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We had a great weekend in Kentucky. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful the Jim Bean factory tour was. hiccup… Look at the bottles of bourbon painted on the side of the horse. Who would have thought a horse could stand still long enough to be body painted. A very patient horse indeed. They are very hospitable at the Jim Beam factory and museum. We sampled bourbon chocolates, bourbon coffee and two types of bourbon. Although we both liked Knob Creek we both agreed that Bookers had one hell of a kick even though it went down smooth. And the view at the Jim Beam factory is fabulous. Old Jim (below) must have agreed because apparently he has sat in the same spot enjoying the view for more than fifty years. Even his dog hasn’t moved a muscle. Odd, eh?


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After our Jim Bean tour Saturday we went on a two hour train ride. The train ride ended in some small Kentucky town where the only attraction was two port-a-potties and a small country store that only sold snacks and pop. We were given a twenty-minute rest before the train headed back to Bardstown. Most of the passengers got off the train to get a soda or a bag of cheetoes from the little store. The hubster and I stayed onboard. We had plenty of entertainment though. There were two young lads in their early teens on small dirt bikes, trying to impress the young ladies on the train. One of these lads wasn’t very adept at dirt bike riding and ended up falling off the back of his mini dirt bike and skidding across the street with his body. He tried to be brave but I think I saw a few tears well up in his eyes. He picked up his bike and pushed it home, while blood dripped from his skinned elbows and knees. I think his pride hurt worse than his elbows and knees.


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After we checked out of our hotel Sunday morning we stopped at Denny’s for a grand-slam breakfast. While we are waiting for our order to be served the hostess seated a family in the booth behind us. It was a soldier who looked like he had just graduated boot camp, and his mom and dad. It made me think of my daughter and her soldier husband, who had also graduated boot camp in Kentucky two years ago. It made me sad because my son in law is in Iraq right now. I was okay until the waitress brought their drinks to them. She brought the parents coffee and the solider a large glass of orange juice. He obviously wasn’t hardened enough to be a coffee drinker yet. Give him a couple of months in the Army and that will change. I can’t adequately put into words what I was feeling, but tears started to spill down my cheeks. When the waitress brought refills on our coffee I asked her to put the soldiers breakfast on our bill, but not to tell him until after we had left. She looked at me a little odd but she did it. I just wanted to show him some small gesture of appreciation for the sacrifices he was about to make and I didn’t want his thanks for it. He was the one I should be thanking. In fact, I propose that we all do something similar the next time we see a soldier. If you are in McDonalds buying your kid a happy meal tell the girl behind the counter to add the soldiers meal to your bill. Or if you see a solider in Starbucks walk up to him and tell him you would like to buy his coffee for him (add a muffin too). It’s just a little gesture we can all do to let them know we truly do appreciate the sacrifices he and his family are making so we can live in a free society.


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After breakfast we hit the road again. First we stopped at Fort Knox. They have a very nice museum there. I wanted to get a souvenir thimble there but they were crappy. It just said Fort Knox on it. No picture of anything. Just some plain words. Come on, give me a tank or something. So sadly I must admit I wasn’t able to obtain a thimble in all of Kentucky to commemorate our weekend. That’s sort of a bad sign isn’t it? Well maybe not, it just means less to dust. There was an interesting sign in the parking lot at Fort Knox. Click on the image to enlarge if you aren’t able to read it. Moral of the story is don’t lag behind after they close or you will be stuck in the parking lot for a very long time.


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After leaving Fort Knox we headed into Louisville where we found the Louisville slugger factory and museum. For the low price of $9 you too can see how the world’s most famous bats are made. And at the end of the tour they give you a miniature bat to take home and keep for your very own! As the hubster and I walked the two blocks to where our car was parked we tapped each other unmercifully on the butt with our bats. We were so naughty in fact that we had to take our bats away from ourselves and hide them in the back of the SUV where we wouldn’t have access to them on the drive home. We just can’t be trusted.

All in all it was a nice weekend jaunt though. Even though Kentucky wasn’t my choice of destination I am glad we went and wouldn’t mind going back again sometime. Don’t tell the hubster I said that though. It’s never good to let them know they are right.