29 April Frankfort – Lexington – Frankfort

We spent the day at the Kentucky Horse Park. We had intended to camp at their RV park, but they were fully booked with a three-day event over the weekend. For non-horse people, a three-day event is 1 day of dressage, 1day of cross country jumping, and 1day of show jumping. The Americans call it stadium jumping.

By the time we arrived, the event was over and the park was quiet, except for all the packing up happening. We collected a park map and a list of things to see and headed off. We walked around the massive arena space to the Big Barn to see the draft horses. 

Their pride attraction is Jace – a 19.1hh big guy. We stood next to him in his stable, he is a very tall horse! Well over our heads. As well as strolling around the barn and meeting the draft horses, they had a demo of harnessing one up. The lass doing the narrating kept telling us the horses were up to 18,000 pounds weight, not 1800 pounds. Made the audience laugh. The harnessing demo was interesting to watch, its been a while since we have seen a harness horse tacked up.

We then went up to the Hall of Champions to see some of their famous horses. It didn’t mean anything to us Aussies, as we don’t follow the American racing, but we had introductions to a champion pacer, a champion trotter and a champion quarter horse. The quarter horses are raced in the US, over a quarter mile (hence the name) as they are actually faster than a thoroughbred over that distance, clocking in at around 50mph (t-breds at 45mph). The thoroughbred will pick them off once they get over the quarter mile, as they are built to maintain the speed over greater distances.  

We they saw the Parade of Breeds. It was light on today – we saw a Morgan, a Chincoteague, a Gypsy Vanner, and a Friesian. The riders were in costume, and they circled the arena showing the different paces.

The little Morgan was hyped up and worked himself into a bit of a sweat. The Morgan horse breed started with one little stallion called Figure, who was stronger than a draft horse, faster than all the local horses, and had an amazing temperament.

Next was the Chincoteague, another American breed of pony from Assateague and Chincoteague Islands. They are reportedly descended from shipwrecked horses and every year they are rounded up on Assateague Island, swum to Chincoteague, and sold at auction.

Then the Gypsy Vanner, a distinctive pinto breed, smaller than a draft horse but with the feathering of the fetlocks.

The Friesian was a lovely horse, bred for knights to ride and now used in period movies for their striking looks.

After all the demos were done, we went to the Horse Museum. Lots of exhibits were closed, it looked like they had some problems with the roof. But we saw a historical timeline of horses, a carriage display, a big exhibit devoted to the Arabian horse, horses in sport and a few other bits and pieces.

Driving back to the RV park was interesting. The old GPS was specifically for RVs so it avoided narrow roads, tight turns etc. The new one is a standard car one, so it took us down some pretty narrow roads again today.  Bit squeezy when big horse trucks come the other way. The upside is that we got to see some stunning country. The road wound through bright green paddocks with post and rail fencing. The paddocks had sleepy foals flat out in the grass with mums hanging over them dozing on their feet.

In the distance white barns, and stone houses dotted the green fields, and trees overhung the roadways and stone walls. Just picture perfect!

28 April Frankfort – Louisville – Bardstown – Frankfort

Fairly big day today. We headed out to Churchill Downs in Louisville, home of the famous Kentucky Derby (next weekend). It was around 90 minutes away on the interstate highway, so easy driving. When we arrived at Churchill Downs to see the Kentucky Derby Museum, we were stopped at the gate by security and they explained that the facilities were closed for a dedication service. He told us some guy died and they are dedicating something to him (he was sketchy on the details) so only family and invited guests were allowed in. Would have been useful for the website to have said that - yes we looked it up before we drove the distance!

Nothing else was going on in Louisville, so we headed south to Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World. We visited the Oscar Getz Whiskey Museum, in a lovely old building that had many uses, primarily as a boy’s school, but it was also a hospital during the Civil War. 

