Back on the Bourbon Trail

It was drizzling, but we were off on another great day of tasting bourbon at some of the finest distilleries in America.  The first stop was the Wild Turkey Distillery which had a new visitors center that was influenced by the tobacco barns which are still found in Kentucky today.

From the visitors center we could see an old railroad bridge that was high above a river.  The bridge has been closed, but today a company provides opportunities for thrill seekers to bungee jump from the bridge into the river below. Crazy!

The visitors center also had a museum that shared the history and development of the distillery.  It told an interesting tale about an employee who was experimenting with bourbon making recipes, but the owners were not interested in changing their bourbon.  He invited himself on a turkey hunt with the executives.  During the hunt he shared his new bourbon and a distributor was so impressed that he asked about the new bourbon.  The executives did not know where it had come from, but the employee said that it was a new bourbon that the company had developed.  Later the company was renamed Wild Turkey after the bourbon that had been developed by one of their employees.

We took the tour which showed us the fermentation process, distilling process, aging, and bottling of the bourbon.  After the tour we got to sip more bourbon. We enjoyed the Rare Breed and purchased a bottle to enjoy later.

Our next stop was Makers Mark which has beautiful grounds with several building that were built in the early 1900's.  On our tour our first stop was at a building that houses huge copper distillers.  The equipment was an art form in itself.


On the tour they had humorous pictures that had been  used in their advertising.  You could hear chuckles as we passed the pictures.

At  the end of the tour we had another tasting and again we found a bourbon that we liked..........so we purchased another bottle.

What a great way to end our tours of distilleries on this trip.

Monday we headed back to Hope, but we have several souvenirs to remind us of the fun we had in Kentucky.

More Bourbon Distilleries

Friday, we visited the Jim Beam distillery.  It is the largest in the country and produces 1/3 of the bourbon sold.  During the tour we saw how they produced single barrel bourbon or craft bourbon.  Although the process deals with smaller quantities it allows them to check that quality of their recipes and to try new flavors.  At the end of the tour we bottled our own bottles.  I even got to dip my bottle in wax and put my thumb print on the top.  They offered a wide variety of bourbons including flavored ones. We like the apple and maple flavored bourbons.  We also enjoyed the tasting that allowed you to taste three bourbons.  After the tasting we got to enjoy a bourbon cocktail.  What a great end of a tour.

We then traveled to Bardstown and ate a late lunch at the Talbot Tavern and Inn.  We had two great Kentucky meals, "Hot Kentucky Brown", which was ham, turkey, white sauce, topped with a slice of tomato.  Our other meal was "Kentucky Country Fried Steak", which was also delicious.

After lunch we went to Haven Hill Distillery which has a museum describing the history of bourbon making in Kentucky.  It was interesting to learn that the skills needed for making bourbon came with the immigrants from Scotland, Germany, and other European countries.  President Washington owned a successful distillery which was quite profitable.  In fact the making of spirits was supported by the government as the country was being settled.  It is amazing that the distilleries were restarted after prohibition which was devastating.  Buildings were torn down, equipment destroyed and stored bourbon dumped.  Today they are flourishing again.  Jim Beam has significantly experienced an increase in demand for their product and they continue to expand the flavors available.

Bourbon Trail

Arrived at Kentucky Horse Park Thursday afternoon.  Decided to visit one of the local bourbon distilleries. Many people think that bourbon is only made in Kentucky, but it can be called bourbon if it is distilled in America and follows the the distilling requirements.  Today 95% of all bourbon is made in Kentucky by 11 distilleries.

We took a tour of the Woodford Reserve Distillery.  It was interesting to learn that bourbon is made today using the same ingredients and following the same methods used in the past.  Woodford Bourbon is considered a premium bourbon because the mash is made in large wooden vats and the distilling uses copper vessels.  The copper actually helps flavor and color the of the bourbon.  The tour guide emphasized that the water found in Kentucky help make a better bourbon because the limestone filters the water, adds calcium, and helps remove iron.  Elijah Pepper first began distilling liquor on today's site in 1812.  His excess grain could be preserved as a liquor, was easy to transport, and was a valuable commodity.

Later the distillery and warehouses were built from limestone found in the area.  Today they are still standing and in use.

