Kentucky or Bust!
Time for a little mini-travelogue. While I don't think I have the acute attention to detail (nor the same desire to take notes) that Jeff does (e.g., his very entertaining travel diaries), I guess I should in some way make up for my lack of posting. I was out of the state from Friday morning until Monday afternoon, so I suppose I'll entertain, bore, or confuse you with stories of Eric and Leah's trek across the northern border of Tennessee.
Friday: We had decided that, even though we had taken the day off, we didn't exactly want to sleep in til 10:00A, get on the road, and arrive in Louisville just in time to eat dinner, watch the news, and go to bed. So we were up at going around 6, and pulling out of the driveway around 7. A quick zip through the Burger King drive-thru for breakfast, which is conveniently located adjacent to the Whitten Rd exit ofI-40. On the interstate by about 7:15. First stop was the Benton County/I-40 East rest stop--this one is right before the Tennessee River, probably about 85-95 miles from Nashville. Nothing major here--just to use the facilities and grab a Dr Pepper (no period, Jeff!). Leah and I swapped places in the car--I became the passenger--and we were on our way. Next logical stop would be Nashville, but we hadn't planned on stopping for any reason (sometimes we stop and play at Opry Mills for awhile) and it was too early for lunch. We ended up driving on through Bowling Green, and stopping a few miles north of there at a McDonald's that looked pretty new and had trainees out the yin-yang (you know, the sweet, meek little girls who are very nice but seem extremely clueless and don't wanna punch too hard on the register for fear of breaking a nail). I called dad from the "oops--you just lost an hour" zone (the Eastern Time Zone sign), letting him know when to expect us. I think we were arriving a little earlier than what he had in mind, but that's OK. We were there by 2:00 PM local time, which is about normal. If Kentucky would follow Tennessee's lead and make their speed limit 70 (instead of 65), we could've gotten there about 11 minutes earlier.
Nothing much else happened Friday--we hung out at the house, waiting on Mary to get home from work. We cooked burgers out on the grill, and then went down to the driveway to test the boat motor to see if we could get it running (ahh....note the foreshadowing!)
Saturday: Saturday was boat and lake day. First, you must hear a funny anecdote about last year's visit. Leah and I were there in early June, and we planned a day on the lake. Stocked the coolers with soft drinks, had bread and sandwich meat, etc etc. We get to the lake, back it down the ramp, and dad tries to start it. Nope. Dad keeps trying. No way. Please! We've come all this way, and we packed a lunch, and we're ready for a day in the sun. Not happening. There we were, backed into the water, trying to launch the boat. Nothing. So we conceded defeat and gave up (it was the first time that season the boat had been started, and it had winter junk in the system).
We had done our homework Friday night, so we were good to go. The ramp wasn't crowded at all, which I think took us all by surprise, being Memorial Day weekend. We spent 4-5 hours on the lake cruising, docking a time or two to eat lunch and enjoy some Leah-requested watermelon. At one point, the wind speed got up and under the bill of my Titans cap and took it for a Green River rinse cycle, but I vehemently insisted that we turn around to retrieve it, and Dad obliged. We headed back to town (about an hour and a half away), got cleaned up, and then it was off to eat Mexican food at one our our favorite local places on Bardstown Rd.
Sunday: Sunday was a nice, relaxing day--like Sundays are supposed to be, I think. All the locals in the household (Dad, Mary, and Grandmother) went to church, and when they got home, we cooked steaks out on the grill. Ribeyes....yummy! Throw in some baked beans, baked potatoes, broccoli & rice casserole, and salad, and you got some fine eatin'! We were all stuffed, so we did the next logical thing--laid around and watched TV. The Indy 500 was on, so we pretty much watched it and followed the story of Danica Patrick. Some of use took the opportunity to grab a little cat-nap, but I, um, I really wasn't paying that much attention, so I don't know who that was.
About 5 or 6, we went for a summer treat--Dad and Mary had taken us one other time to this homemade custard/ice cream type place, where you walk up and order, and either sit at the 5 tables outside the joint, on the curb, or get back in your car. It's pretty much premium custard, cause it's essentially a pricey version of a Sonic blast or Dairy Queen blizzard. But definitely yummy. Grandmother insisted on treating all of us, which was nice (and unexpected!).
