Wednesday (4/29) Mobile, AL   Went to Forte Conde which serves as the Visitor's Center for Mobile.   We walked around the old section of Mobile which is now a tourist attraction.  

Mobile is where Mardi Gras was started in 1703.  There is a wonderful museum that show cases a side of the Mardi Gras that is not usually shown in media coverage.   There is a great deal of pageantry to the Mardi Gras with a King and Queen being selected every year.  This is done a year in advance because it takes that long for their bejeweled costumes and robes (see picture) that are approximately 15 ft. long to be made.

The first official jail of Mobile was remodeled into a home in 1854.  This antebellum home called Conde Charlotte is now a museum showing furnishings of the five different periods of government in Mobile. Included on the property is a delightful Spanish court yard.

We then took a ride to Fairhope, AL.   This a very quaint town on the east side of Mobile Bay that is loaded with expensive tourist shops.  The town is decked out in flowers everywhere (see picture.)  There are two restaurants there that were show cased on Dinners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  We at one, the Gumbo Shack, and it was very good although hard to find. 

Tuesday (4/28)  Birmingham, AL.  Tried to go to the Golden Flake potato chip factory tour but it was booked until the end of MAY!!!  So we went to the Arlington House (see picture,) which is the only remaining antebellum house in Birmingham.  It was saved from being burned by the Union soldiers because its owner was a Judge who talked them out of burning it.  

On to Montevallo, AL to visit the American Village.   The village has a full-size reproduction of Mount Vernon, Washington's home in Virginia; a full- size reproduction of the Oval Office in the White House; and traveling miniature museum (see picture of poster) of the history of the United States from the early 1600 to the 1960's.  The exhibit also includes a set of 1/10 scale figures of each president and the first ladies.  It was a way for people who could not travel to see such things as where the Declaration of Independence was signed  to see miniature versions right in their home towns.  It cost $250,000 in the 1960's to make and it was not a success.  It now has a great home in the American Village.

In the evening, we checked into a campground in Mobile, AL.   We will be staying there for three nights.

Monday (4/27)  We left Smyrna, TN this morning heading for Birmingham, AL.  It was mostly a travel day but we did stop at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL (see picture.)  It is absolutely amazing how large the space ships are.   You just can't visualize the size of it from what you see on the television.  When you think about it, we have come a very long way in space travel in just 50 years.

We are spending the night in Birmingham and taking in some attractions tomorrow.

Saturday (4/25)  and Sunday (4/26) We left Louisville, KY and went to Gallatin, TN to meet with two new T@Bbers, Bonnie and Ken Pleat (see photo.)  We spent time with them talking about our T@Bs and modifications.  It is so much fun to meet T@Bbers who are so enthusiastic.  Thanks again Bonnie and Ken for your hospitality.

After dinner with Bonnie and Ken, we went on to Smyrna, TN to see Rich's brother, Bill, and his family.  It was very nice to relax and just chill with Bill and Lois and their three children, David, Grace and Jaina.    As usual, the home cooked meal was outstanding.  We stayed with them until Monday morning.

Friday (4/24)  Another day in Louisville.  Of course, we went to Churchill Downs (see picture.)   It was interesting to see the home of the Kentucky Derby and all the history that goes along with it. This event is attended by 150,000 people each year and they only have seats for 50,000.  There are 100,000 people standing around partying - sounds like fun.

We then went to Locust Grove which is a 4,400 sq ft brick home.   That is not so unusual today but it was build in 1790 at a time when most people lived in a 10 ft x 10 ft one room cabin.   It was truly spectacular in its day and today, it is still a beautiful home. It was the home of the sister of Revolutionary War hero, George Rogers Clark.  He spent the last years of his life in that home.  It was also visited by Lewis and Clark on their return from their expedition to the Pacific.

We saw signs for the Zachary Taylor Memorial Cemetery so we went to see it.   Pres. Taylor is entombed there along with many, many other military personnel.

On to the Farnsley-Moremen Landing.  A colonial home that was strategically set on the banks of the Ohio river.  Its location made it a stopping point for people traveling the Ohio river.

We then moved on to Fort Knox.   We were able to view the Gold Depository but they would not let us in to make a withdrawal - they are no fun!!!!!

A quick dinner at White Castle.  Now most of you won't get the significance of that but it is of note because Rich and his sibling and his son think that it is great.  Sue on the other hand went with all those crazy Lukes (who ordered 37 hamburgers) and thought they were the most tasteless hamburgs she had ever had.   Rich thinks Sue has no taste BUT then again look who she married!!!!  P.S. Sue had a pulled pork sandwich and Rich had four hamburgers (only because he wasn't hungry.)

Thursday (4/23)  We are now in Louisville, KY.  Our first stop of the day was Farmington, the family home of Joshua Speed.  Joshua was a life-long friend of Abraham Lincoln.  He became an unofficial advisor to Pres. Lincoln and his brother, was his Attorney General.  Lincoln visited Farmington in 1841 and in a letter written to the family  shortly after makes his first written comment on enslaved African Americans.