 At the end of the tour we sampled two of Woodfords products and discovered that you begin with just a few drops that you swirl in your mouth.  After that you just "sip" the bourbon.  And yes we did bring a bottle home to enjoy later.

Exploring Indianapolis

Wednesday we headed to the Marion County Fairgrounds for a Hoosier Cruiser Rally.  Luckily the bridge to the north of Hope had been opened and we did not need to take an extended detour to the fairgrounds.  After setting up we met friends and had dinner at the Oaken Barrel.  Thursday was busy with the remaining eighteen coaches arriving, but the rally really began on Friday where we began by visiting the Indiana State Museum.  We had not visited this museum before, but found the displays to be very informative and well done.  The first floor contained many examples of prehistoric artifacts that had been found in Indiana.  There were also charts and diagrams that explained the movement of glaciers which greatly altered the topography of Indiana.  The terminal moraines are the reason that southern Indiana is so much more hilly that northern Indiana.

That evening we went to an Indians game at Victory Field.  This was also a first for us.  What fun!  It is a minor league park and you are  much closer to the field which makes it easier to watch the action on the field.  We yelled and cheered even though we did not know the players.  We just knew that we wanted the Indians to win which they did by several runs.

The next day we went to the Indiana State Fair.  Again we had not gone to the fair for several years.  Probably the last time we went was when Chris was in the band. Saturday was Band Day and it brought back memories of the preparation for the contest.

We also visited the 4-H exhibits where the ribbon winners were displayed.  Bettie had judged 4-H projects at the county level and had been an instructor for kids who wanted to participate. She really enjoyed the quality and uniqueness of the items that were winners.

In two other building we found Lego and can sculptures. After the can sculptures were judged, the food cans were donated to food banks.

Who would think that you could make a complete farm scene all out of Lego's.

The Angry Birds sculpture out of cans was also amazing.

Sunday we headed back home after a weekend of fun.

Arrow Rock Visitor Center and More Wineries

We began the day by visiting the Arrow Rock Visitor Center which has local artifacts, and a short film explaining past events that have occurred in the little town.  When it was a thriving river port it had a tavern, a doctor's office, courthouse, jail, and other businesses.  Many of these buildings have been restored and the town was designated as a National Landmark in 1963,  We found it interesting that the doctor was one of the first to write about procedures using quinine to treat malaria.  The center also has a map that will also help the visitor tour the town with its many historic sites.

We left Arrow Rock to visit a couple of additional wineries.  The first stop was Stone Hill Winery in Hermann where we had lunch.  We both had meals that reflected the German heritage of the first settlers.  The meals were delicious!

After lunch we enjoyed tasting wine that the winery produces.  We were both agreed that the Cream Sherry would be a nice drink to sip at the end of the day.  The tour of the winery followed the tasting and we got to explore the caverns located under the old house.  The caverns were mined out of the limestone under the winery in the late 1880's.  The wines are stored in oaken barrels in the caverns at a constant 55 degrees.

The next winery was the Adam Puchta Winery which is oldest continuously owned winery in the country.  Bettie found one last wine that she enjoyed and we purchased.  

Well tomorrow we head home.

Arrow Rock

On Wednesday, we left Victorian Acres and headed to Missouri.  I fought the crosswinds, but only later realized the intensity of the storm.  When we arrived at Arrow Rock State Historical Site we found branches across the road to the campground and we were told that they had no power.  We set up on a nice wide campsite that was level.  What a beautiful park.  We decided to go to the small town of Arrow Rock.  The town has many old homes and stores that have been restored or maintained to look like they did in the 1800's.  There was a church that had been converted to a theater.  We checked with the box office and found that seats were available for the musical, 1776 the Musical, for the evening performance.  We arrived at 7:30 and were surprised to find that the 400+ theater was full.  The singing by the actors and the music by the orchestra was excellent.  It was interesting to see how the individual representatives of the Second Continental Congress argued and connived to get what they wanted.  In fact it was a little like congress today.  What a delightful evening.