About 9 or so, Leah and I decided that we were a bit hungry, so we made a late-night run to White Castle. Memphis has Krystal; everywhere else, I think, has White Castle.
Monday: The same theory about not wanting to arrive late on Friday applied to going home. Throw in the fact that it was Memorial Day and traffic would most likely be heavier, we decided to head out pretty early. Dad fixed his "world famous" waffles, so we had a good, heavy breakfast and then got ready. Zip up the bags, back the cooler, and we were off. I had filled up the gas tank Sunday night (and contributed in vain to the Kentucky Lottery while I was at it), so all we had to do was hit the road. Of course, the funny thing about driving back into Central Time Zone is this: We left dad's house at 9:15. We drive for an hour or so, and then we cross the line. Suddenly we're back to 9:15 again. We weren't hungry by Nashville, but we did stop and stretch our legs and we certainly do appreciate those fine folks at Hampton Inn let us use their restrooms. Leah said she'd just decide when she was ready to stop for lunch, and of course when she said something, we were in the middle of nowhere and decided to just stop in Jackson. Lunch on the go--back on I-40 West, and on to the final stretch. We stopped and picked up our four-legged daughter, Calle, and then back home to Estacada. It's always great to get back home, ain't it? Your stuff, your bed, your closet.
All in all, we had a great time; I think as much as Dad and Mary love Louisville, the hardest part for them is sometimes feeling isolated from everybody else. They look forward to us coming up, and we do, too. Not to mention, west Tennessee's landscape is boring and it gives us a change in scenery. We may not see them for several more months, but at least trips like this give us the chance to make some memories.
Friday: We had decided that, even though we had taken the day off, we didn't exactly want to sleep in til 10:00A, get on the road, and arrive in Louisville just in time to eat dinner, watch the news, and go to bed. So we were up at going around 6, and pulling out of the driveway around 7. A quick zip through the Burger King drive-thru for breakfast, which is conveniently located adjacent to the Whitten Rd exit ofI-40. On the interstate by about 7:15. First stop was the Benton County/I-40 East rest stop--this one is right before the Tennessee River, probably about 85-95 miles from Nashville. Nothing major here--just to use the facilities and grab a Dr Pepper (no period, Jeff!). Leah and I swapped places in the car--I became the passenger--and we were on our way. Next logical stop would be Nashville, but we hadn't planned on stopping for any reason (sometimes we stop and play at Opry Mills for awhile) and it was too early for lunch. We ended up driving on through Bowling Green, and stopping a few miles north of there at a McDonald's that looked pretty new and had trainees out the yin-yang (you know, the sweet, meek little girls who are very nice but seem extremely clueless and don't wanna punch too hard on the register for fear of breaking a nail). I called dad from the "oops--you just lost an hour" zone (the Eastern Time Zone sign), letting him know when to expect us. I think we were arriving a little earlier than what he had in mind, but that's OK. We were there by 2:00 PM local time, which is about normal. If Kentucky would follow Tennessee's lead and make their speed limit 70 (instead of 65), we could've gotten there about 11 minutes earlier.
Nothing much else happened Friday--we hung out at the house, waiting on Mary to get home from work. We cooked burgers out on the grill, and then went down to the driveway to test the boat motor to see if we could get it running (ahh....note the foreshadowing!)
Saturday: Saturday was boat and lake day. First, you must hear a funny anecdote about last year's visit. Leah and I were there in early June, and we planned a day on the lake. Stocked the coolers with soft drinks, had bread and sandwich meat, etc etc. We get to the lake, back it down the ramp, and dad tries to start it. Nope. Dad keeps trying. No way. Please! We've come all this way, and we packed a lunch, and we're ready for a day in the sun. Not happening. There we were, backed into the water, trying to launch the boat. Nothing. So we conceded defeat and gave up (it was the first time that season the boat had been started, and it had winter junk in the system).
