Traveling as Two - Mammoth Cave

We got up early and checked out of the condo. We wanted to get on the road early, but my sweetie still took me over to the West Baden Hotel. I really wanted to see the tree in the center. It had been two days, so I was pretty sure they had it all set up. I wasn't disappointed! 

We were driving back into Kentucky so that we could get a tour into Mammoth Cave and we accidentally got off on the wrong road! It was pretty narrow and impossible to turn around. Soon we saw a sign that said "End of road under water." 

Fortunately, the road was absolutely amazing! I have never seen so many fallen leaves at the same time anywhere. Dog Walker would have loved it. But I digress. 

We finally pulled into a rather scary looking campground and the only campers we could see had something weird hanging from a tree. We turned around fast! We were almost ready to give up on the cave when we saw signs that it was only about 10 miles, so we continued on.

When we finally arrived at the Visitor's Center, the tour we were hoping for was sold out, so we chose a different one that didn't start until 3:15. That gave us a couple of hours to kill, so we started with the Visitor Center's displays.

Then we crossed to the lodge and ate lunch at the cafe. We were excited to try a couple of regional foods, fried green tomatoes (they weren't much different from the ones my sweetie makes) and a Kentucky Brown open faced sandwich. It had ham and turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and cheese sauce all on a piece of sourdough. It was good, but the cheese sauce was a bit much. Good thing we also got a salad and some french fries, all to share.

After a quick run through and a bunch of money at the gift shop, it was finally time for our tour. It was a lot of walking and I was worried for both of us since there was no other way out but our own feet. I think my favorite cave will always be Carlsbad, but this one was pretty cool. We took lots of pics.

We left the park shortly after we got back to the Visitor's Center. We were both tired and we already had a hotel booked in Bowling Green, and it was about a 45-minute drive. Fortunately, we didn't make any wrong turns and we got to the hotel in time for the reception and drinks. The cheese and crackers, chips and salsa, and chex mix were perfect for a light dinner for me. 

Back in the room, we repacked all the suitcases so they were ready to get on the plane. Only one more day and we will be back in Utah.

Traveling as Two - Secretariat

Thursday was a real down day for me, but it was important, only because my sweetie was working for 3 or 4 hours. I didn't mind; I didn't have anything planned and I really wanted to watch Secretariat. So I lit a fire and snuggled up on the couch.

Then I watched Sea Biscuit...

Finally, my sweetie joined me and we watched Secretariat all over again. I love that movie! 

We spent the rest of the day inside, watching Hallmark movies, doing laundry and cooking dinner. It was time to pack up since we were leaving French Lick first thing in the morning.

Back to Kentucky...

Traveling as Two - Churchill Downs

Wednesday morning and we were on our way to Churchill Downs. It was threatening rain, but so far, it was still dry.

We started our visit at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

One of my favorite parts was the guided track visit.

We saw our first race on the tour and then we found our seats in the grandstand.

It wasn't long before the rain started, but we were in the covered area, so we didn't mind.

We left Churchill Downs about 4:30 since we had dinner reservations at Monk's Road, a super expensive place downtown The Beast told us about. He does quite a bit of travel to Kentucky for the bank. 

The food was good and fun for a special treat, but we had to drive an hour and a half to Fench Lick and it was still raining.

Back in Indiana tomorrow. 

Traveling as Two - Louisville, Kentucky

We got up early (are you noticing a trend?), packed an overnight bag, and headed for Kentucky. Our first stop was the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory tour.

Babe Ruth's bat.

We loved this place! It was so fun to see how they make wooden bats for the major league players and to sell in stores.

After we left the museum, we stopped at Lonnie's for lunch.

I really enjoyed my traditional Chicago hot dog. My sweetie was a little underwhelmed. Soon it was time to check in to our hotel. We had a beautiful suite at Embassy Suites my sweetie got for free with his Hilton Rewards points.  After a good rester, we decided to go out for dinner at a little Mexican place my sweetie discovered online.

He was much happier with the food.

Then it was time for bed.

More Kentucky fun tomorrow.