Arriving in North Carolina

Heading south on I-77, crossing from Virginia into North Carolina, you descend from about 2,800 feet at Fancy Gap to about 1,350 feet at the state line; along the way, the driving gets interesting. Apparently, warm, moist air comes up from North Carolina and, when it reaches an altitude with cooler air, you get some excellent fog (if fog can be excellent.) Linda and I were both impressed that there were permanently mounted road signs that warned of fog. It's just part of being here I guess.

That little yellow tab on the dash is the sensor for my GPS unit. It was actually attached to Linda's laptop computer. Preparing this entry, I used information it logged to confirm where we'd been and the altitude information.

Checking out Barr's Fiddle Shop

Southwest Virginia has a rich and deep history of old-time mountain music and in recent years celebrated that history by establishing The Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. You can't very well have the music without a fine fiddle; you can find one at a fiddle shop on main street in Galax, Virginia.

Of course, they have a nice selection of nice looking fiddles; I'm sure they sound every bit as good as they look too. They also carry guitars, banjos, and mandolins as well; something of a full service bluegrass band stop.

As Linda and I wove our way among the instruments, we overheard conversations about various gigs and techniques; it gave a nice flavor to the place even for a non-player. At the back of the store, a young father was trying to eat a quick sandwich while keeping his young son out of the instruments. It all had a very homey, comfortable feel about it.

Visiting Jackson's Shot Tower... almost

Before leaving Iowa, one of the sights I thought could be interesting was a shot tower. I'd never heard of one before but found it interesting reading a little about one. It appears that there are only a few still standing throughout the nation so it had added appeal. Even at that, it was only a notion as Linda and I headed down the highway. As we passed through the hills, Linda and I both noticed the impressive tower amongst the trees. We pulled off and got close... but renovations had fenced of a pretty good perimeter around the actual structure. We circled around across the river and got the view you see in the image. Just to my right when I took this shot was a Kentucky historic marker with the following text:

By 1770 Captain William Herbert had established a ferry across the nearby New River that became known as Jackson's ferry. Thomas Jackson erected the 75-foot shot tower in the early 1800s to manufacture shot for firearms. The Austinville mines supplied lead for this business. Molten lead was drpped through a sieve from the top of the tower, then fell through the structure and an additional 75-foot shaft beneath the building into a kettle of water. While falling, the lead cooled and developed into shot pellets; the water cushioned the fall. The shaft was connected to the riverbank by a tunnel through which the shot was carried and then loaded onto boats.

Joining Six, Seven, possibly even Eight Million

Depending on where you look, the number of hot dogs served up by Skeeter's in Wytheville, Virginia, could be any of the above. Linda and I each added one to the count as we stopped by this downtown landmark. Housed in a typical storefront, this dog house was hoppin' with business. Looking at the menu on the HollyEats website reviewing Skeeter's, it looks like we each probably ordered a Regular Dog: a vivid (almost disturbingly) pink hot dog smothered in chili meat. Most of the other dogs included slaw and we didn't have slaw. It was a tasty stop, enriched by the color and flavor of the establishment where we enjoyed it.

Getting the Big Idea

Lore is that the propietor of the Wytheville Office Supply had the Big Idea of using big symbols in front of businesses to help identify what was for sale inside. At least one remains... a pencil thirty feet in length on the front of the office supply store.

Shooting the Wythe County Courthouse

Wytheville is the county seat for Wythe County, Virginia, and this is their courthouse. Linda and I stopped in Wytheville to check out a couple of other items but when we saw another fine courthouse, we had to take the shot. Okay, I had to take the shot.

Shooting the Smyth County Courthouse

Marion is the county seat of Smyth County, Virginia, and this is their courthouse. While checking out the town that gave us Mountain Dew, Linda and I noticed this fine courthouse and, with the collection of courthouse photos on hold while we're out of state, we picked up this one.

Appreciating Virginia Hospitality

This is the way to welcome someone, isn't it Dad? (My dad's name is Marion so I couldn't resist this shot.) Besides their fine welcome, Marion, Virginia, claims to be the birthplace of Mountain Dew, the soft drink.

