October 30-31, 2009 Louisville (LOO-avil), Kentucky
Friday we left Lexington and headed west to Louisville, Kentucky. Pronounced “Loo-avil” by the locals. We completed our Bourbon Trail by going to the Jim Beam Distillery. We were happy to have completed our goal of visiting all of the distilleries. What a great adventure it has been. Our next stop was the famous Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. We took a short tour of this amazing horse racing venue, seeing the track up close. The seating area can hold upwards of 50,000 race fans. On Derby Day there is close to 90,000 with 40,000 or so standing in the infield. Mike wants to come back for a race sometime, think that this would quite an experience.
Saturday morning we went back into town and visited the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. This was a very interesting tour. We watched how they used make bats with lathe operators hand trimming the bats to the pre-described size. This method took about 30 minutes per bat; the new mechanized lathes can kick out a bat every 30 seconds or so, quite a process. We also watched them dip the bats into stain, and burn/brand the name into the wood. It was interesting to see the famous baseball players that use and have used the “Slugger” bats. This company produces about 80% of the bats used by professional ball players. Next we went to the American Publishing House for the Blind. There was a very interesting exhibit starting in the early 1800s to the present covering the growth of the education and materials for people who are blind or vision impaired. This company supplies Braille books, recorded books, and materials for the blind all over the world. The APH was a big facility, but being that it was Saturday, the place was pretty quiet. This was another great visitation on our trip.

October 27-29, 2009 The Smokey Mountains to the Bourbon Trail
Tuesday morning we drove through the most beautiful display of fall colors that either one of us have ever seen. This “leaf peeping” was what we had thought we might see up in New England, but we were there a bit early for their leaf display. It was nice surprise and wonderful drive. We stopped for the night in Corbin, Kentucky; this is the home of Colonel Harland Sanders of the “Kentucky Fried Chicken” fame.
Wednesday morning we headed to Lexington where we set ourselves out to travel the infamous “bourbon trail”. Our first stop was at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. We had a great tour of the plant with a very informative and entertaining tour guide, Freddie. He is a 3rd generation employee, his grandfather worked for 50+ years and his dad for 42 years. We learned a lot about whiskey making and bourbon in particular. The tour was followed by a tasting of the product – pretty darn good. To be a called a bourbon it must be: made of at least 51% corn (the rest rye or wheat and malted barley), aged for at least 2 years in a virgin charred white oak barrel, use no artificial ingredients to color or flavor the elixir and must be made in the USA. 95% of bourbon is made in this region of Kentucky because of the water that becomes just right for distilling by flowing through the ever- present limestone in this area.
We then had bourbon tour # 2 at Woodford Reserve. This was smaller distillery that was a bit more stogy, they charged (only $5.), wouldn’t allow photographs on the tour and were quite secretive about the process /recipe of their brew. The tasting was good, Karen thinks she really does like bourbon; Mike was already a big supporter.
Thursday morning we set out bright and early to get to the next 5 distilleries on our list. This was quite a long day as they are located quite a few miles apart. We covered at least 200 miles over the last two days of tastings. Stop number one was at the Four Roses Plant. This bourbon was produced by Seagram’s for many years, was not a very good one at that. In 1992 Kirin the Japanese Beer producer bought it and changed the recipe and emphasis to high quality bourbon. We had a very personal tour, just the two of us plus Katie our guide. We were able to walk all over this small plant, take pictures and really see the process. The tasting was great also; we were sipping bourbon at about 10:30am. The next stop was Wild Turkey; we missed the tour, so we visited the gift shop and purchased a glass and small bottle of their spirits. Tom Moore was next on the route; they were not able to work us in, because their tours are small. We moved on to Heaven Hill for another nice tour, with new and different information about the making of this magical tonic. We had a very informative tasting with information on how to smell, taste and compare their 8 year and 16 year old bourbon. The 16 year old was very smooth and GOOD. We ended the day at the Maker’s Mark Distillery. This was another great tour and good tasting. Their bourbon is made with red winter wheat instead of rye, so the taste is a bit different. Another interesting thing about M.M. is that they only make one type of bourbon, all small batches, all aged until the distillery master says it time to be bottle. Of course we got to watch them dip the bottles in the red wax. We also dipped a bottle of our own in the gift shop. Oh my, what a fun day. We were short one last distillery – Jim Beam. Tomorrow is another day.