Then onto see something of minor interest to Rich (HA HA).   We went to the Louisville Slugger factory were they make 1.8 millions bats per year, many of which are used by professional baseball players (see picture.)  In fact, they have in their inventory the factory name plates of all 8,500 players that they have produced bats for.  We actually got to hold a bat used by Mickey Mantle.

It was recommended to us that we should not miss the Frazier International History Museum, so we went.  The museum spans a 1,000 years of international history from the medieval ages to the 20th century.  Including a collection of arms, armor and related artifacts from Britain's Royal Armories.  They have one of George Washington's rifles.

Another recommendation was Lynn's Paradise Cafe - THANKS SHARON SIGMON.   What fun!!!   It is an eclectic collection of items (especially gaudy lamps) from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s (see picture.)  The food was good and the atmosphere was a blast.

Back to the T@B for a little rest and a taste of the creme liquor bourbon - a great way to end the day.

Wednesday (4/22)  We spent the day in Frankfort, KY - the state capital (see picture.)   Our first visit was to the magnificent state capitol building.  It is open to the public - really open to the public.   We were allowed to walk around inside the building anywhere we wanted to go - that would NEVER happen in New York State.

Next stop was the Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory (actually it is a converted house employing about half a dozen people.)   They are famous for making bourbon ball.  We tasted some and can verify that they are great.

The Thomas Clark Center for Kentucky History was next.   It covers 12,000 years of KY history. It was a very broad view of KY.

The old state capitol still exists and open for touring.  This building was very modest as it was built in the 1820's.  It housed the original state library which consisted of 8,000 books - a tremendous amount of books at that time.

The last stop of the day was the Buffalo Trace Distillery known for its KY bourbon. What a great factory tour.   The amount of variables that can affect the taste of the bourbon is mind boggling.    And OH! - the tasting at the end was not bad either.   They make a creme liquor bourbon that is so smooth you could drink the whole bottle and that is actually is exactly what we plan to do.

In the evening, we went to a very interesting hotel in downtown Louisville, KY called 21c.  The interesting thing about the hotel is that the lobby and the entire lower level is an art gallery.  It was all very unusual art that makes you say "how did they do that?"  They have a stretch limo that is completely covered in red marbles - boy, I bet it gets lousy gas mileage with all that added weight.

Ohio & Kentucky

Sunday (4/19) we were in Akron, OH.  We went to see Stan Hywet Hall (see inset picture), the home of F.A. Seiberling, one of the founders of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.  It is a 65 room "home."  The thing is - it really felt like a home and not mansion.  It was a home that welcomed many people and the Seiberlings did not lock the gates to the grounds.   That way, anyone could enjoy the grounds.

From there we went to Canton, OH to see the McKinley Monument, Museum and Presidential Library.  We only toured the monument as it was too late in the afternoon to see the museum and library.  To see the monument you have to climb 96 steps.  It was very impressive.

We then drove to Walton, KY which is just south of Cincinnati, OH.   We camped there for two nights.  It rained most of the 5 hour trip and stopped just long enough for us to set up the screen room and the T@B upon arrival.  We encountered a couple of T@B related problems that we were able to resolve relatively easy - not the way we wanted the beginning of our trip to be.

Monday (4/20)  We slept late as it was raining and we were a bit tired.  We had lunch at the Camp Washington restaurant.   They are know for their 5-way chili which is spaghetti with meat, beans, onion and cheese on top.  It was very good.

Because is was still raining, we decided to go to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal.  It is an old art deco train station that has three museums and an IMAX.  It was a very cool building with a great history museum the only one of the three museums we got to see.  The building is located on the same site where the Cincinnati Red Legs, the first professional baseball team, played their games.

In the evening, we Skyped our families - what a great way to stay in touch.  The ability to actually see your family is priceless.

Tuesday (4/21)  Rain again all night but had stopped in the morning.   We packed up everything WET!!!  What fun!!!!  Drove to Lexington, KY to visit Henry Clay's home, Ashland.  Henry Clay was very politically active in the early 1800's and was Abraham Lincoln's mentor.  A beautiful home that five generations of the Clay family lived in.  The most recent being in the Victorian period, so that is the decor that was reflected in the home.  Then we crossed town to go to Mary Todd Lincoln's family home.  It was not a very big home, but a brick home that at the time would have been considered to be very impressive.  Lexington appears to be a nice city with many charming older homes.

Late afternoon, we drove to Frankfort, KY, the state capital.   Drove around the capitol building as it was too late to go in.   We will spend tomorrow seeing attractions in the Frankfort area.

The Journey Begins

Well, we are off.   We left at 10:00 am and we looked like the Beverly Hillbillys.   The Equinox is full to the gills but we have everything we thinks that we will need.  We are in Pennsylvania right now having dinner and plan to spend the night in Akron, Ohio.  

We can't believe that it is really here already.  We have been talking about doing this for at least 16 years.  We look forward to hearing comments as we make our way along the journey.

Thanks to our neighbor, Mike, for taking our picture this morning.