Day 7,   May 4

 We moved this morning, about 90 minutes, to Kentucky Horse Park Campground in Lexington. After arriving we had only a short time before

going to Old Friends Retired Thoroughbred Farm, this is where some retired horses live out their life. Some horses here were blind and deaf, and one horse, you asked to see his ID and he would lift up his lip and show his ID. Horses have tattooed markings on the inside of their top lip.

We had dinner at The Meeting House B & B in Frankfort, this is the first time that we had hot brown, which is toast bread, ham and turkey lunch meat, tomato, covered with a white sauce made up of cheese and bacon slices on top. The Meeting House had two dining areas, up inside the house, an eating area downstairs at the counter and kitchen area, and seating outside on the patio.

Day 6,   May 3, 2012

Visited Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, this is his birthplace but he only lived

here for 2 years. He then moved 10 miles away when his family moved, they had moved again 5 years later, 1811-1816. They have a replica, one room, log home build inside the monument. On the property, they also have a cool water, large limestone spring.

We then proceeded to My Old Kentucky Home State Park, took a tour through the Georgian-style mansion. This home was the inspiration for Stephen Foster's famous ballad, "My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night". We had walked through the grounds, which are very beautiful, with flowers and magnolia trees.

Drove a little way down the road to Kurtz Restaurant, where we had lunch. They had great homemade soup, sandwiches, 4 different, salad, and great pies, coconut, chocolate, or lemon meringue.

 Toured the Bourbon Heritage Center, watched a movie about the distillery, strolled inside their world famous Taste of Heaven Barrel Room, where we had a bourbon tasting experience. Our tour guide explained how to taste bourbon; smell, swirl, add a few drops of water, swirl some more and then just a few drops onto your tongue, before swallowing. We then walked out to a big warehouse (rig), where they store 25-28 thousand barrels of bourbon per rig and they had about 20 riga. They sell varying years of bourbon, but we tasted the 10 and 12 year, which you could taste the difference.

Day 5,   May 2, 2012

 We carpooled to take a tour of the Derby Museum. After arriving we went into a room where they showed a movie around the room in an oval shape, on the wall, which was really neat. After the movie, our tour guide took us out to see the track and explained how the race works. We did get to watch some races, we had watched 7 out of the 10 races, great excitement and some neat hats to see? We then sat lunch at the café and had a gam, so we didn't have to come back early to have it before our Mint Julep Party. Mint Julep is a drink make with sugar water, ice, bourbon and mint leaves, not too bad of a drink. After our party, some of the musicians in the group started playing and singing, which was a nice way to finish the day.

Day 4,   May 1, 2012

 Went to Farnsley-Moreman House, this house was established in 1828, but was never finished until 1837. This property is along the Ohio River with Indiana on the other side. You have a great view of the river from the front of the house. We also had a guide that was a archaeologist, he had talked about the excavation on the grounds, finding other buildings, vegetables, herbs that we're grown in the 1800's. We then went into Louisville for a lunch cruise on Spirits of Jefferson, up the Ohio River. Lunch was great and the cruise was nice also.

 While downtown we had gone to the Slugger Museum. Watched a movie about the making of bats and who uses them, walked through the plant and watched them make bats. We didn't realize all the ball players have their own specification and color and finishes. They were painting the bats pink for Mother's day, the players get to give the bats to their mother. After the tour we each got our own small bat, as a souvenir.

Day 3,  April 30, 2012,   Shepherdsville, Kentucky

We moved early this morning, stopping at the Corvette plant for a tour. We watched another video before taking the tour, we were split into two groups, 25 people per group. Here they make 4 different models, and they make 8 cars per hour, or 80 a day. They run them through a water test at the end of being built and every car is test driven when done, before being shipped. After leaving the plant, we had driven 88 miles to the next campground. This evening we all went to Bungalow Joe's for dinner, where they make the best hamburger in the area, they were really good. While their the owner came out and explained how to bet at the horse track.

Day 2,   April 29, 2012

We carpooled to the corvette museum, watched a video on the history of the corvette, and then walked through the museum. Their newly expanded superstructure features changing collection of more than 70 dream Corvettes consisting of some of the rarest, fastest, and most historic examples of this ironic car. We had also ate lunch in their café, before leaving for the Lost River Cave. This cave was used by the Confederate forces as a temporary shelter in 1861, and Jesse James gang also used the cave as a hideout. We had rode a boat through this cave with some low places where you had to really duck your head. This cave wasn't really that interesting, ours at home are better, I guess it's just the history behind it. After the cave tour, we then stopped at Chaney's Dairy Barn. We got ice cream and then a hay ride down to the farm, Ken said the tour was really interesting, I didn't go along, was afraid it would be too rough a ride.

SPRINGTIME IN KENTUCKY

 Day 1, April 28, 2012 Franklin, Kentucky

 We all met for social hour and then had a catered dinner, gam ( get aquatinted meeting), and then a drivers meeting, just to go over the next days driver directions. We then had live entertainment, a couple came in and played the guitar and bass. The campground owner also sang, and a couple on the caravan also sang and played.