JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS: OHIO AND KENTUCKY 2011


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July 24th 2011
Published: July 25th 2011
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JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS: OHIO AND KENTUCKY 2011


JUNE 4, 2011 (SATURDAY)

Our new adventure starts a little late, about 12:30. In Saraland, we buy a bag of Krystal hamburgers

for lunch. Bethany will drive for the next few hours. In Evergreen, McDonald's is calling our name.

My daughter was somehow locked in the restroom stall, and has to crawl on the floor, under the door.

She is not a happy camper. As we reached Cullman, we could see the tornado damage from about six

weeks ago.

The sun is beginning to set as we cross the Tennessee River and we take several pictures. Then,

there is more tornado damage as we approach Huntsville. We have supper tonight with Janet's sister'

brother-in-law and niece. From their backyard, we could see fields of wheat (?), and there is a

mountain not far away, either. Very pretty. Jimmie gave me directions through the back roads to

Ardmore and we are soon in Tennessee. By 11:30 we arrive at the Howard Johnson hotel in Nashville.

We can see the downtown skyline from our 3rd floor room. There are hundreds of reminders / remnants

of the cicadas that had been hibernating the previous 13 years. It is midnight when we say good-nite.


JUNE 5, 2011 (SUNDAY)

The continental breakfast has a meager supply of pastries and juice. Janet does like the coffee. After

check-out, we find a Waffle House nearby. Bethany is proud to use her Student Achievement coupon

for free hash-browns. Within an hour we stopped at the Kentucky Welcome Center. This is a great

opportunity for a picture of me at another state sign. We find several pamphlets and brochures, then we

are on our way. There are very dark rainclouds ahead of us. And then I'm driving in a downpour. With

the hazard flashers going, and almost no visibility, the hail starts to fall. Don't think I have ever driven

8 mph on interstate before. But I finally had to pull over for about ten minutes. Wow. Glad to be

able to see again.

Near Louisville, we stopped in Shepherdsville at a Kroger. We reset our watches after passing into

the Eastern time zone. Bethany searches on her new phone and is delighted to recommend a place for

supper. In Walton, Kentucky we stop at Skyline Chili. The chili is spread over spaghetti. What an

interesting concept. I go with the 4-way plate which features spaghetti, chili sauce, cheese and red

beans. Bethany and I could eat this again. My wife was not impressed.

In just a little while, we cross the Ohio River and enter the Buckeye state. I see the professional

stadiums for the Cincinnati Bengals and also the Reds. We navigate our way up to the northern suburb

of Forest Park. I miss the turn for Days Inn, so I turn around at the next road. I'm glad I did. At the

local Shell service station, we saw about 40 geese. They were pecking in the grass, looking for a meal.

At 9:00, Janet and I enjoy watching the television program, “Game of Thrones”. Afterward, I fill up

the gasoline tank; then I'm in bed by 11:00.


JUNE 6, 2011 (MONDAY)

There is a 6:30 wake-up call and I soon enjoy a breakfast of donuts and cranberry juice. At 8:00 we

are on our way to Hueston Woods State Park. Our goal is to collect fossils. The first stop is near the

dam. The three of us will work both sides of the creek. Our equipment: hammers, goggles and chisel

bits. Didn't know what to expect, since this was our first time. We came across brachiopods, horn coral,

and several shells. Bethany screamed with excitement when she discovered a 6x6 inch chunk of matrix.

There were several dozen bryozoan pieces embedded in it. She was thrilled. Crossing the bridge,

Bethany and I walked down a steep hill and through dense brush. There was more room to walk along

the banks of the creek. And tens of thousands of rocks. And we found more hidden “treasures”.

On the other side of the park, near softball fields, we searched another creek bank. Mostly found

small shells here. This is something we will do again on Friday. And we are now experienced fossil

collectors. It is a little after noon and time to drive back to the hotel.

After showering and getting cleaned up, we leave about 3:00 for Cedarville. We are out in the

country and thoroughly enjoying the scenery and beautiful farm lands. We pass through several small

towns. In Lebanon, I see a sign for the Golden Lamb Hotel. It is the oldest hotel in Ohio, built in 1803.

Rebuilt to its current structure in 1815, it has become a famous person magnet. Twelve U.S. Presidents

have stayed here, and other people such as Charles Dickens, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain. If

Bethany comes to Cedarville again for college or a summer camp, it might be fun to stay here.