Pausing at White's Mill

A few miles north of Abington, Virginia, we found White's Mill. Undergoing renovation / restoration, this mill is a great relic of another day. It's not under the administration of a national or state park but it is a very nice stop along the way. Linda got some very nice photos and checked out the merchandise while I was roaming the mill a little more. A well informed young man inside the mill was able to answer my questions and shed some light on some features I'd not seen before. I liked it!

Returning to Bristol

Since we were so close to the NASCAR version of the Coliseum, I took the opportunity to show Linda. There was a local race going on so we were unable to get inside but we could peek through various entrances. We stopped at the souvenir store to pick up a couple items and were soon back on our way.

Passing through the Cumberland Gap

While the low-hanging clouds made for interesting photography, I think a clear sky would have been just fine. Please forgive my ignorance but I was surprised at just how many miles we wound around the mountains to pass through Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. I guess I thought it would just be a climb over a narrow range of mountains. Rather, it was a winding, fairly level route over miles and miles of highway. At times, the mountains were very near on both sides; at other times, there was room for towns and pastures. It wasn't hard to see why passing over the mountains to the left or right would be much more challenging. I had to wonder how people remembered their way through.

Seeing the Birthplace of KFC

Yes, we stopped by the Sanders Cafe in Corbin, Kentucky, to see where the Colonel started it all. After a variety of jobs during the Depression, Harlan Sanders decided to add a little chicken to the offerings at his gas station. Soon, his station was a regular stop along the highway. He expanded his business to include lodging and had quite a little business going. Then the bypass is built and he sells the Sanders Cafe and Court. Undaunted, the Colonel hits the road and finally gets his chicken on tables across the country. It's quite a story, mostly after retirement. The KFC website has a nice timeline of the events.

Checking out Hall's on the River

Another RoadFood.com stop was Hall's on the River. We had made a note to have their Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich but also found a couple of other treats. Our server suggested the fried banana peppers as an appetizer. We'd never had fried banana peppers so we gave them a shot; that's them in the lower left portion of the picture. They were not as sweet as Linda had expected but we agreed they were tasty. Along with the peppers came a small sample of what we've learned is their beer cheese soup. RoadFood.com recommended it but I'd forgotten; at least we did get a taste.

The Hot Browns arrived and we were quite impressed. Before the trip, we'd read that there are variations but a hot brown is generally an open-faced sandwich with tomato, turkey, ham, and bacon, covered in a Mornay sauce and baked until the sauce is brown. As you may see in the images on the right, that's what we got. It's a delicious, rich, and filling sandwich.

We also learned a bit about the history of the area. Daniel Boone plays prominently in the immediate area. You can read about it at the Hall's on the River website.

Finding Keeneland

Keeneland is a horse racing and sales facility just outside Lexington, Kentucky. (About two miles from Bondurant's Pharmacy, I'd guess.) One of Linda's co-workers had suggested that we swing by and take a look at this facility and grounds. Just before the the first gate for the track, we saw a Kentucky By-way sign and turned off the main road onto a road that wandered among the various horse farms surrounding the track. It really was more interesting to Linda and me than the track or auction house... but we didn't really go into those facilities either. You can't really tell it from the photo but it was another rainy day. We did get to see some pretty countryside and beautiful horses.

Based on the cars in the lot, was going on at the track or auction but the racing was not scheduled to start until a week or so later. Pulling up within sight of the track, we saw no horses. We weren't curious enough to poke our noses in the buildings to see what was going on that day.

Looking for Keeneland

... but this, you can see, is Bondurant's Pharmacy. Remember when I mentioned that we were using a GPS navigation system to help us find places? Well, this time, when I thought I was clicking on the map label I'd made for Keeneland I actually clicked on the label below it and got the pharmacy, another of our possible stops along the way. After leaving Frankfort, we'd been travelling through pretty, rolling hills with the traditional white wooden fences and horses in the fields; expected sights if you're heading for a horse facility. Then the GPS said to turn left when right seemed more appropriate. It only had us going a few blocks so we went along with it and, just before I realized where we were being instructed to go, Linda said "I know where we're going!" and started to laugh. She turned the corner and there was the pharmacy. Doh! ... and yet, yeah!