October 24-26, 2009 Asheville, North Carolina
Saturday we left Georgia and headed north to Asheville, N.C. What a beautiful journey our drive was; quite a bit of fall color and a lot of lush forests. We arrived at camp in the mid afternoon. We got set up and then went out for a fun and funky evening on a “Trolley Ghost Tour”. The ride took us through downtown Asheville with an interesting actor on board to give the scoop on local hauntings, a bit on the hokey side, but fun none the less. At a couple of the stops we were greeted by poor souls who were in some very dire straits. This fun got us in the Halloween spirit, ready for next weekend.
Sunday morning we got up and headed to the famous Biltmore Estate, home of George and Edith Vanderbilt. This 250 room (complete with 50 bathrooms), 175,000 square feet house was quite amazing. The audio tour walked us around and through many of the grand entertainment spaces, family bedrooms, sitting rooms, the servant’s quarters, the kitchens, pantries and even an indoor swimming pool and bowling alley. What was perhaps the most interesting were the innovative things like the indoor plumbing, the electric lighting, telephone and calling system in each room as well as a heating system that worked up from the basement to the 4th floor. This was quite advanced for a project constructed in the late 1800s. After our tour we drove through the beautiful grounds and out to the winery. We enjoyed a nice tasting of some of the Biltmore wines (most made with California grapes). Late lunch/early dinner was in the bistro, a nice rest and re-charge after a busy morning.
Monday morning we went back for day two at the Biltmore for a “Behind the Scenes Tour” It was a very interesting look at some of the areas that we only got a glimpse of yesterday. We got to go up in the pipe organ loft and see the workings up close. The most intriguing part was the sub-basement where all of the “machinery” that runs the house was displayed. We saw the old coal burning furnaces, now replaced by natural gas, the electric turbans, and all the electric panels that took electricity from many sources to run the house. George Vanderbilt was definitely a man ahead of his time. We then took a walk through the gardens and green houses that Fredrick Olmstead (designer of Central Park in NYC) designed. What a beautiful setting and it didn’t hurt that the weather was cooperating and the trees were in their glorious fall color display. In the afternoon we went into the town of Asheville and walked a few blocks to take in the flavor, it appeared to be an artsy and diverse place, much like our own Ashland. This has been a great stop, would love to come back at Christmas some year and see it all decorated, maybe we could stay at the nearby Inn??

October 22 - 23, 2009 Southern Hospitality with Scott, Kym in Atlanta, Georgia

Thursday morning we went into the BIG city of Atlanta to drop off the MoHo for some generator work. We then had breakfast at a popular fast food restaurant the Waffle House— not the best waffles, but Karen liked her biscuit and gravy. After Scott woke up we headed back into Atlanta and visited the Martin Luther King Junior National Historic Site. This was an amazing display of his life and the work he did; the history and memories of what was accomplished during his leadership were very moving. We went to lunch at the best rib place, Fat Matt’s. Great “fall off the bone, finger licking good” ribs accompanied by a terrific spicy sauce – asked them for their recipe, but to no avail.
Friday saw us back into the CITY; we had lunch at the famous Mary Mac’s Tea Room, a 65 year old tradition of real southern cooking. Scott, Kym and the two of us all had good meals with way too much to eat. This visit to Atlanta has definitely been tough on the ol’ waist lines, but we have had a really good time. We had hoped to visit the Georgia Aquarium but were disappointed to learn that it was closing earlier than we knew. This will go on our list of “to-do” for the next visit, along with the underground tour and Stone Mountain. The “Boys” have enjoyed getting to know their cousin Barnaby, the Pug. The dogs have all gotten along well and seem to enjoy each others company. Bubba is not so sure about the kitty, Brooklyn, and has spent much of his time on “kitty watch”. Seeing Scott and Kym has been a great part of our trip. Tomorrow we head to Asheville, North Carolina.

Oct. 18-21, Myrtle Beach, S. Carolina

We are on the road today, nice drive but cool and cloudy. We were going to boondock at a Wal-Mart, but having an electrical glitch, so we checked into the Pirateland Campground, nice place, right on the beach. Mike is frustrated by the electrical problem!

Day two in Myrtle Beach and the sun is out. Mike called an RV repair and they will be out to check out the moho this afternoon. We took a walk on the beach with the boys, and then went out to breakfast at a pretty good pancake house and then played some miniature golf. The repair man came out and gave his diagnosis. He will be back tomorrow to finish and take some more of our hard earned cash. We then went to play another round of mini-golf. Myrtle Beach is the mini-golf capital of the world. The score is now tied 1 to 1. We finished the day with an ok fish dinner on the wharf, but the view was great.

Day three brought another beautiful clear sunny sky. We worked around the moho and did our laundry, (you think this is all vacation?) The repair man did what he could, but the generator is putting out too much power, so we will have it looked at in Atlanta when we get there. We went to break tie at another mini-golf place, final score, Mike-3, Karen-2.

Last day in Myrtle Beach was packing up and a long day of driving to Atlanta, about 350 miles. We got to Scott and Kym’s by 7PM. They have a really nice house in a great neighborhood. The boys met Barnaby and quickly made friends. Bubba wasn’t sure about the cat Brooklyn and vs. Scott was at work so we will see him tomorrow.

