Kentucky

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Wow, day 2 was another great day on the 2018 Great American Road Trip. We have had yet another great weather day. Knock on wood, we still have at least 20 more days on the road and don't want to jinx our luck.

We departed Knoxville about 9:00am and headed north for Kentucky. See our attached photos. Jackie is in charge of taking a photo of the state line banners and you will enjoy her collection of shots.

I'm sure if we were here in the Fall we would be bragging about the color of the leaves. But now, I'm bragging about the color of the leaves...green! The roads in North Tennessee and into Kentucky are fully tree-lined with fresh growth. We passed through the Daniel Boone Natural Forest on I-75 and then North West towards our next stop in Bardstown, Kentucky. It was easy to see why they named these mountains the "Smokies" given the low clouds that were apparent early in the day.

As we drove along I-75 I noticed a sign advertising the Camp Wildcat Civil War Battlefield. I had done some prior research but don't remember seeing anything about this site. But, what the heck, we were there and it would only take 30 minute round trip to visit the battlefield. So, we did. It was an interesting drive giving three miles of narrow dirt road through some very thick forest. It turns out that this was the first Civil War action in Kentucky. It seems that it was a Union victory but not major lost for either side.

As we got deeper into Kentucky we saw more of the beautiful fenced horse pastures with deep green grass. Our second stop was at the Maker's Mark Distillery, in Loretto, Kentucky. It was great. We thought we knew a lot about bourbon but found that there was a lot more to learn. The tour was more than an hour and ended with a tasting of five different spirits. One of their trademarks is the wax cover of the bottles. We were given the opportunity to buy a bottle (or three) and dip our own into the wax.

We departed the distillery and drove on up to Bardstown for the evening. Our Kentucky friend, Greg Ebelhar, recommended this stop. We are there now and love the village and our hotel. It is the Jailhouse Inn. Look it up! It is the real thing. We will get a full tour tomorrow morning but we are impressed. After checking in we went to The Old Talbot Tavern next door and had a nice taste of Bourbon. Then we strolled down the streets of Bardstown to Bullitts Winery and Bistro for a nice dinner of meatballs, salad and a nice bottle of Bullitts Cabernet.

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Photos

Kentucky State Line
I bragged about Jackie capturing the Tennessee State line billboard. But I'm not bragging about this Kentucky photo. I think she tried hard but came a little short...or a little wide of the mark.

Rocky Top
We know the song but not much else about "Rocky Top Tennessee."

Camp Wildcat Civil War Battlefield
Only 15 minutes off I-75 to this interesting site. We may have been the only visitor since the war was lost.

Maker's Mark Bourbon Whisky
Put this place on your bucket list. We are glad that we did. Thanks, Greg for the recommendation.

The Old Talbot's Tavern
First stop for a drink after the tour at Maker's Mark.

Old Talbot's Tavern
Here's to my travel partner. She is the best.

Comments

[Kathie kirts]

Blue grass and smoke
I did get the giggles when I saw the pic of KY. as always great travel blog.