Around 4:30 we reach the small town of Cedarville and easily find the college. Our daughter is

signed in and the college aged counselor shows her to her dorm room. Sarah (from Georgia) will be her

roommate for the week. We get her settled in and think this will help her grow up a little bit. There are

four camps being held here this week: Geology, Forensic Science, Music and Worship. About 125

students will be here for 5 days. There are 6 boys and 4 girls in the geology group. The counselor

walks with Bethany and another student to the cafeteria, for it is now dinner time. I take two pictures

of Bethany walking down the street, leaving her mom and dad behind. My little girl is now at college.

There is a touch of an “empty nest” as Janet and I drive toward Cincinnati. In the city of Mason, we

decide on the Brazenhead Irish Pub for supper. For an appetizer, we eat our first Irish egg rolls. Janet

has the familiar Shepherd's Pie. Tonight I try my first Bangers and Mash. The name is certainly intrigu-

ing. Three varieties of bangers or sausages: wild boar, pheasant and venison, served over mashed

potatoes with peas, carrots and gravy. Chocolate bread pudding was an easy choice for dessert. Happy

hour partyers were going strong when we left. It sure feels different without Bethany.


JUNE 7, 2011 (TUESDAY)

Two wake-up calls have been requested for this morning: 5:30 and 7:30. At 5:30, I called Bethany's

cell phone to make sure she was up. Ten minutes later, I called again. And an hour later, I called back.

Did not want her to miss breakfast or get off schedule. Janet and I slept later today, relaxed and

watched a movie.

Our plans today include driving over the Ohio River and going to Kentucky. At Petersburg, we shall

visit the Creation Museum. This 70,000 square foot museum brings the pages of Genesis to life. The

centerpiece is a walk through Biblical history. The time-line of the universe is presented with scientific

and Biblical answers. And it gives us the 7 C's of history: Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe,

Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consummation. There are several exhibits to see, including Noah's Ark

Construction Site, the Dinosaur Den, and Natural Selection Is Not Evolution. We thoroughly enjoyed

the Stargazer's Planetarium. Sitting in reclining seats in the dome, we were taken on an amazing trip to

outer space. In the Dragon Theater, you hear about dinosaurs and dragon legends. In the Last Adam

Theater, you will experience God's redemptive plan across the ages, from the beginning of time to the

death, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ, the Last Adam. The Special Effects Theater features Men

In White, who answer your questions. And the Six Days of Creation Theater travels back to the dawn

of time.

After eating sandwiches at Noah's Cafe, we strolled outside through the Botanical Gardens. With

nearly one mile of paved trails, there are five bridges to cross. There are waterfalls, ponds, plenty of

lily pads, thousands of flowers. Other features are the Butterfly / Hummingbird Garden, a petting zoo

with camel rides, a Koi pond, and a Carnivorous Bog Garden with Venus flytraps and pitcher plants.

What a wonderful oasis! Truly beautiful.

Back inside, we tried to see as much as we could. Most people are encouraged to spend two days on

a visit here. There is just so much to see. We finished shopping in the souvenir store, purchasing a pack

of DVD's, as we were probably the last folks to leave. It has been a pleasure to come here.

It is always a vacation adventure to eat at a different ethnic restaurant. In Fairfield, OH we have

already decided on dinner at the Sabor Peruano...a Peruvian Restaurant. On the cover of the menu is a

picture of Machu Picchu and a cold can of Inca Kola. Well, that was an easy choice for a beverage. It

had a banana / pineapple flavor to it. For an appetizer, we had a plate of boiled Peruvian Indian corn.

These were the largest kernels of corn I had ever seen. Supper for me is Pescado A Lo Macho. This

dish consists of fried tilapia fish, shrimp, squid and octopus in a tomato sauce. Janet wanted Sopa de

Mariscos, or soup of the sea. This included: crab, mussels, clams, squid, octopus, tilapia fish and

shrimp. I had not considered Peru food, until we drove past here yesterday. This has been a treat.


JUNE 8, 2011 (WEDNESDAY)

This is my 50th season to be a Cincinnati Reds fan. Today, I finally watch them play in Ohio. Before

the gates opened, hundreds of us fans visited the Reds Team Shop. All sorts of shirts, jerseys, caps,

balls, pennants, key chains and just about any souvenir you could imagine. I thoroughly enjoyed

stepping back in time at the Reds Hall of Fame. So much history to experience. The Cincinnati Red-

stockings were the 1st professional baseball team, established in 1869. Imagine, paying men to play a

game. That first season, the Cincinnati team WON ALL 57 of their games. They played 25 different

opponents and scored 75 runs in most all of their games. On August 31st (Bethany's birthday) Cincy

beat the Buckeye team by the score of 103 – 8. What an amazing season! There are five World Series

Championship flags on display: 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976 and 1990. Oh, what memories.

