Playmates

 June 29,2021

Northern Kentucky RV, Dry Ridge, Ky

I'm mad....well maybe I should say I was disappointed.  I was hoping to head off with the group and meet some playmates.  They were heading for The Ark Encounter....as in Noah's Ark...and everyone knows that The Ark was full of animals.  6,744 animals.  Now that's a lot of potential playmates.

I felt a tad better when Momma returned and told me that everything was a replica, including the fake animals.  It was like entering a typical tourist attraction complete with the entrance maze.

Then the shuttle took them close to the entrance where they followed the colorful pathways

Stopping for some pictures along the way

The pathway took them to the rear/stern of The Ark.

The Ark held 3 decks with information and scenes of life aboard The Ark.

Caged area for animals

The HUGE doors

Noah's family quarters

Okay, so they didn't see any live animals on The Ark.  But I'm sure I would have enjoyed the late lunch at Beans.  All sandwiches were served with donut holes.

They offered skillet sundaes such as this ice cold skillet filled with scoops of ice cream piled on a brownie and smothered with toppings .....yum

OR they offered numerous flavors of ice cream in waffle cones.

No such luck for me.  I was left back at the campground that was slected for its closeness to The Ark Encounter.  

Northern Kentucky RV Park offered a few challenges.  We had pull through sites but the interior roads are a tad tight.  Trying to get level on the site was interesting for all 3 of us.  We had to get creative with out block placement under the jacks.  You would think when they deposited all that gravel on the site, they would have given some consideration for leveling off the site.  

Dad said he felt like a mountain goat trying to stand on the sloping bank where the connections were located. Not even room between the sites for a game of corn hole. But I think Uncle Steve had the biggest challenge.  Did he have enough sewer hose to span the LONG reach?

Is that 3 or 4 sections of hose???

It was nice that our 3 sites are side by side.  I'm next to Auntie Carol and her bag of dog treats!

I'm Chloe

Bourbon and history

 June 24, 2021

White's Acres CG, Bardstown, KY

Okay, I know, I've been slack in my writing.  But there is a really nice playmate....well, not quite as nice as my BIG friend Sue, the Great Dane...but this lab mix is only 1 1/2 and needs someone to play with.

Momma and Dad aren't the only ones having a good time.  This morning they dashed off and left me to visit My Old Kentucky Home: "Federal Hall"

.....the inspiration for Stephen Foster's song that the tour guide sang for us with her delightful, rich voice.

There is even a statue of Stephen Foster.  

The house had two docents, one for the downstairs rooms and one for the upstairs rooms.  Both were equally enchanting as they shared history while we gazed at the period furnishings....no photos allowed.

Lunch was enjoyed at an old time soda fountain that was attached to a Drug Store.  Mmmmm...milk shakes.  The kind served up in a tall glass along with the metal cup that the shake was made in.  It was definitely plenty to share.  Or just drink alone and enjoy a second and third glass!!  Filling for sure.

I'll bet you can guess where the gals are while the guys enjoy the benches outside the shops off the downtown square.

Aren't these glass globes gorgeous?

The afternoon was finished off at a distillery.  Momma said she never had any idea why this Kentucky area is the best place for bourbon.  It has to do with the climate that enhances the flavor as the bourbon ages in barrels.  As the barrels react to the ever changing spring and fall temps of cold today, warm tomorrow, the barrels expand and contract.   We kept seeing large black buildings with tons of windows as we entered Bardstown.  We kept wondering what they housed.  Answer:  Barrels of aging bourbon.  

There is also availability of the limestone spring water needed to add during the process of making bourbon.  The distillary we toured was a smaller operation.  They only produce 7-12 barrels a day.  

I guess that is why the price is quite hefty.

The tour was completed with a tasting of 3 different bourbons.

Unlike us, our camping neighbors arrived back at camp with a picnic table full of bottles between the two couples.

Mmmm..personal use or sharing with family and friends???  Obviously, they have a taste for bourbon.....and lighter wallets!!

Auntie Carol knows how to finish off the day.  Dig into that pocket, Aunt Carol.  It's treat time!!

I'm Chloe

Everyone should get a turn

 June 23, 2021

Corbin, KOA Journey, Corbin, KY

They are trying to tell us that everyone has to take a turn but Dad has volunteered to pass.  This morning was travel day, so as all of us were hooking up, the Hall's were having an issue with THEIR leveling system.  Griffin's on Tuesday.  Hall's on Wednesday.  And they are trying to tell us we will be next.....pass!!

Each problem is unique.  The display window is not displaying on the leveling system so it is hard to locate when to press enter to retract the jacks when you can't tell what mode you are in.  At least the jacks move, so after blindly pressing buttons, the right combination was found and we were ready for wheels rolling.  We had to take turns hooking up though due to the cramped spacing in this park.  

Our ride was uneventful with some pretty Kentucky scenery along the way

 as we rolled up and down the hills.

We are now in Bardstown, KY which will be our home for the next 4 nights.  And I, once again,  have GRASS!!

Okay Dad, get out the frisbee.  I'm ready to burn off some energy. Then I can take a nap.

I'm Chloe

Nothing typical about today

 June 22, 2021

Corbin KOA, Corbin, KY

Travel day today.  I was all loaded up.  We were all hitched up.  The Hall's were all hitched up.  And Uncle Steve had a rearing coach on his hands.  His front legs raised up as high as they could and then the error code said something about extreme tilt...or something similar.  

No problem, just switch over to manual mode and lower those front jacks.....WRONG.  It all began when Uncle Steve was messing around with the back jack which would enable him to attend to the Big Foot Pad attached to that jack.  It kind of got things out of sync.  The good thing is, he has a Lippert Leveling System and Lippert is very good with customer service and had a tech on the line quickly to assist.

The first part of our trip was an interesting drive.  The kind you had to be alert and fresh to handle smoothly as the road was anything but straight.

We were following the purple squiggle and as you can see, the twists were quite sharp.  That's why the truck and trailer icon looks like it is perpendicular to the road.  

We saw plenty of squiggle signs and some BIG arrows

as we played the guessing game...."I wonder what is around the bend."

It was some pretty countryside.  As we swayed from left to right around each bend. It kind of lulled me to sleep.  

When the road straightened out, Dad found a spot to pull off to the side of the road for a quick trip into the rig to use our bathroom.  He didn't realize it then, but it was a smart move.  We only had another 30 minutes to our planned mid-way stop ....or so we thought.  It seems they are doing some construction on I-75.  Have you ever experienced two lanes being scrunched into one lane on a well traveled road with everyone jocking to get to the head of the line?  It was stop and go for miles and miles and about doubled the time to get to our mid-way stop.  Momma said she was glad they had made a quickie stop earlier.  But I didn't get to squat earlier and I was READY to get to the grass.  Ahhhhhh.. I filled a bag!! (TMI??)

We located our stop over campground.  The gal in the office had a warm greeting.  Our escort guided us to our site, although his hand signals were a bit of a challenge to interpret.  "Which site do you want us to pull into?"  And then we discovered a surprise.  The sites are laid out so one rig drives in from one direction while the neighboring rig drives in from the opposite direction.  The shared post holds two power boxes.  And ....wait for it..... the one

water line had a Y.

Wait a minute.  This is a KOA campground at $40+ a night.  And we have to coordinate our water usage with our neighbor?  Atleast they are so close we could probably talk thru the windows.  "I say there sir, could you pass the Grey Poupon?"  (Are you old enough to remember that TV commercial?)  

I am sure missing my grassy yard to run and romp in.  I'm kind of glad this is just a one night stopover.  

I'm Chloe