Shooting the Kentucky State Capitol

This stately building is capitol of the state of Kentucky and is located in Frankfort. Linda and I took a spin around the nicely maintained grounds. An apparent television news crew was leaving and there were several people in suits; apparently work was going on and, being on vacation, work was not what we were looking for so we headed on down the road.

Having breakfast at Lynn's Paradise Cafe

Another place we found on RoadFood.com, Lynn's Paradise Cafe didn't disappoint. The decor is pretty eclectic. Rumor has it that they challenged the people of Louisville to bring in their ugliest lamps... and they used them! Looking around the room, there were a lot of interesting looking mismatch lamps.

The plate in the top of the image is the Kentucky Farmhouse Scramble.

Three fluffy eggs scrambled with diced country ham, roasted bell peppers, and Kenny's Jarlsberg cheese, then garnished with fried tobacco onions. Served with fried green tomatoes topped with Parmesan garlic mayonnaise and buttermilk biscuits with sorghum butter.

The plate in the bottom of the image is the Bourbon Ball French Toast.

Thick-sliced cinnamon swirl bread griddled in vanilla nutmeg batter and garnished with bourbon vanilla custard, chocolate syrup, fresh strawberries, sugar spiced pecans and fresh cream which we whip daily.

Yes, that was breakfast. Mmm...

Shooting Ollie's Trolley

This is one of a handful remaining locations of the Ollie's Trolley fast food chain. Evidently, this chain came into existance in the 1970s. As you can see, their locations were designed to stand out. Evidently, their burgers were / are too: prepared with a blend of 23 herbs and spices and served rare, they must have been interesting... but not really for me until you cook it a while. It's my understanding that the uncooked thing has been dropped but they've still not really taken off. It was fun to find one of their shops.

Stumbling onto Jim Beam's American Outpost

Nestled in the hills of Kentucky between Bardstown and Louisville is Jim Beam's American Outpost. The somewhat industrial looking complex (not in this photo) out among the hills caught our attention so we paused to take a look. At the top of a low hill overlooking the facility, the first floor of this home of T. Jeremiah Beam has been restored and open to the public. While the house is open for tours and a visitors center was due to open within the hour, Linda and I were on our way to Louisville for breakfast and beyond. While not something we were looking for, it was a fun little find.

Realizing something not good has happened

Before leaving Bardstown, Linda and I stopped again for gasoline. I went to the pump and reached for my bank card. Unfortunately, it wasn't in my wallet. I quickly retraced our steps in my mind and the last time I remembered using the card was at Veedersburg; remember Jim and his bride? Evidently, they were distracting enough that I forgot to pick up my card. Doh! I spoke with my bank and learned that, yes, the last transaction had been my withdrawal of cash at Veedersburg. I cancelled my card and we were good to go.

Learning about Bardstown, Kentucky

Due to the constant, heavy rain, low clouds, and early hour, I have no photos from Bardstown. My personal ignorance of just where I was also contributed. Without intent, we actually had stumbled into a lovely community with a rich history and legitimate claim to Bourbon Capitol of the World.

Several distilleries operate in the area and, as I understand it, responsible for a great deal of the bourbon whiskey produced today. I was familiar with the Jim Beam brand as they sponsor cars at various levels of auto racing. I believe that distilleries for at least four other brands are found close enough to Bardstown to be on their map of attractions. I've since learned that they also have an annual festival celebrating their product.

We did get to see Old Talbott Tavern. Built in 1779, this handsome building on the square boasts in interesting list of visitors over the years. Over the years, Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln, George Rogers Clark, French King Louis Phillipe in exile, and Jesse James are reputed to have spent time here. If you hear that either Linda or I were there, it's not quite true; we only saw it from the outside.

Students of Catholic history in the United States may know that settlers from Maryland congregated in the Bardstown area. In 1808, Bardstown joined Boston, New York, and Philadelphia as new diocese in the young United States. The Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral was started in 1816 and has served ever since. As we were looking at Kentucky attractions, Linda and I had looked at the Abbey of Gethsemani but thought it was too far off our planned route to plan to stop; it's near Bardstown.