We had done our homework Friday night, so we were good to go. The ramp wasn't crowded at all, which I think took us all by surprise, being Memorial Day weekend. We spent 4-5 hours on the lake cruising, docking a time or two to eat lunch and enjoy some Leah-requested watermelon. At one point, the wind speed got up and under the bill of my Titans cap and took it for a Green River rinse cycle, but I vehemently insisted that we turn around to retrieve it, and Dad obliged. We headed back to town (about an hour and a half away), got cleaned up, and then it was off to eat Mexican food at one our our favorite local places on Bardstown Rd.
Sunday: Sunday was a nice, relaxing day--like Sundays are supposed to be, I think. All the locals in the household (Dad, Mary, and Grandmother) went to church, and when they got home, we cooked steaks out on the grill. Ribeyes....yummy! Throw in some baked beans, baked potatoes, broccoli & rice casserole, and salad, and you got some fine eatin'! We were all stuffed, so we did the next logical thing--laid around and watched TV. The Indy 500 was on, so we pretty much watched it and followed the story of Danica Patrick. Some of use took the opportunity to grab a little cat-nap, but I, um, I really wasn't paying that much attention, so I don't know who that was.
About 5 or 6, we went for a summer treat--Dad and Mary had taken us one other time to this homemade custard/ice cream type place, where you walk up and order, and either sit at the 5 tables outside the joint, on the curb, or get back in your car. It's pretty much premium custard, cause it's essentially a pricey version of a Sonic blast or Dairy Queen blizzard. But definitely yummy. Grandmother insisted on treating all of us, which was nice (and unexpected!).
About 9 or so, Leah and I decided that we were a bit hungry, so we made a late-night run to White Castle. Memphis has Krystal; everywhere else, I think, has White Castle.
Monday: The same theory about not wanting to arrive late on Friday applied to going home. Throw in the fact that it was Memorial Day and traffic would most likely be heavier, we decided to head out pretty early. Dad fixed his "world famous" waffles, so we had a good, heavy breakfast and then got ready. Zip up the bags, back the cooler, and we were off. I had filled up the gas tank Sunday night (and contributed in vain to the Kentucky Lottery while I was at it), so all we had to do was hit the road. Of course, the funny thing about driving back into Central Time Zone is this: We left dad's house at 9:15. We drive for an hour or so, and then we cross the line. Suddenly we're back to 9:15 again. We weren't hungry by Nashville, but we did stop and stretch our legs and we certainly do appreciate those fine folks at Hampton Inn let us use their restrooms. Leah said she'd just decide when she was ready to stop for lunch, and of course when she said something, we were in the middle of nowhere and decided to just stop in Jackson. Lunch on the go--back on I-40 West, and on to the final stretch. We stopped and picked up our four-legged daughter, Calle, and then back home to Estacada. It's always great to get back home, ain't it? Your stuff, your bed, your closet.
All in all, we had a great time; I think as much as Dad and Mary love Louisville, the hardest part for them is sometimes feeling isolated from everybody else. They look forward to us coming up, and we do, too. Not to mention, west Tennessee's landscape is boring and it gives us a change in scenery. We may not see them for several more months, but at least trips like this give us the chance to make some memories.
posted by Eric C at 8:00 AM
3 Comments:
Wow, I always thought I took my time on long trips, stopping once every hour or so to stretch, but I think y'all have me beat. I might stop at the Wal-Mart in South Pittsburg (no H), but Opry Mills? That's like an entire trip on its own.
If your Dad and Mary feel isolated in Louisville, I'll wave to them driving by on the way to Jeffersonville across the Ohio River tomorrow night.
1. nice save on the Titans cap. Very important.
2. Why play the Kentucky lottery? Tennessee contributes to the same Powerball lottery as Kentucky.
The Opry Mills stop accomplishes more than one purpose. One, it breaks the monotony of a 6 hour road trip (t'aint many Wal Marts in Bucksnort, TN or Horse Cave, KY) because we're kinda road weenies. Secondly, it's a bit of a time killer--if we get to Dad's too early, we can't get in his house and there isn't anything to do (however, my grandmother lives there now, so that's not necessarily the case). Lastly, my wife is a woman, and it's a mall--you figure it out.
And Scott, I wasn't playing Powerball (which is the only one they have in common)--it was scratch-offs. Those things are such a hit or miss, I thought I'd give it a shot. Zilcho.
Post a Comment
<< Home