Kentucky Bourbon Trail Day 1

Taylorsville Lake State Park, KY

We left the Tennessee mountains early this morning and once again crossed over the Cumberland River.  So beautiful to see the mist rising over it. 

Given that it was Father’s Day, we thought it would be fun to start the day off with a fancy breakfast. We had about a 3 hour drive to Bardstown, KY. By the time we got there we were good and hungry. Our plan was to do most of the driving early in the morning so that we could spend the afternoon hitting up the Bourbon Trail and then have a very short drive to the campground.  Seems like the whole world was taking dads out to breakfast.  At the restaurant where we hoped to eat we could be seated in 10 minutes, but were warned our food wouldn’t arrive for an hour.  We moved on and settled for a very modest mom and pop restaurant. It was great, but the waitress misunderstood what we wanted so we ended up splitting a breakfast. Happy Father’s Day Ned and thanks for giving me most of the pancakes. 

This is our third time hitting up the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.  We’ve visited Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Four Roses and Heaven’s Hill previously.  Today we started with Willett’s.  The grounds are much more modest than the other bourbon makers, but the tour and guide were both awesome. 

What made this tour so much fun was that this distillery has a lot less rules and isn’t so stuffy. For example, they left us stick our fingers in the big batches of mash and taste them.  There were several batches going, all with different fermentation stages, and each tasted quite different.  Much like fermenting cocoa beans! Unfortunately, it was also close to 100 degrees today and none of the buildings are air conditioned.  The distillery and other buildings were even hotter than the outside. 

As you drive around this part of Kentucky rickhouses are everywhere.  These are the buildings where the bourbon barrels are aged and stored for years. 

It’s always fun taking tours with my favorite food scientist. Ned points out things I never think about.  Willett has only 7 rickhouses that holds x amount of barrels. They make y amount of barrels per day.  Ned was convinced that the math didn’t add up.  His logic; they have to distill the exact same quantity of bourbon they bottle every day or they would need more warehouses. Sounded like a word math problem to me.  I’m a Poli Sci & English Major, I just wanted to taste it.  I did get a kick out of seeing some hams being cured in one of the rickhouses. 

Finally, the tasting! Willets is VERY generous in their samples and pouring.  It was fun tasting the different proofs and aged bourbon..  By the time we left my head was swimming and it was now a solid 100 degrees.  I didn’t have it in me to do another bourbon tour and tasting. All we wanted was to get cooled off somewhere.  Time to head for the state park.

Uh-oh, only one slight problem. No lake access at this state park. (Why the heck call this Taylorsville LAKE state park then?)  We took a 10 minute drive down the road, walked down a steep hill and headed for the only lake access point, next to the dam. The water was the hottest water we have ever swam in.  Seriously, in the 90’s.  We kept trying to find cold water, but even diving down 5 or 6 ft it was just a titsch cooler.  We didn’t care.  The alternative was baking at the campsite.  We soaked for hours.  Tomorrow, we give it the ol’ college try and hit up 2 more bourbon makers.  Cheers and Happy Father’s Day to all you great dads! 

History Day

Standing Stone State Park, TN

First stop of the day was visiting Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.  Much to our surprise, it was fantastic! It was the place of two bloody and significant battles during the Civil War. In fact,  28% of all casualties of the entire war occurred here. The Confederates won the first battle at Chickamauga forcing the Union Soldiers to retreat to Chattanooga. The Union Forces, under Grant, rallied and managed to defeat the Confederates pushing them further South.  Disheartened Confederates wondered: “Is the fall of Chattanooga truly the death knell of the Confederacy”? 

This park was established in 1890 and became the first military park in the U.S.  It was created by veterans of both sides of the war.  24 years after the battle, they realized that the country still needed to heal. This park honors veterans and casualties from both sides. There are monuments placed all over the battlefields honoring the fallen soldiers. The museum was very informative and the film we watched was so moving, it actually made me tear up.  Ironically, I got this news alert on my phone today.  “160 years ago today in Springfield, Senatorial candidate Abraham Lincoln said, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free.’”  

We stopped just outside of Chattanooga to eat at “The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe.”  It was a groovy kind of bbq place. Imagine if Haight Ashbury and Tennessee bbq came together. It was pretty good ‘cue, and the vibe made me feel at home.  

Next stop, Cannonsburgh Village, a replica of life in Tennessee over a span of 100 years from the 1830’s to the 1930’s.  I just love visiting living villages and taking a step back in time.  I think we’ve seen  at least a dozen of them on our road trips over the years. (Our all time favorite is still Upper Canada Village).  Mmm, we were actually expecting a bit more. This living village was more a collection of old buildings and a nice place to stretch your legs.  Highlights were the Porsche Tractor circa 1959 - who knew?, the Russell Steam Tractor circa 1903 and the replica grist mill.  What made it kinda weird was that a Christian Revival Rap event was going on in the shared park space.  So, as we were walking around looking at old timey stuff, VERY loud speakers were blasting out rhyming lyrics about Jesus.  It made for an odd juxtaposition. Oh, and there was also the world’s largest cedar bucket.  So there was that.  