Entering the Great American Ball Park, I was ushered to my seat... 3 rows from the field. However,

the Chicago Cubs were in the 3rd base dugout. A slight miscalculation on my part. I am surrounded by

Cubs fans. One of the Chicago ball players, Tony Campana, came out to sign autographs. I was very

polite and took off my Cincinnati cap before I asked him to sign my program. Took more pictures.

The Cincinnati mascot, Mr. Redlegs, came by. His costume includes a huge baseball shaped head. Got

my picture taken with him. Then came the female mascot, Rosie Red. Caught a ball stamped U.S.A.F.

I walked out to the left field stands. The Cubs were taking batting practice, and launching several

homeruns out to the fans. Then I climbed to the 5th and highest level. What a view. I could easily see

across the Ohio River, into Covington, KY. At a temperature of 95 degrees, the announcer said the

song of the game is “The Heat Is On.” There were several misting fans in the corridors for the

spectators to cool off.

I didn't realize that I'd enjoy the vendors so much. They were selling bottled water, beer, peanuts,

cotton candy, sno-cones, lemon and watermelon slushies. One of the young men was hollering “I can't

believe how COLD this beer is. I've got your Bud, Bud Lite, Miller, Miller Lite, cold water.” One of the

ladies was selling “ice-cold cotton candy”. Another beer vendor had a water bottle and was misting the

fans in the face. Don't think I've ever paid $5.00 for a bottle of cold water before, but it tasted so good

on such a hot day.

Chicago ended up winning the game 4-1. But I had finally seen my first Reds game in Ohio. Yes,

the little baseball player in me was thrilled. I called my father after returning to the car. Today was his

83rd birthday. It just seemed appropriate, after he had coached my baseball teams for 7 years as a kid.

There was heavy traffic leaving the stadium, especially traveling north on I-75. Janet was ready to

eat when I got back to the hotel at 5:00. Across the road was a neat little place for supper: Izzy's

Famous Corned Beef. This was the right choice for tonight. The deli chain began in Cincinnati in 1901.

Specialties include the corned beef reuben sandwich, a big container of pickles and sauerkraut and

tasty potato cakes. This was delicious. They had a humorous sign inside: Izzy Says “Hurry Back. I Got

The Rent To Pay”.

Back in the room, I spent several hours cleaning about 125 fossils from our Hueston Woods

collection. With warm, soapy water, I gently scrubbed / cleaned them with a tooth brush. Bethany

called about 10:40 tonight and gave us the highlights of her day.


JUNE 9, 2011 (THURSDAY)

The wake-up call today is for 6:30 and I'm soon downstairs for breakfast. Pastries and cranberry

juice is on the menu today. By 7:45 I'm on my way to Indiana. Taking the I-275 circle, I cross into the

Hoosier state and take Hwy. 50. I'm visiting my former “book-field territory”. I sold books for the

Southwestern Co. in Jennings and Lawrence counties in the summer of 1976. Near Butlerville, I saw

the historic marker about Hannah Milhous, who lived nearby. At the age of 12, her family left Indiana

for California. She was the mother of President Richard Milhous Nixon.

In North Vernon, I easily found the house that was “home” to me, Joe Newsom and Jim Inch. Took

a few pictures. Got a chance to chat with the owner for ten minutes, and reminisced about my time

there. I filled the gas tank at $3.999 / gallon. That is the most I've ever paid. Seven miles up the road is

the small town of Scipio. I wanted to see the red covered bridge that I had driven through so many

times. It was built in 1886, at a cost of $600, to span the Sand Creek.

Nineteen miles from Bedford, I pulled off the road at a mountainous type “cut through”. This was a

soft limestone layer, and I found one embedded fossil, plus a few interesting looking rocks. I wanted to

drive in the country and had forgotten about some thick forested areas. Driving through the small

communities of Leesville, Fort Ritner, Buddah and Lawrenceport, I looked at hundreds of houses

where I had knocked on doors, 35 years ago.