Federal Hill, the house that inspired the song "My Old Kentucky Home" by Stephen Foster is also in Bardstown.

Learning just how big the MATS is

Linda and I hadn't really planned a destination for any dates but one on this trip so we didn't make reservations anywhere. This first night on the road made us question the wisdom of that move.

We stopped at a motel and learned they had no vacancies there or at any of their other locations in the Louisville area. The 2008 Mid-America Trucking Show was going on and nearly every room was booked. There were a few rooms on the east side of town but they ran about two hundred dollars for the night. They checked with their chain and found there were rooms in Bowling Green... over one hundred miles away; we passed on the opportunity.

Linda called around and found a room in Bardstown. I'd seen that on the map while we were talking about the trip so we said we'd be there soon. I found it on the GPS map and we followed the route it provided. It was a little further than I'd expected but closer than Bowling Green.

We passed through small town, wound our way through the hills, passed a Jim Beam processing facility of some sort, and found ourselves on the Bluegrass Parkway. It's probably prettier in daylight but it was nice driving even at night. We found a local, non-chain motel and settled in for the night. Linda informed me that the man at the desk had informed me that we were in the Bourbon Capital of the World. The things you learn when you travel.

Trying the Burgers at Kaelin's

Preparing for our trip, Linda and I checked out RoadFood.com to see if there were some interesting places around Louisville, Kentucky that we should check out. Kaelin's showed up and looked like a winner. The Birthplace of the Cheeseburger is a pretty impressive claim and the reviews on the website sure looked good.

We arrived and found a warm and inviting dining area on the main floor of what appeared to me to have once been a nice, large two-story home in old Louisville. We were a little after any dinner rush so there were only a handful of patrons at tables and booths. Our hostess got us seated, answered a few questions, and took our order for, of course, a cheeseburger and six mini-cheeseburgers.

The food came and we were not disappointed. First, the cheeseburger itself was nice and hot, nicely seasoned, and just plain good. The minis were mostly just smaller versions of the regular. Don't confuse these little guys with some you may have seen elsewhere; I've tried some of those and these are simply a superior product.

Dinner complete, an older black gentleman in a sharp looking light blue jacket took our dishes and asked if we'd be interested in dessert. We took a look at them menu and saw a bourbon biscuit pudding that sounded interesting. It arrived and, without thinking about taking a photo, we took a bite. It was excellent! Before I thought to take a picture, it was gone... and that's unfortunate. It was pretty to look at and certainly a deliciously memorable surprise at this stop.

As we were leaving, we stopped and thanked the only employee we still saw, apparently a bartender. We explained that we'd come from Iowa, had read about the place on the internet, and were glad to have found such a gem. He told us that other people had mentioned the RoadFood website and thanked us for stopping by. He also shared that the man in the blue jacket, Jesse Amos, had been working at Kaelin's since 1958. Fifty years at one place is pretty uncommon. A restaurant being in business for fifty years is also pretty uncommon.

I ran across another website that talks more about the history Kaelin's and how it intertwined with another Kentucky restaurateur.

Stopping for gas in Indiana

Stopping for gas is generally not something I note in the blog but I think this one has bears mention.

One of the things I'd hoped to do was get across Illinois without having to buy gas. It's just something I like to do. I turned off at the first Indiana exit on I-74 and found the station boarded up; not what I'd hoped to find. The next town down the highway, Veedersburg, was easily within reach.

When we got there, I went into the station to use their ATM and Linda put the gas in the car. All during this stop, a clearly retired couple displayed advanced communications skills. Jim was at the pump opposite Linda two islands out from the building with the ATM, cashier, and, from time to time, Jim's bride of many years.

"It's not working." cried Jim.

"You have to move the knob." replied Jim's bride.

"It's not working."

Jim's bride stepped into the store to check with the cashier. "Try it now."

I stepped inside, got my cash, held the door as Mrs. Jim came back inside to confer with the cashier again.

"Try it now, Jim."