Interesting time travel day.  We went into Tennessee, then dipped back into Georgia, back into Tennessee heading west and then heading back east into the Appalachian Mountains for our campsite.  The time zone kept changing back and forth from Eastern to Central time.  Tomorrow we head back into Eastern time so we are just living in the twilight zone for now.  The Tennessee Appalachia Mountains are so gorgeous! We crossed over the Cumberland River several times. Our campground is very small, but nestled in the woods. It looks like a lot of it was built by the CCC. There’s a swinging bridge and a sweet little lake.  As we climbed higher and deeper into the mountains we lost cell coverage (no surprise).  I’m shocked that we might have cell at the site.  I have one bar hanging on for dear life. Hopefully, this posts tonight.  

In Search of Cacao

Sweetwater Campground, Lake Allatoona, GA

We drove thru the agricultural farmland of Georgia.  It’s much different than the California salad bowl.  We were surrounded by pecan and peach orchards, cotton fields and peanut farms.  Our favorite was the majestic pecan trees.  The bottom right picture is a trailer hauling cabbages.  

On our first road trip across the country, 10 years ago, we were in search of the best fried chicken in the U.S.   We decided the winner was at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, GA.  And we ate a LOT of fried chicken on that trip!  This place was famous from the movie, “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.”  (If you’ve never seen the movie, I highly recommend it.  One of my faves.).  We’ve talked about that fried chicken for the last ten years and decided to revisit the restaurant today.  Big mistake!  When we last ate there it was not yet discovered.  The waitress sat down with us and answered all our questions about the history of the place and the movie.  It was well off the beaten path and we had the place almost to ourselves. Today, it’s a mega tourist destination.  The place was packed, the fried chicken was awful, in fact I didn’t even eat mine.  However, the collard greens, purple hulled peas and fried green tomatoes were pretty darn good. Sigh, I guess some things are best left to nostalgia.  

After taking it slow and easy on the back roads all morning, we decided to brave the big city and visit some bean to bar chocolate makers in Atlanta. 

Fighting our way thru insane city traffic, and 100 degree heat we finally located the first chocolate maker.  Bust.  Turns out the location was a commercial kitchen shared by ten different businesses. No one there knew anything about the chocolate maker.  Onto the next one.  We located the factory, but once we got there it was locked up.  Peering thru the window we could see the remnants of the business.  On our third try we found “Cacao” a VERY upscale, posh boutique bean to bar chocolate maker. So unlike the standard model.  It was more like buying jewelry than buying chocolate. We bought 2 bars and 1 tasting sample and it was put in a chic luxury bag. It didn’t have the flavor notes that we appreciate. Time to move on.

Our final destination tonight is one of the best campsites of the trip!  We booked this one about six months ago and it felt so great to pull in after 6 pm on a Friday night and get a site right on the water.  We immediately jumped in and floated the night away.  (Dad, this so reminds me of the camping spots we used to get right on the lake with our boat when I was a kid. Gary and I would sleep in the boat being lulled to sleep with the water lapping against the hull.  Such great memories).  Ned fixed me up with a rum drink while I floated. Perfect Friday evening.  Can you find me in this picture? 

In Search of Cold Water Springs

Reed Bingham State Park, GA

It was hard to say goodbye to Marc, Sheila and the boys. A couple of days is never enough time to hang with these guys. Today’s big adventure is heading to Madison Blue Springs.  It was touted by USA Today as the number 1 swimming hole in the US.  It was a very hot and humid 92 degrees and we couldn’t wait to jump in.  We pulled into the spot and...uh oh...closed for swimming!  Turns out the Withlacoochee River had risen and flooded out the springs during Tropical Storm Alberto. It was “browned out” meaning the bacteria levels were too high to swim. We went to take a looksee and this is what we saw.  Yeah, not so inviting, especially if you’ve seen the pictures of all the other cold water springs. 

Top picture is Ned looking forlornly at the flooded out springs.  The bottom right picture is what the springs are supposed to look like, at least according to the sign in the parking lot. 

I put on my best navigator and detective’s hat and located some other springs close by.  The Falmouth Springs was located on the Suwannee River so we thought perhaps it hadn’t fallen to the same fate.  Mmmm, would you swim in this?!  Yuk, time to move on. 

A couple of days ago I made reservations at Suwannee River State Park. It’s a small campground, only 30 sites, and it looked like it was booking up fast.  We were resigned to give up the swimming, as there are no cold springs here, and go for a bike ride instead. Sweet little park, let’s put out the table cloth, some of our things to dry out and go for a ride!  No sooner had we got set up then...kaboom...the skies opened up and it started pouring.  Yeah. Everything was now soaked.  We looked at each other and said, “Plan C.  Let’s head to Georgia and take our chances.”  Enjoy our $30 donation Florida State Parks.  

