Plenty of Horsing Around in Kentucky

Our first stop in Kentucky was Lexington. Everybody told us go to the Bourbon trail, do the bourbon trail, drink at the bourbon trail. We only had a couple days here, so we didn't do the bourbon trail. What we did do is take advantage of being in horse country.

Before, on our drive to our campground, we stopped at another Buc-ee's. Our first Buc-ee's was in Alabama. If you don't know what Buc-ee's is, it's a 100+ pump gas station centered by a department store. Yes, literally! You can buy underwear and a sandwich in one stop. We bought beaver nuggets that look like Cheetos with a sweet syrup coat instead of cheese and beef jerky. We decided to grab a Bbq sandwich this time. It tasted way better than it looked.

We stayed at Kentucky Horse Park which was as picturesque as the Kentucky country side. Open fields with double fencing and manicured Kentucky bluegrass. It was stunningly beautiful and Brad was so excited he was able to add his Kentucky sticker to our RV's state travel map. This was our first time in the State.

Next to our RV Park was the other side of the Kentucky Horse Park where there were two museums. The International Museum of the Horse and the American Saddlebred Museum. We went to both.

The Park was sprawling and had a lot going on. We watched the Parade of Breeds Show where after we were able to get up close and personal with the horses and riders. We also went in the Big Barn and checked out the Mounted Police Headquarters which was stationed there.

We took a 10 minute horse and buggy ride that a tour guide provided history and insight to the park. Our last stop was at the Hall of Champions where they had retired Kentucky Derby and Preakness winning horses there to stud. The horse-keeper's took Funny Cide out in the coral and shared his racing history, unique ownership group story and insight to his personality.

Our next day was a great combination of more horses and American history. We mistakenly went to the Mary Todd Lincoln birth house and then got to our correct destination of the house she was raised in. It was insightful and interesting to learn the background of the woman who married one of the most influential presidents in American history.

Next stop was Ashland, the home of Kentucky Congressmen, Senator, House Speaker and Secretary of State, Henry Clay. He ran for President three times, all unsuccessfully. Clay often guided the fragile Union into compromise over slavery but not enough to avoid the Civil War. We walked the grounds and read the plaques but chose not to buy our way into his house.

Sticking with our theme of horses, horses, horses, we went to Keeneland racetrack which is only open April 4 to the 24th. We were amazed at how many cars were there when we arrived. There must have been 30,000 people there. We're not horse racing enthusiasts but we sure had fun betting on the ponies while there. We even won 3 out of the 7 races and almost broke even. If Brad didn't leave an $8.25 winning ticket in the machine we would've been even closer. Must have been the $12 beer he purchased that through him off. Dumb ass!!

We bet on the horse "call me tony" because it reminded us of our grandson Joaquin Antonio. When he was 3 years old he would tell people, "you can call me Tony". It wasn't one of our 3 winners but it was fun.

It was pretty cool to see the behind the scenes of racing. We never saw them move the gates depending on how long the race was. Or, did we ever see different races go from dirt track to grass on the same afternoon. We got off our high horses and moved onto our second stop in Kentucky, Louisville.

There, we did get to taste a bit of bourbon. On our drive there we passed a half dozen bourbon distilleries that will provide incentive for us to go back. (Bullet, Woodford to mention a couple). When we got into the city we tried booking bourbon tours to Evan Williams and Michters Distilleries but they were booked a month in advance. We did go to the bourbon district and stopped at Patrick O'Sheas for a beer, Merle's Whiskey Kitchen for a whiskey and bourbon flight and had a great dinner at DocCrows. DocCrows had a whiskey and bourbon list that was a book. It must have been 15 pages thick. We had drank enough already but it was great reading.

We took a tour of Churchill Downs which of course is where the Kentucky Derby is every May. Before we toured we explored the attached museum which was insightful and neat.

Of course they provide you with all the cool nuances about the track, it's history, and fun facts as you approach the actual racetrack. We thought it only appropriate to have a mint jullp after the tour.

The Loiusville Slugger Museum and Factory was interesting and cool enough that Kathy even enjoyed it. They provide you with a tour of the working factory with stops along the way as they dispense the history of the business and provide insight to players that have used their bats over the years. They even have a vault where they have every bat that they've made for all the Pro players along with the specs for each one.

The museum was also very interactive. You could watch, as a 90 mile per hour curveball comes in, or, stand in on a pitching machine and take some swings. Brad chose a Pee Wee Reese 34oz bat and took twenty swings. As you walk around you get the baseball history of Babe Ruth, Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio and more successes with their Louisville Sluggers. Brad got to pose with his favorite Phillie of all times, Dick Allen's authentic bat. Some kids never grow up!

Louisville is the birthplace of "The Greatest" of All-Time, Muhamed Ali. We visited both the Muhamed Ali Center, along with the cemetery in which he was buried. Sounds kind of morbid but this cemetery was the most beautiful cemetery we both had ever seen.

The Center was more like a museum. It featured not only Ali's boxing history but also about his childhood and Louisville roots. Along with his political and social involvements and contributions in the world. It also featured movies, his boxing matches round by round, a ring and more.

We had the Cave Hill Cemetary on our "to-do" list but quite frankly we forgot why it was on it. We were just driving around, which we often do in between destinations. We passed the cemetary and Kathy said: "hey, there's that cemetery". We turned around and went in.

They had maps at the entrance and thank god they did. This place was HUGE! It was as much as a botanical garden as it was a cemetary. It was magnificent! We have never seen more beautiful shubery, trees, lakes, fountains and buildings in a cemetary ever before. Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame is buried there as well as Ali. Brad had the opportunity to meet the Colonel alive as well as dead now.

A Kentuckian while in Pigeon Forge reccommended we try a local dish called Hot Brown. It's a hot turkey sandwich with bacon, cheese, tomato, and a cream Mornay sauce. It did not disappoint.

We're out of Kentucky and headed to Cincinnati and Columbus Ohio before our visits to St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.

Thanks for reading down this far. Peace and Love from Kathy and Brad