Today, we visited the Cooper Oak Winery and tasted a few wines.  The owner took us to the back of the building and showed us his collections of old tools which were mostly used to make barrels.  We also bought a couple of bottles of local wine.  Next we went to the Les Bourgeois Winery.  Again, we enjoyed tasting wine and we also got to sample different rums that were distilled locally.  After the tasting we went to the winery's bistro.  Wow, what a delicious lunch.  In addition to the great food, we also got to enjoy great views of the Missouri River.  Tomorrow we are off to more wineries.

More Adventures on the Road

For those who can remember I Love Lucy, we had one of those zany incidents that rivaled all the crazy things that occurred to Lucy.  As we were traveling I made a gentle turn and all of a sudden I heard Bettie shout, "Oh no.....".  The traveling latch on the refrigerator failed.

The freezer and refrigerator doors opened, and all the contents began to spill out on the floor.  Of course I was driving and couldn't help.  Bettie was on her hands and knees gathering all that she could.  She was chasing ice cubes as they slid everywhere.  But the topper was when the beer bottle fell.  It didn't break, but it began to spray beer in the coach.  Ah, yes, the fun of traveling in a motorhome.

Today, while driving through Wyoming, we had another exciting incident.  As we were going east on I-90 I saw something on the side of the road.  All of a sudden a pheasant with at least 8 tiny chicks began to cross the interstate. I immediately began to honk my horn, but they just stopped in the middle of my lane and looked at me.  A truck was on my left so stood on the brakes and got slowed down to 15 mph. and didn't hit any of them.  It's time for another beer.

What an Adventure

We left Bozeman today and it was raining.  We broke camp and headed out on I-95.  Finally the rain stopped, and I thought that we would have another beautiful drive back home.  As we were traveling at 65 miles an hour,  we suddenly noticed a few cars off to the side of the road, and there in front of us was a river raft across both lanes. I also noticed that people were crossing in front of me to drag the raft off the road.  Thankfully, I was able to get slowed down and on to the shoulder and no one was behind me.  We were also grateful that there were no accidents.

As we traveled into Wyoming the wind picked up and we stopped at Buffalo, WY.   We camped at the KOA and they told us not to put out our awning because they were expecting winds speeds of 70 miles per hour.  We are set up and we took a walk.  In the campground I spied a tractor fixer-upper, but I decided that it was beyond my ability, instead I decided to have a beer, and to kick back and relax.

Tubing on the Madison River

Had another great day in Bozeman.  We went tubing on the Madison River which was named during the Lewis and Clark expedition.  It is a wide, swift river that is very shallow.  The deepest part might have been 18 inches deep.  We had six tubes which we tied together and leisurely floated done the river.  Bettie and I both commented that with little effort we traveled fairly swiftly in the current.  Pat, our hero, got out when ever we drug in the shallow parts of the river and pulled us back into the current.  The water was cool, but it was a warm day so it was just perfect for tubing.

Oops, when we got to the landing where we were supposed to get out, I realized that I had left my keys in the truck and we did not have anyway to get into our car.  Pat got a ride back to where we had put the tubes in and came back to pick us up.  Oh, well it all turned out OK.

That evening we went to a downtown theater which has been restored to its former glory.  It has lots of intricate plaster work and a huge crystal chandelier.  The Shootist, was showing with John Wayne.  We all enjoyed the movie in which the "good guy" prevailed.

Havng Fun with Family

We have been having some good old fashion fun with family.  When Bettie was growing up she remembers watching her grandfather and uncles playing croquet.  This was not the prim and proper game that many played at that time.  They played for revenge.  They further you could send your opponent to the edge of the playing field the better.  She also remembers her relatives stringing lights on the clothesline so that they could play into the wee hours.

Well we did play croquet, but probably not as vindictive as her granddad and uncles. We did have fun and the croquet area did provide its own challenges with bumps and holes that you didn't see when you made your perfect shot.

As you can see Bettie inherited some of her dad's and granddad's genes.  Look as her concentration!

We also played many board games just as families used to do in the past.

On Thursday, we traveled to Big Sky.  What a beautiful trip if you are not doing the driving.  The road winds between the foothills along sparkling mountain streams.  Our destination was an open air venue where a band, The Heathens, were playing.  They were excellent.

Beautiful View

What a view.  This is what we wake up to each morning out our window.