I arrived in downtown Mitchell about 12:30 and called Leon Williams for directions. It's easy to

forget these things after 21 years. That is how long it has been since Janet and I visited with Leon and

Wanda Williams. Wanda bought a dictionary from me back in 1976. She and her husband had me over

for dinner a couple of times that summer. Just delightful people and I've sent them Christmas cards and

vacation postcards through the years.

Leon takes me across the road and into Spring Mill State Park. The park features a pioneer village

that was founded in 1814. There are 20 historic buildings to explore. The centerpiece is a 3 story lime-

stone grist mill. And it still grinds cornmeal today. It is time for lunch and there is a tasty buffet for us

at the Spring Mill Inn. They offered a wonderful lunch but I was impressed with dessert. Walnut pie

with Granny's walnut sauce and something new for me: persimmon pudding. Mitchell does host a

Persimmon Festival each fall.

We go walking back to the pioneer village area. Step inside the old Apothecary building and look at

all the old medicine bottles. Next we see the distillery, then look inside most all the original buildings

there. The interpreters are dressed like it is the mid 1800s. The chores they routinely do is gardening,

candle-dipping, rope-making, weaving and grinding corn into cornmeal. Felt like we were stepping

back in time.

Inside the 3-story building that houses the gristmill, Leon showed me the cabinets he had made,

many years earlier. He is carpentry talented. I walked up a little trail to the Hamer Cave. That is where

the water flows from and eventually pours over the enormous water wheel which drives the gears that

spin the grindstones.

After that, we drove through virgin forest to the Twin Caves. A 20 minute guided boat tour is avail-

able. You can see bats, crayfish and Northern blind cave fish. Is it cool in there? About 56 degrees.

Janet and I enjoyed a cave boat ride on our 1990 trip here.

As we left, we didn't stop this time at the Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom Memorial. Probably Mitchell's

most famous resident, he was America's second man in space. The Gemini III space capsule is here,

along with his space suit, and lots of other space memorabilia. And there is a short video to see. I had

the privilege to meet Gus Grissom's parents when I sold books here in '76. For people who didn't know,

Lt. Col. Gus Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward White and Roger Chaffee were aboard the Apollo I Command

Module at Cape Canaveral, FL. On January 27, 1967, a fire broke out in the cockpit and spread rapidly.

The three astronauts died instantly. Truly, one of the worst tragedies in the history of spaceflight. Had

seen this on my previous trip, but I still remember.

Leon and I talked for hours on my trip today, lots of catching up. Then we went to the Mitchell

Manor to visit his wife, Wanda. We talked about my previous trips here and the times she had cooked a

good meal for me. She said bye-bye as I left. After seeing Leon and Wanda again, I thought about an

old picture my grandmother had on her wall, 50 years ago. This was “Undying Love”.

Driving back through east Indiana and then to our hotel, it was suppertime. We decided upon B.J.'s

Restaurant and Brewhouse. There are 16 beers on tap, so we ordered the sampler which gave us four

different varieties. Janet says this was probably the best pizza she has ever eaten. And my calzone was

so good, too. It has been a very good day. Now, we'll wait for Bethany's phone call.


JUNE 10, 2011 (FRIDAY)

8:30 wake-up call, nice to sleep later today. There are pastries downstairs for a quick breakfast.

We go to a Wal-Mart across the road from us where we pick up a few supplies. We drive north on Hwy.

42 again. In Xenia, we stop at McDonalds for a lunch snack. More pretty countryside to drive through.

1:00 as we arrive on campus at Cedarville Univ. Time to pick up our college girl. We have missed

Bethany this week. She and several others were slowly strolling back from the cafeteria. Her roomie,

Sarah, had five minutes to catch the van. It was shuttling students to the airport in Dayton. I helped her

with her luggage, as we both rushed out to the van. Just made it in time. Then, Janet and I got all of

Bethany's stuff removed from the dorm room. Time to drive over to the student center and purchase a

few souvenirs. She wanted some books, a tee-shirt and a Cedarville hoodie.

We went to Caesar Creek State Park, where the Geology camp students visited a few days earlier.

For a fossil hunter, this is certainly the place to go. Janet and Bethany spent all their time in the flat

spillway area. I headed over to the walls and found so many wonderful horn corals, bryozoans, parts of

brachiopods and cephalopods, plus many shells. Picked up several matrices the size of my hand,

encrusted with fossils. These are from the Ordovician Period, roughly 490 - 443 million years ago.

The three of us must have collected over 200 fossils. Were we excited?? Oh, yes.

