OLA:Riding Kentucky's Unbridled Spirit Part 3

the Thrilla in Manila!

Famous Kentuckians!

Kentucky’s Unbridled Spirit is kept very much alive by famous Kentuckians such as Muhammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Collins Foster, Duncan Hines, and as covered in the last post, Colonel Sanders.

Muhammad Ali center in downtown Louisville

Everyone must remember the thundering applause that always greeted the man as he walked into the ring introduced as ‘Muhammad Ali…from Louisville, Kentucky’!  Ali is probably the greatest fighter that ever lived, a three-time world heavyweight champion in 15 years, interrupted only by his conviction for draft evasion. Although now I am proud to say Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino, is also making a lot of buzz.  I had goose pumps watching the film Thrilla in Manila (which I watched live at the time it was held!), the third in the Frazier-Ali duel, at the Muhammad Ali Center right in the middle of Louisville. Many thought he should have retired after that fight. The Center features his core values on respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, charity, and spirituality. What inspiration!

Lincoln's Memorial in Hodgenville, Kentucky

We were also surprised to find out that Abraham Lincoln, 16^thpresident of the US who led the nation on the brink of dissolution by the American Civil War and signed the Emancipation Proclamation that effectively abolished slavery, was actually born in Hodgenville, Kentucky south of Louisville. His wife, Mary Todd was from Kentucky, too.   His family moved to Springfield, Illinois when he was a young boy.   Lincoln is ranked the best president the US ever had in almost all surveys. The memorial, erected at his birthplace with 59 steps representing the 59 years of his life, bears only one thing inside…the simple one-room log cabin where this great man was born. 

My Ol' Kentucky Home

Stephen Collins Foster is known as the "father of American music". He was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century. Songs like Oh! Susanna, Swanee River, and Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair remain popular even after 150 years. Another composition, My Old Kentucky Home, became the Kentucky state song. It was allegedly written after Foster’s stay at the 19^th century mansion still standing at the State Park that bears the same name as the song title.

Duncan Hines Marker

Lesser known internationally is Duncan Hines of Bowling Green, Kentucky. He became well-known to many American travelers because he authored and popularized the first restaurant and lodge rating system in the country. He also invented cake mixes and the Duncan Hines cake mix is still popular today.  Last week, we already talked about another Kentucky hero, Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky!

This spirit has its roots in the state’s history. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth (also Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts).  Constitutionally, there is absolutely no difference between a commonwealth and a state. Traditionally, however, the three states, hotbeds of the American Revolution, proudly stuck to the moniker that means ‘a nation or body governed by the people, not some king or tyrant’. (England was called a commonwealth during the time Cromwell and Parliament ruled instead of a king.)  Kentucky kept the name when it was carved out of Virginia in 1792.

 

Spa Tables at the Resort!

Loads of Fun!

But, after all the seriousness of these musings, I should also write about the loads of fun we had from our own Kentucky home, the Diamond Caverns Golf and RV Resort. First of all, we had 5 spa tables and a complete exercise room! Too bad the hot tub and sauna were out of order! One Saturday we went with some camping friends Margaret and Walt and Agnes and Cecil to the ‘My Old Kentucky Barn Karaoke’ off a dirt road in Park City, Kentucky. It was packed with cowboys and cowgirls and I sang Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight and Buck Owens’ Act Naturally with much gusto! That was a good night.

My Ol' Barn Karaoke in Park City, Kentucky

M'A getting TLC

Remember our flat tire? We discovered that the headquarters of Camping World is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky!  They referred us to S&R Tire Center which became our home for three nights as they took care of our tire problems! But we also found a great breast cancer awareness sculpture there!

breast cancer awareness...Bustin' Out!

red penguins at the performing arts center in Louisville

We also found this funky performing arts center in Louisville, Kentucky that is adorned with red penguins! On the sidewalk in front of the building is a car body propped up by tens of feet! I was trying to look for miniature tea sets for some of my friends at the dozens of antique stores that dotted the scenic byways. So during our last weekend when 300 miles of these byways was converted into the Annual Roller-Coaster Yard Sale, I was ecstatic!

We were sad to leave Kentucky, really, but winter can no longer be postponed! As a matter of fact, fall has already brought temps down in the 40’s Fahrenheit, quite cold for my small tropical body. So our trek to Florida must continue…through Tennessee then Georgia!