October 15-17, 2009 The Outer Banks of North Carolina
Thursday was the rainiest day we have had yet on our trip. We drove about 130 miles in rain, rain, and more rain. We made it to Kill Devil Hill (Kitty Hawk) and the rain gave us a nice break, we spent an hour or so walking around the Wright Brother’s memorial. What an interesting place to visit, Orville and Wilbur were so amazing to put together their flying machine back in 1903. We hiked up Kill Devil Hill to see the 60 foot monument and visualize how they flew their gliders off this hill to get the feel of flight and how to control the aircraft, prior to motorizing it. Our love of flying made this one of our favorite stops among our many. We camped for the night in Avon on the Outer Banks (known as OBX, by the locals). We had dinner at Dirty Dicks -- an amazing plate of sea food,: king crab legs, clams and more shrimp than should be legal.
Friday we were met with dryer weather as we set out to sight see the 75+ miles of spit of land we were on. We visited The Bodie Island Light House , just south Nag’s Head -- we enjoyed driving along the road and being able to see Pamlico Sound on the west side of the road and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. In the afternoon we went on to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. This 208 foot tall light house is incredible. In 1999 it was moved about ½ mile up the beach to get it away from the surf that was washing it away. This move was called the “move of the century” and boy was it ever, Mike and I watched the video with amazement as we saw them cut it, lift it, move it and re-install it in the present location.
Saturday we headed south from our campground and boarded a ferry for a 40 minute cruise to Orcacoke Island. With some time to kill we visited the Orcacoke Light House and toured the cute little beach village. We then boarded our second ferry of the day for a 2 ½ hour float back to the mainland of North Carolina. They really pack the ferries tightly, we could just barely squeeze out the door of the MoHo to have a little leg stretch and walk around the boat. It was fun sitting in the moho’s front seat and seeing the sea gulls flying around and by us, another wonderful safari adventure.

October 13-14, 2009 Virginia – Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown

Tuesday morning we set out for more opportunities to experience some of our American history in Virginia. We visited Colonial Williamsburg enjoying the presentations given by the guides who were well versed in life as is was in the 1700s during the revolutionary times. The layout of the town allows you to walk along several blocks from the capital building to the governor’s palace, along the way visiting homes, shops and other conveniences that were there. One of the most interesting was the shoe maker; he was making men’s shoes of different types and styles from work/field boots to dance pumps. The cobbler was quite skilled in his craft and had a good gift of gab. Lunch was a fantastic meal; we ate at the Trellis Café, well known for its chef Marcel Desaulmiers of Death by Chocolate fame. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and of course a slice of the famous cake. We walked back along the street following the sound of drums. It was a drum and fife corps performing at a town gathering. There was much shouting, gesturing, cannon firing, music and a short parade – a great ending to an interesting day.
Wednesday we returned to Williamsburg to visit a few more of the sights and do a bit of shopping. In the afternoon we drove out to nearby historic Jamestown and were again amazed by the history right at our feet. The fort that was built there and the many archeological findings that are on display were fascinating. This has been a great chance to experience so much of our history first hand.

October 8-12, 2009 8 weeks down -the half way point of our American Safari
Thursday was the beginning of our 9th week of this incredible adventure; we packed up after a wonderful week in Mystic and headed south, leaving beautiful Connecticut behind. Another gorgeous drive today leaf peeping along the way . We skirted along New York, staying clear of NYC, just south of Poughkeepsie where Marq went to Vassar. We crossed over into Pennsylvania, stopping at the Delaware River Gap overlooking a huge expanse of orange, yellow, red and green trees. We were now in the Poconos region, once known as the playground of the “Big City rich”. We stopped for the night in Stodsburg, PA.
Friday we headed toward Hershey Town – only to be met by HUGE crowds, traffic jams, and no place to park in sight. We were not sure what was going on, this was Columbus Day Weekend in the East, but this was amazing. We decided to keep on driving and look for my chocolate fix somewhere else. We stopped for the night in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This is an area where many Mennonite and Amish families live and farm. We took a nice drive along Highway 340 and saw many beautiful farms and homes. There were many horse drawn carriages on the road as we drove along. Looks like a simpler way of life for many of the local inhabitants, kind of appealing.
Saturday we headed west through York, Pennsylvania the home town of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle, would have been a great tour to stop for had it not been the weekend. We then drove on to Gettysburg where we revisited the interesting battlegrounds that we saw many years ago with our kids. So much history, so much incredible information to try and understand, so hard to believe that so much happened here in only 3 days in July 1863. The weather was perfect for walking in the battlefields and getting some of the perspective of what the troops saw and felt.
Sunday we finished up our tour of the area by seeing the History Channel prepared video that gave us a better understanding of the battles and the strategies of both the Union and Confederate soldiers. We spent some time walking through the War Cemetery that holds the remains of the 6,000 soldiers that died in the battles and saw the location that President Lincoln gave the immortal Gettysburg Address.
Monday saw us heading south again; we traveled along the interstate about 200 miles to Williamsburg, Virginia. We will have a chance to get some more history lessons tomorrow. What a wonderful experience we are having.