Jim tried once more and was rewarded for following his bride's counsel: the gas was flowing. "It's going." called Jim, then muttered "Should just put a match to the whole thing."

Linda and I were back on the road, topped off and ready for more adventure.

Trying to get a break from winter

Linda and I set out on a road trip... a fairly major road trip this time. Not just around Iowa. I had tickets to the Sprint Cup race at the paperclip-shaped short track in Martinsville, Virginia, and it was time to go.

In typical Iowa weather fashion, winter showed up to send us on our way. There were light sprinkles as I picked up the rental car. By the time we were loading bags, it was a decent little shower. Leaving Des Moines, you could see accumulation on the interstate; it had become a lovely wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow... nice. Hopefully, we'd be clear of it soon and basking in lovely spring days in a more southern clime.

Watching Drake women in the NIT

Linda and I, in our basketball mood, had just enough time after our lunch / dinner to get over to the Knapp Center to catch the Bulldogs in their National Invitational Tournament opening round game with the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. The game was pretty close throughout but Drake closed well and won to move on to play at Illinois.

Lunching at The Royal Mile

After the basketball, Linda and I stopped in at The Royal Mile for a late afternoon lunch, early dinner. I'd never been there so we tried a nice variety of their tasty offerings. For our appetizer, we split a Scotch Egg. I'd never had one before but expect I'll have another some day. For my entre, I had the dinner pasty with mashed potato pictured in the upper right. Linda had the tasty (and filling) shepherd's pie.

Watching NCAA Regional Basketball

This year, Iowa State University hosted six opening weekend games of the NCAA women's basketball tournament here in Des Moines. As luck would have it, the Cyclones made the tournament and got to play here as well. With this opportunity being pretty uncommon, Linda and I took advantage and went to the opening round games. Iowa State defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a pretty well played game.

We stuck around for the second game. The inside game of the second seed Scarlet Knights of Rutgers made pretty quick work of Robert Morris. Of course, my photo is of an outside shot... just take my word that the interior game was where the action took place.

Shooting the Eldora Carnegie Library

This former library is located on the south side of the square in Eldora. The exterior design reminds me of some of the buildings in the Dutch heritage communities of Pella and Orange City. I can't find anything that would relate Eldora with Dutch settlement so it's probably just a coincidence.

NASCAR: Bristol

Week 5 was at NASCAR's version of the Coliseum, Bristol, Tennessee. My team produced decent points over all but came up short.


Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 43
Sprint Cup Points : 114

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 39
Sprint Cup Points : 37

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 23
Sprint Cup Points : 118

Riggs, Scott Qualifying Points : 13
Sprint Cup Points : 97


Team of Tomorrow 623 550 Tri-Oval Grover
Hatethe8 604 552 Left Side Rubber
League of Tomorrow 560 400 JLT Racing
DUI Racing 529 484 Tenth Frame

Shooting the Hardin County Courthouse

Eldora is the county seat of Hardin County and this is their courthouse. I like the tall clock tower style. I'm curious about the asymetric circular room on the right side of the front. Rooms like that appear to have been pretty popular at some point in time but I always wonder the purpose. Technically, I guess it encloses the greatest area with the least wall but if that was the motivation, I'd expect a lot more circular structures. It's a good looking courthouse.

Checking out late season USHL Hockey

Linda and I stuck around to see the Waterloo Black Hawks host the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League. We'd seen the Musketeers play in Sioux City earlier in the year but these guys really had honed their game and gave the Black Hawks a game. The dynamic speed, crisp passing, and excellent teamwork at this level really made an impression. I'd forgotten just how active and fluid the game can be. The three periods each had their individual style and unfolded like acts in a play. In the end, the Black Hawks won but the game was in doubt much of the time.

Supporting Junior Hockey

Linda and I went up to Waterloo to see one of her nephews play in a pretty big tournament; one team drove up from St. Louis to participate. We'd seen the kids play early in the season and could see some of the improvement that had taken place in our absence; while we're occasional fans, we're not really up on all of the nuances of the sport. At the end of the day, the kids came up on the short end of the stick but played well and had a good time.