beginning of The Trace (Land Between the Lakes).  We ended up in Paducah by accident.  Today we discovered how fortunate we are to be here.

We drove to downtown Paducah and learned that William Clark (of Lewis & Clark fame) purchased the land for the city (37,000 acres) for $5.00.  We also ...

• Viewed the Floodwall Murals
• Walked along the Ohio Riverfront
• Had lunch at Doe's Eat Place
• Went to The National Quilt Museum
• Went to the River Discovery Center

Each was special and memorable in its own way.  

The Floodwall Murals stretch for blocks along the riverfront.

Each mural was commissioned by a separate organization

The Riverfront

The riverfront was clean and very peaceful.

The Quilt Museum had approximately 150 quilts on display.  They are phenomenal works of art.

This is a carved, wooden quilt.

The River Discovery Center showcases the Four Rivers Region maritime heritage from the 1600's to present day.  The building it occupies is the only antebellum structure remaining in Paducah.  They even have a boat simulator that allows visitors to "captain" a speedboat, a towboat or a Coast Guard vessel in a variety of scenarios.

2nd floor has period decorations.

We may return to the downtown tomorrow.

We ended the day with a visit to the Paducah Laundromat.  It was the nicest we've experienced.

Day 23 - Bardstown, KY to Paducah, KY

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is attracting thousands to events in Bardstown from September 12-16.  We think it's a good time to "get out of Dodge".

We head further west today.  It may be our longest drive as we head for our last weekend stay of the trip.

The Trip ...

• We left Bardstown at 10:35 am.
• The day is sunny, clear and quite a bit warmer than the past few days (high of 90).
• The highways are in very good condition and the traffic is moderate.
• The 204 mile route consists of a combination of the Bluegrass Parkway, the Western Kentucky Parkway and I-24.
• The scenery is pretty, peaceful and repetitive ... lots of trees.
• We crossed the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers.
• Time zone changed to Central near Summit, KY.
• Arrived at Fern Lake Campground, Paducah at 3:30 pm (central)

The big activity in Paducah this week (vs. a bourbon festival) is the American Quilter's Society QuiltWeek Event.  We're more inclined to look into area history.

Day 22 - Bardstown, KY (Day 3)

The morning was cloudy and cool.  The sun peeked out in the afternoon and warmed us up to the mid-70's.

We planned to drive the last half of the Lincoln Heritage Scenic Highway (from Bardstown to Hodgenville and back) today.

It turns out US-31E from Bardstown to Hodgenville was part of the old Cumberland Road (a.k.a.  National Road) ... and it passed in front of Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home at Knob Creek.  We visited the Lincoln Museum in Hodgenville, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home in Knob Creek and the Abbey of Gethsemani.

The Museum ...
Though it appears small from the outside, the museum beautifully displays many artifacts and presents highlights of Lincoln's life through 10 dioramas.

The Cabin Years (1809-1816)

Lincoln works on Emancipation Proclamation (1862)

The Birthplace ...
We visited this N.H.P. on April 5th 2013.  It's a beautiful setting about 4 miles south of Hodgenville on KY-61.

The Memorial Building

Birthplace cabin (it's not the original)

The Boyhood Home ...
It's located on US-31E about 9 miles northeast of Hodgenville.  The original home was moved and re-purposed as a stable after the Lincoln's moved to Indiana.  It was later washed away by a flood.

The "Gollaher Cabin" reflects what Lincoln's
boyhood home would look like.

The Abbey ...
Carol knew of the Abbey and wanted to see it because a friend from Columbus had attended numerous retreats there.

The Chapel

Monument overlooking the Abbey

Day 21 - Bardstown, KY (Day 2)

It was a cool night, no rain.  Cloudy and calm today.

This will be an explore Bardstown day.

The "Stephen Foster Story" broadway-style show ended for the season on August 11th.  Most other things around here involve learning about the bourbon industry.

Breakfast at Mammy's Kitchen in downtown Bardstown was quite nice.  They let us sneak in a breakfast past their cut-off time.