Yesterday we walked through picturesque Bozeman with its unique shops. Bettie got to visit her favorite quilt shop and of course she found material that she really liked. For lunch we went with our kids and grandkids to Ted's where we enjoyed their famous bison burgers.

Pat and Lena have just bought a new trailer so we celebrated their purchase by watching The Long Trailer with Desi Arnez and Lucelle Ball. Even though it is an older film we all had a great many laughs as problems arise during their trip.

Bozeman or Bust!

Arrived in Bozeman on Monday after two good days of traveling.  The weather was sunny with little wind, so the driving was easy. After setting up at Bear Canyon, we called the kids and made arrangements to have dinner at their house.  Lena had prepared a supper of pulled pork which was delicious.  Bettie and I were both amazed at how much our grandkids had grown during out absence.  Both are now young adults.

We spent the rest of the evening visiting and getting caught up.  They had just gotten back from camping and kayaking.  After the sun had set, we walked to a grassy area to watch the fireworks in Bozeman.  They were some of the most spectacular displays that we had ever seen, rivaling the fireworks at Disney World.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so you will just have to take my word for it.

Ok, so I faked the fireworks picture.

On the Road Again

Having traveled from Goshen, we have passed through, Illinois, Iowa, and have stopped in South Dakota for the night in Belvidere which is near a 1880's pioneer town  On the way here we stopped at the rest area near the Missouri River.  It is easy to locate when you see a contemporary structure that looks like the poles for a huge tepee.
 The rest area has several Lewis and Clark exhibits which help you better understand the hardships and challenges in crossing this western wilderness.

The overlook is one of Bettie's favorites. You can see across the river which runs through a deep valley.  It is hard to imagine crossing the Missouri River with a covered wagon, horses, and oxen.  Not only would the distance across be a challenge, but the current and the steep banks would have made it seem an impossible task.  Tomorrow we are on the road again and will travel to Harden.

Amana Colonies a Step Into the Past

Today we visited Amana Colonies.  It is seven villages which were established as a communal society known as the Community of True Inspiration.  They settled in 1855 in Iowa having traveled from Germany in 1843.

We revisited quaint Amana to purchase summer sausage which is one of my favorites and it  did not disappoint.  Another stop was at the woolen mill which is still weaving blankets, scarves, and
other items made of cloth.  It was fascinating to watch the looms weave the products with intricate patterns.  Today the looms are controlled by computers and are able to weave several times faster than in the past.  Bettie bought a new throw which will be used in the coach.

We had a great lunch at Phat Daddy's Pizza. The Hawaiian pizza had pineapple, pulled pork, and raspberry BBQ sauce.  We also sipped coffees from a small coffee cafe as we strolled through the village.

The town had several wine shops featuring local wines.  Of coarse we had to sample some of the wines which are produced from grapes that are grown in the area.  We found it fascinating that many of the homes have trellises attached to the exterior walls.  When the grapes are ready they are harvested just like we do with our gardens.

Later, we enjoyed a historical play, Oma Tales, about the colonies which was based on stories told by early residents of the area.  Even though community was established as a religious society, it experienced many humorous adventures.  The four member cast help all relive the experiences by the community.

More than a Home Run

Spent day in Shipshewana, which is a small Amish community that has a variety of quaint shops. We saw jigsaw puzzles, dulcimers, and quilts, many of which had been produced locally. We also enjoyed a great lunch with friends at the Blue Gate, and Bettie had her favorite meal of fried chicken. The Amish really are good cooks.

The highlight of the day was the musical, The Home Game. The singing, music, and story was excellent. It had many humorous lines that left the whole audience laughing. The story was about a Amish man who was recruited by a professional baseall team. He goes through many trials and finally realizes the importance of his family. It ends by him returning home to his father and brother. What a powerful message about family relationships.

Wesward Ho!

In anticipation for our first trip to Montana in our new coach, we have loaded food and clothes for our three week trip to Bozeman and back through Missouri.  We can hardly wait to see the grandkids that we haven't seen since Thanksgiving last year. We arrived at the Elkhart Fairgrounds in Goshen and found a nice level site.

We plan to spend some time with friends from Pennsylvania before head out for Amana Colonies in Iowa.