October 5-7, 2009 New London – Mystic Connecticut Part II
Monday we spent a good part of our day at the Mystic Seaport. What an extremely interesting area. It is set up as an old whaling village, complete with the last existing wooden whaling ship, The Morgan. We enjoyed the exhibits, displays and the seaport. The weather couldn’t have been nicer, we have been so lucky. We hosted a barbeque back at our campground for everybody. We had a good time enjoying a nice dinner and visiting with Kristin, Laura, Suz (Laura’s mom) and Jay (Laura’s uncle). It was a most pleasant evening topped off by fresh made apple pie. The little MoHo oven really does work pretty well.
Tuesday we went back out to the Seaport for a couple of more hours, really didn’t get it finished on Monday. We walked through the Voyages Exhibit that had the most interesting exhibit of maps dating back to 1590 or so. It was extraordinary to see this original works of art, some with very accurate accountings of land mass and position for the day. We then drove out to Clyde’s Cider Mill established in 1881. We missed the pressing, but snooped around the shed to see the old equipment. Bought ourselves some fresh cider and doughnuts, YUM! We spent the evening in New London, starting with drinks at the Dutch Tavern, an interesting land mark in New London. Dinner was pizza at the 2 Wives, a wood fired pizza kitchen. Kris’ birthday was celebrated early, as we will be out of the area by the 22nd.
Wednesday we visited the town of Willamantic about 40 miles north of New London. The focus of our trip was to visit the Willamantic Brew Pub. It is housed in the 1906 post office building. What a great place, beautifully restored, with brews named to signify postal themes: dead letter porter, first class ale, etc. We ate lunch there which was one of the BEST burgers we have had in a long time. Returning to our area of Connecticut in the afternoon we met our friend Char and her travel buddy Karen for dinner. We walked around part of Stonington Borough and then had a good dinner at Skipper’s Dock. Mike and I had another great lobster dinner. We bid a fond farewell to the “Girls”, Suz, Char and Karen and headed back to camp to pack up and ready ourselves for our departure tomorrow morning. It has been a great week in south-eastern Connecticut.

October 1-4, 2009 -- Connecticut Adventure Part I
Thursday morning we said good bye to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, what a beautiful place. We drove about 130 miles to Connecticut to visit our daughter Kristin and her partner Laura. We stopped in Providence Rhode Island for lunch and then on into Stonington, CT where we will camp for next week. We had a wonderful (vegan) dinner with our girls, delicious appetizers, “dark n’ stormy” cocktails, and a yummy potato-leak soup topped off with Laura’s special peanut butter cup dessert. We enjoyed our evening at the girls’ cute apartment in New London.
Friday the girls’ took off work to play hooky with us. We were joined by Laura’s mom Suz for a great day seeing the southeastern part of Connecticut. We went into Mystic for coffee and then took a nice nature walk on Barn Island; the dogs enjoyed this outing a lot. We went into Watch Hill a very nice sort of up-scale town, for lunch and another short walk out to see some amazingly beautiful homes and a light house. The coast line was gorgeous and we were lucky to have some great weather. That evening we took a cruise on the Mystic River on the Sabino an 100 year old steam powered ship. It was a great ride, we saw so many boats of all shapes, sizes and descriptions, there is definitely some money in this area. We warmed up over a great Italian dinner at A.J’s Bistro.
Saturday was a very damp rainy day. It rained most of the night and off and on all morning. The good news is that really wasn’t too cold, and we were able to get out in the afternoon and enjoy some sightseeing. Kris and Laura took us on a meandering drive through the woods; we saw some amazing fall colors, and picture book scenes of ponds and gorgeous old homes. We ended up in East Hadum at the Goodspeed Opera House. We saw a fanatic production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. What a great treat the girls provided us with. We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
Sunday morning we were glad to see the sun back out again. We joined Kris at the Women’s Center of Southeastern Connecticut carnival fun-raiser. This is the organization that she works for; it was a great chance for us to meet her bosses, co-workers and friends all of whom think she is something pretty wonderful. We, of course, already knew that, but hearing it from others is very heart warming. Some very proud parents here! We had fun participating in dunking Kris in the dunk-booth, what a good sport she is, the little kids delighted in throwing the ball and sending her plunging under the water. Tomorrow we will explore more of Mystic and Connecticut.