OLA:Riding Kentucky's Unbridled Spirit Part 2

giant chairs used as obstacles in horse shows at the Park

Made in Kentucky!  I didn’t realize this would be a theme of a post as we made our day trips through the cities of Louisville, Lexington, and Bowling Green, Kentucky. We discovered that the state is home to several great products.  Not surprising for a state whose slogan is Kentucky’s Unbridled Spirit!

the winner of the Arabian National Show
posing for his family picture
at the Covered Arena of the Kentucky Horse Park

Kentucky’s most famous product is the thoroughbred, a horse breed, considered "hot-blooded" and known for their agility, speed and spirit. These beautiful animals were developed in 17th and 18th-century England. All modern thoroughbreds can trace their pedigrees to three imported Oriental stallions. In turn, they were imported into North America starting in 1730. They were all over the horse farms in Lexington, Kentucky, the horse capital of the world. The city is also home to the famous Kentucky Horse Park where you see the most beautiful show horses, the fastest race champions, or the best trained for dressage. I gasped at the majestic Arabians who were part of the National Arabian Show at the Covered Arena.

Cigar!

Then I was so pleased to meet Cigar, the horse known as the leading moneymaker in racing history in 19 wins, 16 of them consecutive in 1995-6, at the Hall of Champions. At the entrance to the Park is the inspiring memorial to Man o’ War, who won 20 of 21 starts, sired 65 stakes champions, and is known for having the longest stride (28 ft, Secretariat’s was 25 ft.)! On the other side of the entrance is Secretariat, the first US Triple Crown champion in 1973 after 29 years, including the Kentucky Derby where his time of 1:59 still stands unbeaten today. When he died it was found out that his heart is 22 pounds, almost 3 times larger than an average horse. What inspiring beauties!

Memorial to Man o' War

white warehouses in Heavenly Hill

On the road to Lexington through the famous Bluegrass Parkway, we spotted the Bourbon Trail. It leads to the bourbon making district and to the town of Bardstown, Kentucky where the annual Bourbon Festival is held every second weekend of September. But we ran out of time so Bill toured the Makers Mark Distillery and visited the Heavenly Hill Bourbon Heritage Center another day. Distinct black (for Makers’ Mark) and white (for Heavenly Hill) buildings that you see from the highway are actually bourbon warehouses. 95% of all bourbon is produced in Kentucky. The name bourbon, which is derived from an area known as Old Bourbon which was named after the French House of Bourbon, is reserved for whiskey produced in the United States (like scotch whisky for Scotland). In practice, almost all bourbons marketed today are made from more than two-thirds corn and have been aged at least four years.

vats of sour mash (corn, barley, and red wheat) at the Makers' Mark distillery

5-story Louisville Sligger in front of the museum/factory

The favorite sport of most Americans is baseball and the best bat comes from Kentucky. The Louisville Slugger has sold more than 100M in 120 years, making it the most popular bat brand in baseball history. 60% of all Major League players currently use the Louisville Slugger.  It all started when 17-year-old Bud Hillerich, whose father owned a woodworking shop in Louisville, Kentucky,  watched  Kentucky’s major league team Eclipse’s game one afternoon in 1884. The team’s star, Pete Browning, was mired in a hitting slump and broke his bat. Bud invited Pete over to the shop where he handcrafted a new bat from a long slab of wood with the star by his side, giving advice.  The next day, Browning got three hits with it and the rest is baseball history.

A 5-story bat stands in front of the Museum and Factory in Louisville, Kentucky. We had a hard time getting all that bat into a photo! An artful extension is the Walk of Fame featuring 50 baseball greats like Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth who are enshrined with bronze casts of the Louisville slugger model bat each used.

corvettes awaiting delivery ceremonies at the museum

We were also surprised to find out that the Corvette, the distinctive American sports car, is made in Bowling Green, Kentucky!   Not that we will ever be able to afford one ($55-130,000 list price)! Now in its 6th, the next generation is expected to hit the market in 2012. The car is named after the type of small, maneuverable warships called corvette. The GM plant, highly focused on quality, currently produces 8 Corvettes an hour  At any one time there are over 400 such cars in the plant (I loved the yellow ones), The National Corvette Museum featuring 80 dream models through the years lies just across the street.

photo mural of The Colonel on a Louisville building

About a year before the corvette was introduced, the household byword in fried chicken, KFC, was born.  Colonel Sanders first served his fried chicken in 1930 in the midst of the Great Depression at a gas station he owned in North Corbin, Kentucky. The dining area, named Sanders Court & Café, became so successful.. However, when Interstate 75 bypassed the town of Corbin, he sold the business and traveled across the US, selling his chicken recipe. Together with Pete Harman in South Salt Lake, Utah they opened the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" outlet in 1952.

