Bourbon, Bats and Caves

It’s April and we are off on another adventure!  Let’s get you caught up.  When last I posted we were waiting for the repairs to our motorhome to be completed.  The damage from a collision took out several of our basement doors, the boxes around the electrical and water hookups and generally made a mess of the left rear of the motorhome.  Well the long wait for parts, installation and paint matching was complete by the end of March.  I have to give a shout out to the folks at Open Road RV in Acworth for getting this done and keeping me posted on progress.  Also, thanks are due to GEICO for covering this major repair.

Next on the list was to have some preventative maintenance on the engine.  Our local mechanic did a one day service to replace the serpentine belt, spark plugs, wires and coils (awesome!) and then alerted us to front brakes that were 90% worn.  Ok, new brake pads then.  Plus a charge to the cabin AC.  Ouch, that was a hefty bill, but much better than a breakdown on the road.  We are just shy of 100,000 miles, so it was worth the peace of mind.

So after a good cleaning, inside and out, sanitizing the fresh water tanks and packing all our gear we are off on this next trip: the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.  Yes, we will sample what we can, but rest assured it won’t be while driving the motorhome.  It starts off with a visit in Nashville to our niece Rachel, who is graduating high school and her brother, Colin, who is celebrating his 21st birthday.  A good time for the family to gather.

You may have noticed in the photos that we have a new travel companion: Binx.  It’s been two years since Merlin passed and Jackie felt it was time for a new young cat around the house.  This is the first motorhome trip for Binx, and so far he is doing just fine.  He and Kodi bump noses and stare at each other, but they haven’t quite gotten to the “let’s play” stage yet.  A little more time in this large box of a motorhome and they should be best buddies.

Up the road then to Mammoth Cave and camping in the park.  It was a pretty easy drive up from Nashville, only a few climbs – I was sure to keep an eye on the engine temperature and that did not seem to be a problem at all.  However, we had a new one pop up way back before Chattanooga, which I kept to myself until I met up with my son and brother-in-law in Nashville.  It seems that only a few miles away from a fill-up at Buc-ees mega gas station I noticed the check engine light came on.  And it stayed on, teasing me to be worried about the engine.  With all the work we just had done on the engine, I was kind of scratching my head about the cause.  It was familiar, as I think the last time it happened and I got all concerned about NOC sensors and the code that the computer gave, it was after another fill-up at Buc-ees.  Well just get me to Nashville.  

Before heading out of Nashville I added a can of Seafoam gas cleaner and crossed my fingers.  I was surprised then that the light went out before we made it to Bowling Green and I was certainly happier.

Rolling into Mammoth was gorgeous.  Just a bit behind our spring leafing in Kennesaw, but everything was greening up nicely.  We pulled into our site, a dry or boondocking site, and leveled up, put out the slides and fed the pets.  It was early afternoon so we went over to the visitor center and booked a 3:30 tour of Mammoth Passage.  The cave is only accessible by guided tour (except in the busy summer season), so we were curious to try this extra tour that entered through the Historic Entrance.  We have hiked in a few cave systems before: Carlsbad Caverns, Florida Caverns and one near Pike’s Peak.  This was totally different.  

After a low passageway we found ourselves in a huge underground tunnel.  Of course this is a well maintained system of walkways, railings and lighting, but it is also massive.  And dry.  There were no dripping springs, pools or stalagmites and stalactites.  Just rough walls that opened up passageways that felt more like underground subway or railroad tunnels.  One intersection aptly called the Rotunda had a huge open and circular ceiling.  It almost felt like the underground lair of some superheroes or maybe MI-6’s lab for Q.   Very special, quite cold.  We saw a few small bats on the ceiling, but not massive colonies.

This campsite had no electricity or water, but we had onboard water, the generator for electricity, gas for heat and the fridge and stove and although it was getting below 50 degrees, we figured we were fine.  Until we weren’t.  Running the generator seemed to leave gasoline fumes in the camper, so we shut it off and aired out.  Overnight Jackie’s CPAP machine quit, the heat didn’t come on and the fridge was off.  A bit of morning panic, as there was no power from the house batteries at all. And it was cold!

The next day we had another tour booked that started off at 9 am, so we were out and hiking into the cave early.  This tour took us to another entrance area by bus and it felt more like traditional caving experiences.  A more narrow passageway that tried to bang your head or poke your side was fun to traverse on our way to stalagmites, stalagtites and flowstone.  Lots of those formations to see and a final stairway down behind Niagara, a large formation that was very cool.  This area Iof the cave had lots of cave crickets, who we learned leave the cave every week to feed and return.

Back at camp after the tour we unhooked the house batteries, called an auto supply store in Cave City, about 30 miles away and when they said they had replacements, off we went.  With the new batteries installed, we felt much better.  The fridge was running again (even though it runs on gas, it needs electric for the control panel) and except for charging the phones and making coffee, we were ok.  Took the Keurig to the restroom to make coffee and charged phones in the Jeep.  Never a dull moment.  But the generator will have to wait until back home.  I suspect it has something to do with last fall’s accident.

We had time to wander around the trails a bit, since it was such a nice afternoon. The Green River flows through the park and there was an actual free operating ferry across one of the roads. Plus a really great loading ramp for kayaks up and down a long stairway. We also saw numerous wildflowers some springs and a few of the original CCC camp cabins.

