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.