Next, we went to the Getz Museum of Whiskey History to begin our "Kentucky Bourbon Trail" education. It was a perfect place to start.  Key point:  Kentucky is big in bourbon and whiskey because of the water (it sits on limestone which filters and sweetens the water).

Then we got more serious by taking a tour at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center.  We got to sample three premium bourbons and one whiskey.  One of the bourbons, William Heavenhill, was aged for 16 years and sells for $225 per bottle ... there's very few of them left.  

We learned that "rickhouses" store up to 50,000 barrels and that each barrel weighs about 520 pounds.  They mix the brands and ages of barrels stored in a rickhouse to protect against total loss of a particular brand in case of a building disaster.  They're typically 7-stories high.  They aren't fancy ... no air conditioning.  Heaven Hill lost seven rickhouses and a distillery due to fire in November, 1996.

Rickhouses at Heaven Hill

We ended the afternoon with a Walmart shopping trip.

Day 20 - Salvisa, KY to Bardstown, KY

What a change from yesterday!  It was overcast most of the day and the high temperature was about 20 degrees below what we've experienced for the past few weeks.

Kentucky River is running high and fast

We were on the road by 10:00am ... US-127 south to Danville, then US-150 from Danville to Bardstown.

The 84 mile drive from Salvisa to Bardstown included a portion of the Lincoln Heritage Scenic Highway.  We stopped at the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Sight and visited the museum where we learned/were reminded that the battle was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War.  

We attempted to visit the Lincoln Homestead State Park along the way, but we couldn't find suitable parking with the trailer in tow.

We're staying at the Old Kentucky Home State Park campground in Bardstown.

Site #18

It's a small world:

• There's another Airstream camper here.  They're from Columbus, lived in Grandview, and bought their trailer at Haydocy Airstream.
• There's a fellow from Lewis Center camped next to us.  He's a tent camper with an OSU Buckeyes tent canopy.

We got set up by 4:45 and headed to the Old Talbott Tavern which has been serving guests, including Abraham Lincoln and Jesse James, since 1799.  We had wonderful dinners and toured the Tavern & Inn.

Kentucky Observations:

• There are no Tim Horton's
• There are lots and lots of small colleges
• Small towns are packed with history and churches
• Everyone must have attended the same lawn mowing class

Surprise, surprise!  We've got the heat on tonight.

Day 19 - Salvisa, KY (Day 3)

It was pouring rain at 11pm when we went to bed last night and it's doing the same at 8am today.  This doesn't look good for a day of sight seeing.

Noon:  It's been raining steadily since early this morning.  Everyone's staying inside.  Thankfully, we're well above the Kentucky River that flows beside the campground.

A view outside

3:00:  We took advantage of a brief rain break to attempt some sightseeing.  

Kentucky River flows by the campground

Flooded lawn along KY-1988 on way to Harrodsburg

We drove to Harrodsburg to see Old Fort Harrod State Park.  The rain returned before we got to the fort.  We got to see the fort from afar (a car in a parking lot).  Oh, well.

We drove around the historic district of Harrodsburg.  It was established in 1774 and is the first pioneer village built in Kentucky.  The downtown/city center is attractive and lined with historic buildings.  Many mansions sit on the hills surrounding the downtown.  This would be a fun city to come back to.

Day 18 - Salvisa, KY (Day 2)

We slept with fans and open windows for the first time in days.  It was cool and the humidity was acceptable.

There was a brief rain shower at 6:30 am. The Fantastic Fan closed as designed and we stayed dry. It was overcast and rained off-and-on all day.

We took the 30 mile Kentucky Heartland Drive from Harrodsburg to Lexington and returned.  The Kentucky River Gorge and Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill were highlights of the scenic drive.

We attended an Orientation Tour, a Shaker Music program, and visited a few of the Shaker Village buildings.  A late afternoon shower interrupted our visit.  We plan to go back tomorrow.

We had dinner at the Family Affair and followed the OSU-Rutgers football game on the cell phone.  The Buckeye won 52-3!

We planned stops for our trip through Wednesday.