Overnight it wasn’t nearly as cold and we had some rain. Lying in bed while trying to ignore the barking dog asking for breakfast, Jackie said her CPAP machine stopped again overnight.  Oh No!  Please tell me we didn’t kill the new batteries!  Actually, it must have come unplugged, since everything else was fine.  Sigh of relief.  We showered at the camp store, feeding quarters into the shower to keep the water running, then packed up, hooked up the Jeep and made our way off to Bardstown.  This was maybe 80 miles away, easy drive on a smooth interstate with little traffic.  We opted to veer off the interstate on a nice 2 lane road that took us to Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace and boyhood home.  A unplanned but beautiful stop on a gorgeous drive through green Kentucky fields.  Today’s final stop was the campground in My Old Kentucky Home State Park just outside Louisville.  This is the week before the Kentucky Derby and we are set to celebrate the upcoming race with some mint juleps and lots more bourbon sampling.

Bourbon sampling was easy, since less than a mile down the road was Heaven Hill Distillery, featuring Elijah Craig and Evan Williams.  Since I had my Kentucky Bourbon Trail Guide and time was running short, we hit the bar and ordered a flight each.  I had a rye sampler and Jackie went with bourbons.  And I got my book stamped.  Well we couldn’t stay long, since we found out the distilleries all closed their tap rooms at 5 and it was already nearly 4!  Next stop was Bardstown Brewing, maybe 4 miles back.  Great tap room and they had a nice selection of bar food.  We ordered their special meatballs and greens and a plate of ahi tuna tacos.  And we learned something new: benedictine.  It is a sour cream and onion spread that is usually served on cucumber sandwiches, but ours was served with the meatballs.  Yummy.  Oh, and an Old Fashioned each of course.  Best food at a bar I have had in a long time, and the drink was yummy.  And I got my book stamped.  But it was too late to visit any others.

Something that really surprised us was the way they stack and age the barrels of bourbon.  These huge barns/aging houses (rick houses) really are monstrous and numerous.  There is an entire art to their design, construction, temperature, humidity – all of which affects the bourbon.  BUT I was reassured to see there would be no shortage of bourbon for the foreseeable future.

Day 2 of our bourbon sampling was to begin with a quick stop nearby at Lux Row Distillery.  Another gorgeous operation, very modern buildings amid some historic ones and the most beautiful Kentucky bluegrass you will ever find.  We had a sample of their Rebel 100 Rye and promptly bought a bottle it was so good. I got my book stamped and we drove in to Louisville to sample Whiskey Row.  Whoops, wait, was that Jim Beam we just passed?  Quick, turn around and let’s stop.  So we saw the green grounds of the distillery, dotted with the warehouses and the iconic white barn and family farmhouse.  Just had to sample some Knob Creek and Basil Hayden before continuing onward (plus a stamp in the book).

The challenge was to find a couple of distillery tasting rooms but more importantly to get checked-in at 6 different bars on the Urban Bourbon Trail to earn a shirt.  It involved a lot of walking along Main Street, but the weather was great and the rewards better.  So an Old Fashioned and Mint Julep at Evan Williams Experience, a stop at Old Forrester and Angel’s Envy, a photo op at the Louisville Slugger bat factory, ummm lunch at Troll Under the Bridge for a delicious Reuben sandwich and beer cheese with pretzels followed by a few other spots for bourbon drinks … and then to the visitors center to collect the t-shirt!  Yippee, mission accomplished.  We drove back to camp and kind of crashed for the rest of the evening, skipping supper (but fed and watered the pets).

Day 3 in Bardstown/Louisville we drove to Versailles, KY to visit two distilleries:  Castle & Key and Woodford Reserve.  Plus, I was going to connect with a good friend from my days with the Professional Lawn Care Association.  The drive was easy on the Bluegrass Parkway and we were soon sipping on cocktails at Castle & Key Distillery.  The grounds of this restored distillery were amazingly beautiful, with the original buildings nested in the green valley.  The folks at this spot were very friendly and the drinks impressive.  Jackie had a Bloody Mary and I had a four cocktail flight that was terriffic.  I was so impressed with their gin that I snagged a bottle to take home.

It was time to venture just a few miles down the road to the mother ship:  Woodford Reserve.  It is one of my favorite bourbons, so I was excited to stop by.  But I have to say the experience was lacking something.  The grounds were beautiful, but other than the rick houses that you could only see from a distance, the buildings were recently built and really lacked charm.  It was just a retail store (that was out of much merchandise) and a small bar.  Of course we both had Old Fashioneds on the deck, but it just didn’t match my expectations.  Perhaps if we had booked one of the tours it would have been different.

Then it was time to drive the beautiful bluegrass countryside and find my friend from days past.  Sandy was waiting for us on the porch of her gorgeous farmhouse and we had fun reminiscing over the good times of our past together.  It was good to meet up after 25 (?) years.  She even pulled out one of the group pictures from our PLCAA days.   

The next day in Bardstown was pack-up and get moving day, but we had just a bit more time in the morning to find two distilleries:  Maker’s Mark and Willett Distilleries.  Maker’s Mark was supposed to be within 30 minutes, Willett was 2 miles away.  But a half hour down the road and the directions said another half hour to Maker’s Mark, so that was scuttled and we stopped at Willett instead.  Again it was beautiful grounds and an old distillery, where I got my book stamped and we headed to hitch up and head east beyond Lexington.  

Our next stop is Carter Caves State Park in the Daniel Boone National Forest.  Our big bourbon sampling adventure is over for now, but not forgotten.  My recommendation for any who want to try this is to focus on the actual distilleries and not get too excited about the downtown Louisville bars and tasting rooms.  But do take note that all the distilleries, downtown or out in the hills, all close at 5 p.m.  Well, I hope to find some Wi-Fi soon to post this story and some of the many pictures so you have an idea of what we have been up to. More to come, and thanks for reading along.