Back to the hotel to get clean; wash off the ancient dirt. Tonight, we took our daughter to the Peru

restaurant. Had to order Inka Kolas again. I had a plate of beef and rice with yucca and potatoes. The

girls ordered fish plates. Good food and we enjoyed listening to Bethany's adventures this past week.

At Target, I needed a couple of Cincinnati Reds shirts. Bought some bags for our fossil collection.

Wrote on these bags the location and date we found them (like the scientists do). In bed at 10:30.


June 11, 2011 (SATURDAY)

After six nights at the Days Inn, it is time to check out and drive to East Fork Lake State Park. This

will be our family's third fossil collecting excursion. We drive over the dam to the spillway area.

You have to “study” one small area at a time to find something worthwhile. This area looks pretty well

picked over. Janet drives me and Bethany down the road apiece and drops us off at a road-cut area.

We have much better success climbing on this hilly area. Lots of matrices with fossil remnants. 45

minutes here and its time to go back to the spillway area. I wanted 10 more minutes to look around. I

was very pleased to find two crinoid specimens. They are SO tiny that they both fit on my little finger-

nail. This has been a very successful fossil collecting trip to Ohio.

Driving across the Ohio River, I take one last look at the baseball park. Go Reds! Open roads ahead

as we head toward Louisville. We exit onto I-265 to bypass Louisville. One of the billboards in PeeWee

Valley caught our eye: Jucy's Bar-B-Q.....Hickory Smoked Texas Style. I ordered the sampler with

chicken, beef and pork. Excellent choice. I remarked many times about this “melt in your mouth meat”.

Wow! Bethany enjoyed the baked beans so much that Janet bought a quart to take along with us.

Soon we are on I-65 heading south. Tonight we will stop in Cave City for a two night stay. There is

a laundromat here at our Days Inn and I get some clothes washed. Early to bed tonight.


JUNE 12, 2001 (SUNDAY)

Another continental breakfast and we're on our way to Mammoth Cave National Park. It was also

designated a U.N. World Heritage Site in 1981. There are over 390 miles of surveyed cave passage-

ways, making it the most extensive cave system in the world. Our first of two tours today will be the

Historic Tour. This is a moderate difficulty, two-hour and two-mile tour. We crossed the Bottomless Pit,

squeezed through Fat Man's Misery, learned the history this cave played during the War of 1812 (a

saltpeter mining operation), stood in awe at Mammoth Dome, descended 300 feet at our lowest point

and heard the sounds from the River Styx, viewed cave graffiti dating back to 1839, saw one bat and

several cave crickets, and climbed a total of 440 stairs. It was a very pleasant 54 degrees inside and we

exited at the same spot as the natural entrance. On display are some reed torches. These three-feet cane

reeds were bundled together and lit to guide the way for the earliest explorers. Carbon 14 dating shows

that people first came here about 2000 years ago. This has been fun.

Tourists have been able to visit these caves since 1816 making it one of the oldest tourist attractions

in North America. All this walking has brought us to lunch time and we find a table at the Crystal Lake

Coffee Shop. Had sandwiches and enjoyed just sitting down for awhile. In an hour, it is time for

another tour, the New Entrance Tour. A short bus ride brought us to this site. Opened in the 1920's, this

is another moderate difficulty, two hour and three-fourths mile tour. Hundreds of beautiful stalactites,

stalagmites and columns to see. Incredible nature on display. The highlight here is the Frozen Niagara

flowstone (Mammoth's most famous formation). This is another amazing tour. As we left, I saw a group

of cave crickets. Their antennae are about 4 times longer than their body length.

There are about 16 different tours to choose from. Two are enough for us today. As we leave the

visitor's center, we decide to stop at the Sand Cave. There is a boardwalk that leads through the woods

to the entrance. It is not accessible now. In 1925, the great cave explorer, Floyd Collins, was trapped

inside for 12 days before work crews recovered his body. Upwards of 10,000 people showed up near

here to offer encouragement, hoping for good news that never came. There are pretty flowers along

the trail. We return to the room to rest for awhile.

Bethany wanted to visit Big Mike's Rock Shop, touted as the biggest in Kentucky. So many very

interesting specimens to look at. Took a few good sunset pictures.

Along the way back to the park, we saw 4 or 5 deer grazing by the roadside. That was neat to see.

