From Lexington, Kentucky, USA, I started out on Versailles Road to reach the Bluegrass Parkway west. Morning rush hour traffic is heavy as I pass "The Castle." Oh, yes, there is a medieval-looking castle surrounded by a stone fence with pointy turrets at each of the four corners. Google "Kentucky Castle" for some photos. It's currently used for wedding receptions and other events. I've heard that several people have stayed there for $10,000 a night but I don't know that to be true.
In Versailles, Kentucky, is the "Woodford Reserve," a distiller of bourbon. The tours there are extremely interesting plus, you get free samples. As they say, "all bourbon is whiskey but all whiskey is not necessarily bourbon." One day my two cousins, Martha and Mary Jeanne, and I, along with several of their daughters-in-law went to tour the facility. Despite GPSs on two separate phones and a regular GPS, we got lost - and laughed and laughed. Finally, we found Woodford Reserve, had a very tasty lunch and took the tour. We shopped a bit in their top-notch gift shop and were ready to go home. The heavens opened to the worst rainstorm in world history! With all of us soaked, we laughed even more!
Wild Side Winery is a new winery in Versailles. Farther down the parkway is the "Four Roses Distillery." When I was 13 years old, my Grandpa Rob gave me, my mom and grandma each a pair of Four Roses earrings given to him by a salesman (he worked for a wholesale liquor dealer). The 4 red roses' earrings were plastic but I love them and have them to this day! When I wear them, I screw them on extra tight so I don't accidentally lose them.
Near Springfield, Kentucky, are the Maker's Mark and Jim Beam Distilleries plus the Spring Hill Winery.
I pass Boston and New Haven - Kentucky.
At last I'm in Hardin County, Kentucky. Hardin County, Tennessee, is my destination! Soon, in Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky, I'll veer onto Interstate-65 south. We Kentuckians call Elizabethtown "E-town." In 1975, I and my 7 children wanted to visit Fort Knox, the U.S.Army base near E-town. It was Spring Break and we wanted to explore the Military Museum and have a picnic there. When we pulled up to the Main Gate at Fort Knox, a crisp-looking military man asked where we were going then gave us crisp, quick directions which I forgot after the first turn. At one point, we saw a sign, "Absolutely no unauthorized personnel here or else. . ." - I turned around quickly. We reached two more check-points, at which stood military men whose instructions were equally confusing. Meanwhile, we got a tour of the whole base!
When I was growing up as an Army brat, my mom took me to the hospital at Fort Knox for check-ups and to the commissary for grocery shopping. It was good to see familiar places. We eventually found the Museum, had a leisurely tour - hardly anyone was there - and had our picnic. Ah, memories!
On this trip today, I must have passed thousands of cows - black and white, tan - they're everywhere! Exit 65: Canoe Green River. Have you been to Mammoth Cave National Park? You really need to go there; there are five different cave tours - all different and beautiful.
Another I-65 story about another Spring Break Trip: This happened in the mid-1990s. Don and Kathleen were living in Pensacola, Florida with their three children, Justin, Cieran, and Adrianna. My three youngest daughters, #6, Patty, #7, Marie, and #8, Jeannie and I wanted to visit them. The girls insisted we HAD to leave as soon as they came home from school on the Friday afternoon. The weather was windy and overcast and we started out. By the time we reach E-town, the sky was horribly black. As soon as we reached I-65 south, traffic stopped! I turned on the radio and found out: a tornado nearby had narrowly missed us and I-65 was shut down as a result. The interstate was shut down for approximately 3 hours, both ways, bumper-to-bumper. We weren't worried, we had a cooler full of soft drinks and snacks. After a while, a few people ventured out of their cars. One group played touch football in the median. No one seemed to be impatient. Then the traffic moved.
Pensacola is too far for me to drive in one stretch from Danville, Kentucky. None of the girls had a driver's license. As soon as we entered Tennessee, we started looking for motels. None were available!! By the time we reached Georgia, I was really tired. Same thing: no motels were available. We ended up trying to catch a nap at one of the rest stops. We reached Pensacola about 6 a.m. I had to sleep for a couple of hours before we went to the Beach.
Close by the cave is a big brown dinosaur advertising "Dinosaur World."
Shortly after is, "Welcome to Tennessee!" I think I've passed the Central Time Zone boundary and have gained an hour.
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| Tennessee Welcome Center on I-65, March 24, 2014. |
In order to do a little more research on ancestry.com before I meet up with the folks tomorrow, I decide to stay in a motel south of Nashville. Tomorrow will be fun!
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