The museum was interesting, with the history of bourbon making and lots of rare whiskey artefacts dating from pre-colonial days to post-Prohibition days. They had displays of unopened rare bottles from the 1920s and 30s, lots of novelty bottles, moonshine stills, and relics from the many distilleries that operated in the area from pre-prohibition. Some counties in Kentucky are still dry.

There was a display dedicated to Carry Nation, a dear old biddy who believed that God wanted her to take up arms in the fight against the evil of liquor. She used to burst into taverns singing hymns and wielding a hatchet to smash the bottles of filthy alcohol. The temperance movement eventually became prohibition and the local district lost around 6000 jobs from the distilleries.

27 April Frankfort

We had a quiet morning – laundry and RV maintenance tasks. The bathroom sink was cracked so Steve pulled off the surround and siliconed it up. He also discovered that under the sink is where the fresh water tanks are. Learning something new about the RV every trip!  

In the afternoon we got the scooter off and headed into Frankfort to look around. They’ve got a quaint historic district and we parked at the State Capitol Building. The tours had finished for the day, but we walked around the outside and took a look at Frankfort’s famous floral clock. Frankfort is the state capital, but only has around 27,000 people.

We also stopped in at the Governor’s residence, also closed to tours, but has a very pretty garden.

The rain started so we headed back to the RV park where we had a great chat to the ladies on the reception desk. They loved our accents and wanted to keep chatting. 😊

We’ve decided to base here for a few days and go out on day trips. It seems all the accommodation is booked up because of the Kentucky Derby festival so we figured we should stay put, even if it is a bit of a drive to the attractions we want to see. The park is quiet (except for the resident geese in the morning) and the people here are lovely.

Evening spent reading and listening to the rain falling gently on the roof.

26 April Corbin – Frankfort

After heading out from Corbin we drove to White Hall historic site. 

It is the stunning and beautifully preserved home of Cassius Clay, Kentucky legislator and champion of the anti-slavery movement. He became the ambassador to Russia, and brought back artwork and furnishings from his stay. 

His wife remained in America and managed the farm and business, while extending and renovating the home, including flushing toilets, central heating and indoor plumbing. Sadly on his return things didn’t work our between him and his wife and they eventually divorced. He died in 1903 and the house was used as a farm shed, then sat vacant for years until restoration began in the 70s. 

Interestingly they were able to recover much of the original furniture and fittings, despite them being sold off in a public auction in 1903, people were willing to return them to the house.

Then we moved on to Fort Boonesborough. The fort is a reconstruction of what a typical fort of the era would have looked like. It was fun to poke around and look at the exhibits.

Leaving Boonsborough we had a bit of trouble finding an RV park and had to drive a bit out of Lexington to find a little place by a river. Although it is a bit out of the way we will base here for a few days and drive out to the places we want to visit. Apparently its every booked up because of the Kentucky Derby next weekend.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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25 April Elkmont – Corbin

We headed out of the National Park and through Pigeon Forge, Dolly Parton’s home town. Now days it is far from the dirt-poor beginnings that she describes. The main street is miles of theme park rides, mini golf, go-karts, water parks, and all things flashy. A small childs’ wonderland. The main road continues right into the next town before the lights and the rides finally gave way to shops. We saw this sign and couldn’t resist a photo (spot the typo).

We headed on the interstate towards Kentucky. On the way, as we were looking to pull over for lunch, we saw signs for the Museum of Appalachia, so we dropped in. As we drove up the long curving driveway, we saw goats at pasture, and passed log cabins, and barns.

The museum was really good. The tour was self-guided and took in three buildings of general artifacts and then multiple houses, huts, farm buildings, sheds, a school, and a church. All have been reclaimed and moved to the site, and the history described.

There was a musical instruments section, with all kinds of stringed instruments made from gourds, boxes and even a bedpan… It was amazing what people can make when they get inventive. 

We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the property and meeting the resident guinea fowl, peacocks, squirrels and the cat – Cat Stevens. He is apparently a bit of a celebrity.