Great products are borne out of the spirit of hardworking people. They in turn were inspired by the examples of great men. Part 3 will be about the Kentuckians who kept Kentucky’s unbridled spirit alive!

OLA: Riding Kentucky's Unbridled Spirit

an RV  flat tire on I 71, just 30 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky

I looked up the meaning of ‘unbridled’ (from this state slogan) in dictionary.com; it has two. The second meaning says: free from restraint.

As soon as we left Cincinnati and, as we were approaching Louisville, the right front tires of M’A ‘turn blew out (she has 8 in all, 2 in front and 6 at the rear, on 2 rear axles!)   It was such an unfamiliar booming loud noise and I got really scared (for once?).  Luckily, Bill was able to steer the 20,000-pound rig to the shoulder of Interstate 71.   In about an hour, our Good Sam road assistance was there to ‘unbridle’ us and we continued on to Diamond Caverns Golf and RV Resort further down in Park City.  

The original meaning is: horse bridles removed. Kentucky is where majestic horses run 'unbridled' in fertile pastures.

grass with a tinge of blue...

Churchill Downs, where the annual Kentucky Derby is held,
shown on its 360 degree screen

It is known as the ‘Bluegrass State’, literally because of bluegrass that is great for livestock especially thoroughbreds native to the state (saddle bred) who run ‘unbridled’ on the fields. Bluegrass is a perennial species native to Europe, north Asia and Africa, but not North America. Colonists brought the seeds with them and native Americans call it white man’s grass..  I spent many hours foolishly looking for grass that’s blue (so what else is new?). The name derives from both its dark green blades and blue flower heads which appear only when the plant is allowed to grow to its natural height of 2 to 3 feet.

the entry to Churchill Downs guarded by Barbaro a Kentucy Derby Winner 

This land makes the breeding of high-quality racing horses possible.   Churchill Downs, now a World Heritage Site, is in Louisville and is North America’s longest operating horse racing track. The famous Kentucky Derby is held there first weekend of every May and this year saw its 137th. We toured the grounds and imagined Derby Day when 120,000 people spill out of its 54,000 seat grandstand, with its famous twin spires and millionaires’ row, onto the grass lawn inside the mile long dirt track.  $150M is wagered through its 3,000 windows. We toured the back barns where 1,500 future champions are being trained and stood in awe at the many testaments to past and current champions and the sublime walkway of those who have passed on. A showcase miniature horse named Winston and a retired champion named Risen Warrior bid us goodbye.

Winston, the miniature horse, and Risen Warrior, retired champ

Frozen Niagara in Mammoth Cave National Park,
longest cave system in the world

North central Kentucky is famous for the Downs, the Derby, and many horse farms. But in the south central part of the state is the world’s longest cave system in over 50,000 acres of the Mammoth Cave National Park. 394 miles of connected underground passageways were formed by the ‘unbridled’ waters of the Green River.  If you remember, in Rapid City we saw the second longest, Jewel Cave National Monument (154 miles), and the fifth longest, Wind Cave National Park (135 miles). The third longest is Optymistychna in the Ukraine (144 miles) and the fourth is Sistema Ox Bel Ha (139 miles) in Mexico.

Carol sanitizing her shoes on 'foam-ations'

The System was formed about millions of  years ago under a ridge of sandstone and shale, making it very stable and dry, though not as gorgeous in formations. We took the easy (I can’t do strenuous tours anymore!) Frozen Niagara  tour, so named for the waterfall that comes through a hole on the cave roof and alternates between a trickle and a downpour depending on water activity above. A huge flowstone with draperies looks like frozen falls. Unfortunately, I was singled out (not for being pretty, sigh) but for having been in another cave system only 2 months earlier, wearing the same pair of shoes! White nose syndrome has killed millions of bats and I had to be sanitized through the ‘foam-ations’.  At the end, all of us had to go through it.

one of the one=car river ferries

Driving through the scenic byways of Kentucky was also pleasant. The Cordell Hull Scenic Bywaygoes down to the border of Tennessee at Tompkinsville where we found an Old Meeting House that was built in 1773 during the religious upheavals. Every day the old game of rock marbles is still played at a unique ‘Marble Dome’ in town. The Duncan Hines Scenic Byway goes around and inside the Mammoth Cave National Park, crossing the Green River on 3 points via small ferries, through pretty treed landscapes, many historic cemeteries of families who once lived on the park, and antique stores full of treasures.

the old Marble Club Super Dome, still in daily use today

Next: Riding Kentucky's Unbridled Spirit, Part 2