Tonight we will sit out under the stars and listen to one of the park rangers give a lecture. He started

out by lighting a campfire, setting a very pleasant mood. He showed slides and talked and let us ask

lots of questions. Very informative. Glad we made it. I thought back to 1994. My parents had planned a

vacation up here to Mammoth Caves. However, my momma suddenly passed away 6 weeks before

their trip. So glad we made it here. Now it is time to head for the beds.




JUNE 13, 2011 (MONDAY)

We are delighted to see 5 wild turkeys this morning, pecking along the roadside as we drive to

Mammoth's Travertine Restaurant. We're all in the mood for a big country breakfast, so the Caveman's

breakfast is an easy choice. I stroll along the walls, looking at old pictures while we wait. Now that was

a very filling breakfast. And the Mammoth Cave Black Cherry Preserves were delicious. So much so,

that we buy several jars to bring home.

Our third and final cave to visit in south central Kentucky is the Diamond Caverns. There is a pretty

garden at the entrance. I liked the sign out front that states: Discovered 1859 – Rediscovered Daily. The

first man to discover this was lowered into the pit and saw the glistening calcite crystals, that he

thought were diamonds. There are 30 of us as we walk down the stairs and into the underworld.

Features of this cavern are intricate drapery deposits that line the halls in cascades of naturally colorful

calcite. THOUSANDS of stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone formations decorate the cathedral like

chambers. The tour lasts about one hour and covers one-half mile. The temperature is a constant 58

degrees. There are 358 stair steps to navigate. The low hand-rails make this a moderately strenuous

tour. I was fascinated to see where two stalagmites had been “sawed” open, and finely polished.

Our tour guide pointed out the Onyx Pit, Capitol Dome, Radio Hall, the Rotunda, Hanging Paradise,

Beauty Parlor, the Mirror Pool, fishtail bacon formations, cave crickets and a few fossils buried in the

walls. I was not expecting to see a Pulpit, but there were over 3 dozen weddings performed inside here.

This has been a thoroughly enjoyable excursion.

As we drive towards Bowling Green, Bethany has found a place we all “need” to go to. So, we exit

out into the countryside and soon find Chaney's Dairy Barn and Restaurant (founded in 2003). They

offer premium, homemade ice-cream, made fresh on the farm. Peach was a flavor we could all agree

on. Smooth, creamy, cold... it was so good.

The next stop was at the welcome to Tennessee state sign. Did I mention that I like taking pictures

of these state signs? A little further down I-65 we stop at Goodlettsville. Time to see the Long Hollow

Winery and Vineyards, owned by Grand Old Opry star Stu Phillips. They feature about a dozen

Tennessee wines. After our wine tasting, we decide on 4 bottles. To complement them, we bought 3

different varieties of cheese and some delicious jars of honey pecan jelly. There are pictures all over the

place featuring Mr. Phillips and other country music stars. I even got an autograph for my collection. It

is amazing to me that one can spend 50 years in the country music business.

Back in Nashville, we check into the Super 8 for our last night of the vacation. And I finally got a

chance to swim. Bethany practiced her Tae-Kwon-Do moves for about an hour, while I just totally

relaxed. Thought back to the five summers when I came to Nashville for a full week of sales-school,

before heading up north to sell Southwestern Co. books.


JUNE 14, 2011 (TUESDAY)

After checking out, we drove into downtown Nashville to Centennial Park. Located across the

street from the campus of Vanderbilt University, this was the spot where Tennessee celebrated 100

years, at the 1897 Fair. Though Janet and I have been here a few times, this is Bethany's first visit. The

Parthenon is an exact replica of the original in Athens Greece (built around 438 B.C.). Inside is the

statue of Athena Parthenos, standing 42 feet in height. She stands next to her shield and a serpent.

Beautifully painted colors and 8 pounds of gold leaf practically bring this statue to life. What a treasure

the city of Nashville has here.

Sweet home Alabama, as we cross the state line. We take the Athens exit and make it into Huntsville

in time for lunch. It has been more than 10 years since we ate at Ol Heidelburg German Restaurant. If

I go to a German restaurant, which is not often enough, I usually order weinerschnitzel. The pictures on

the wall are of the castle ruins in old Heidelburg, Germany. I had the pleasure of visiting there in 1985.

The food is wonderful....but the dessert is even better!

In Clanton, we stop by Durbin Farms Market for peach milk shakes. It just doesn't get much better

than this. Four more hours and we're home in Mobile. What a fun adventure. Life is good!!



















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