Georgia or bust!  

The best part of traveling the back roads of Georgia is enjoying the houses, spanish moss tree lined streets and lots of roadside stands.  Seeing  all the delicious peaches made me think of my great nephew Zak and how much he loves peaches, We picked up a few and some homemade peach ice cream too.  I did pass on the boiled peanuts tho.  Maybe tomorrow.  

Pushing on for Reed Bingham State Park was a great decision.  It was a lot cooler and not as muggy as the swampy, rainy Suwannee River State Park.  Luckily, it looks like we had just missed the rain here.  We took advantage of the sun peeking out and went for a bike ride exploring this expansive and beautiful park.  It was a nice chill day, although it could have been a tad chillier.  

More Disneyworld Shenanigans

Fort Wilderness Campground, Disneyworld, FL

Second day at Disneyworld. We are all still getting a kick out of riding our bikes to the dock and taking the boat to the Magic Kingdom. Great way to commute to the park. I think we’ve ridden every ride, even the more obscure ones. Hey, don’t knock riding a clamshell watching Ariel when it’s dang hot outside and the ride is air conditioned! 

Marc won the Buzz Lightyear most points, Brian took his first solo Speedway ride and Owen went for it (well kinda) on Splash Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.   Fun time had by all.  

We discovered a new game at the park called “Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.”  It’s a fun interactive way to explore the Magic Kingdom. There are medallions or portals stashed around the park.  When you find them you use your spells and powers to thwart the villains.  You follow clues and use cards you’ve collected.  It was tons of fun, even if it took us awhile to figure it out! 

Here’s something random.  Ever wonder how they make those Minnie Mouse caramel apples?  The ears are marshamallow dipped in caramel and then smothered in chocolate.  I was fascinated watching them make them by hand.  No, I didn’t have any, but I made up for it in caramel popcorn. (Marc brought Garrett’s from Chicago).  

Such a fun family vacation...where we going next year?  

Magic Kingdom

Fort Wilderness Campground, Disneyworld, FL

You know what’s better than going to Disneyworld? Experiencing it with your great-nephews.  Sheila was the leader of this trip and she was on it!  Not only did we have fast passes to all the cool rides, but she was working off two different apps to let us know what ride was best to ride next.  Despite the crowds, we had very little wait time for most rides.  I think Splash Mountain won it for favorite ride of the day with Thunder Mountain a close second. 

We stayed at Magic Kingdom until 4ish, came back to the campground for some swimming and then headed back to the park at 7ish.  So much fun!

More fun pics.  

Loved the fireworks show! We watched part of it while riding Aladdin’s Magic Carpet ride and the other half overlooking the water.  My favorite pic of the day was taken with us riding Splash Mountain.  Marc and Brian were owning it and I was balled up in a fetal position.  

According to everyone’s Fitbit we walked about 8 miles today.  Almost made up for all the ice cream we ate.  Good times. 

Camping at Disneyworld

Fort Wilderness Campsites, FL

One of the best decisions we made this trip was to push on last night for Sebastian Inlet State Park.  It was glorious to wake up right next to the ocean and take an early morning swim.  Hard to believe this was the same ocean when we were here a week ago.  It was more like a lake.  Right before we got into the water we spotted something out a few hundred yards.  We knew it wasn’t a dolphin so thought it was a logger head turtle.  We went swimming and about an hour later...OMG...I felt something close to me.  I looked down and it was a manatee.  I had to pull in my arms and legs not to bump into it! The manatee was that close, less than a foot from me. I never felt such a mixture of joy, exhiliration and surprise at the same time.  We spent the next couple of hours floating in the ocean watching the manatee pop up occasionally around us.  What a great way to start our day. 

Another amazing thing that happened?  We drive from California, Marc & Sheila drive from Illinois...we get to the check in station at Fort Wilderness Campround  at the exact same time!! They pull up directly behind us.  What are the odds of that??  

We’re camped at Fort Wilderness Campground. Next door is the swanky Fort Wilderness Lodge.  The last time Ned and I were here we found a way to ride our bikes to the lodge.  We vowed that the next time we came we would sneak in and swim in the pool.  Marc, Sheila and the boys were down for sneaking in. Game on.  

We had fun biking, grilling and goofing around. 

Tonight was a sing-a-long and movie at the campground.  We had fun singing campfire songs, dancing with Chip and Dale, roasting marshamallows over the fire and watching a Disney movie on the outside screen.  Good times. And yes, Marc hooked us up with Manhattans, Bourbon, beer and popcorn.  I don’t know how I’m going to survive 3 days, but I’ll give it the ol’ college try.