We drove on, and the countryside changed. The trees were now more colours, reds, oranges and pinks scattered in among the greens. The hills were more rocky and the highway undulated through cuttings in the red rocks. We pulled over in a town called Corbin, which we have found out is where Colonel Sanders first started serving KFC at his roadhouse / fuel stop. His flavour became famous and the rest is history!

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24 April Sweetwater – Elkmont

We took the long way round leaving Sweetwater, driving the back roads through the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. We stopped at Apple Valley Stores for coffee (excellent) and some shopping (bought ground coffee). 

We managed to book only one night inside the Smoky Mountains national Park, and we found out why it was so busy when we reached the visitors centre. There is a spring wildflower festival and all the photographers and botanists are out in force.

When we arrived at the campsite it was just lovely. After we set up camp, we went for an amble along a nature trail, taking in the river and even found some wildflowers. 

We read books outside under the shade of a big tree until it got dark. Very relaxing.

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23 April Chattanooga – Sweetwater

After a grocery shop and a fuel stop, we headed out of Chattanooga on the scenic route through the Cherokee National Forest in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It was a lovely drive meandering along a river, and through odd little owns with names like Turtle Town and Duck Town. Lots of churches. 

We stopped for lunch next to the river, looking through the trees at the water.

We stopped at the Lost Sea, Americas largest underground lake. The tour walks about ¾ of a mile down to a spectacular lake.

The caves were used in the past by Cherokee as meeting space, by early settlers for refrigeration, and by the Confederates during the civil war, for mining bat guano and turning it into gunpowder. In 1905 a 13 year old boy called Ben Sands found the lake, but nobody believed him. In 1915 the Cavern Tavern opened, complete with dance floor and live music, but there were a series of drunken accidents on the way out of the caves forcing the tavern to close after only 2 months. The caves were home to moonshine stills (one of which is still there) and cock fights.

We boarded boats for a leisurely cruise around the lake. There is a tunnel down to another water filled chamber below, that is at least double the size of the lake cavern. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout (?) and they came alongside the boat for a feed.  The lake is about 4 acres, and we stuck to the walls so we could see the formations and features.

Coming out was a bit of a hike, the equivalent of climbing 28 stories of stairs. You can do overnight stays in the caverns as well, and it is popular with school groups.

We were only a few miles from Sweetwater, where we are now camped up.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/16gOqv/35.62230N/84.50635W 

22 April – Chattanooga

We headed off for the day on the scooter. Riding up Lookout Mountain was lovely, lots of green trees forming a tunnel of foliage, with glimpses of the view as we headed up. First stop was Ruby Falls. The cave system itself was very disappointing, as there is a strong commercialism about it and lack of care for the actual cave itself. We were given pennies to throw into the pools, there was considerable damage to the cave from people touching it, and there were many groups in the caves at once, necessitating leaning on and bumping against the cave walls as groups passed each other on the narrow trails. The groups are large and only the first 10 or so people can hear the commentary from the guide. There were a couple of spots where there was recorded commentary, but the guide talked long and loud over it, so it was impossible to hear. As far as caves are concerned, Raccoon Mountain was streets ahead, in care for the cave and also the knowledge of the guides. The falls themselves were worth the trip, 1126 feet underground and a river falls from the ceiling of a chamber high above, cascading into a pool at the base. It is the tallest and deepest underground falls in the US (open to the public).

After Ruby Falls, we headed further up the mountain to Rock City. Rock City was a private garden opened to the public in 1932. The path winds through the gardens, taking in arched stone bridges, narrow passages between vast rocks, gnome statues hidden in little nooks, and stunning views from the summit. 

There is a lookout where it is claimed you can see 7 states. 

There is also a fairyland cave, with montages of well known fairy tales. Lots of fun, and a lovely way to spend a hot afternoon. 

The scooter ride back was a nice way to cool off a bit too.