“And They’re Off!” A trip to Kentucky isn’t just about the Bourbon Trail-Churchill Downs was a very beautiful and personal stop; It was great to visit my old friend Jack Daniels in Lynchburg; and to meet some new “friends” in Kentucky, including the most expensive “free tasting” ever at Buffalo Trace Distillery where we experienced a little “Coach Addy on the Rocks!” And that's not a yummy new cocktail! OUCH!!!
Lynchburg, Tennessee
Our last day in Nashville was spent visiting the quaint town of Franklin. Franklin has been designated a Great American Main Street by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (Just like Encinitas!) Did you know that it is listed as one of the top 10 places for people to retire? Hmmm…
After a day of sightseeing we enjoyed our final night with our friends Lisa and Scott. The evening was filled with friendship, laughter, homemade pizzas and searching for Johnny Cash’s home in the dark. A great big shout out to Lisa, Scott, Wyatt, and Nora for their hospitality and allowing us to “moochdock” on their perfect driveway!
The next morning we were off to Lynchburg, Tennessee! This was an easy drive and we were in Lynchburg by early afternoon. Lynchburg has a very cute town square with shops, saloons, with the courthouse right in the center of the square. Our campsite was the local park right behind the square, where they have installed about 15 electrical and water hookups for campers and RVs. Charlie loved being able to run free! We were just a short bike ride away from the famous Jack Daniels Distillery where we had booked a tour and tasting.
I must admit that of all the distilleries that we visited and tours that we experienced, this was the best. We loved the whole vibe of the distillery and it was just the right amount of walking, history and education! My dad and son are both Tennessee Squires, an elite club of Jack Fans, so it was especially fun for me to visit and learn more about the operation.
My Old Kentucky Home
If you are ever in Kentucky, you must visit Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby! As many of you know, my dad is a big horse race fan and I grew up at Santa Anita and Del Mar. Every year the first Saturday in May was a special day, almost a sacred day. We all waited in anticipation of the big race and gathered around the TV to watch “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.” My dad knew the name of every winner of the Kentucky Derby and I used to try and stump him, by naming a year and seeing if he really knew every one of them-Yep, he did! I don’t remember him making a mistake! My folks had the opportunity to attend the Derby many years ago and I know it was a highlight for both of them…as it was for me this past week. Although the horses were not racing, it still was a terrific visit. They have a wonderful museum and theater where you can learn all about the sport and the famous racetrack, followed by a tour inside the track and to the grandstands where you are up close to the track and one can almost hear the 3 year old horses running past and the crowd cheering on their favorite pick! So amazing!! I am so glad that we made this stop a priority!
Hot Tip #1 Visit places that have meaning to you!
Ray, my stepdad has played such an important part in my life and has always been such a positive role model for me. The Tennessee Squire Card and The Run for the Roses are two memories that I will always have of him and I was glad to be able to visit both of the places. We might need to put University of Notre Dame on the itinerary to celebrate his love for the Fighting Irish!
Kentucky Bourbon Trail
We had the best stay at Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. We stayed two nights at this Harvest Host and loved every second! The spot was perfect, surrounded by green hillsides, sheep, cows, and oh yeah…a distillery! This distillery has its own unique niche. Their tasting room is filled with resting bourbon barrels, as most tasting rooms are…but in the center of the room are 5 barrels that are exclusively for tasting. You get a tasting glass and then the host “thieves” wine from the barrel into your glass. Now we know a little about thieving because of our wine barrels, but the thief they use for whiskey is made of copper and very cool! But the best part of the experience is after you have tasted each of the barrels, you can decide which one you like and then you get to select your bottle type and thieve your own whiskey into the bottle. Yep, a very unique tasting experience!
Oldest to Newest…
So glad that we went to Bulleit Distilling Co. for a cocktail. Such a beautiful facility and they make a pretty damn good Old Fashioned. This facility is one of the newest and smallest on the Bourbon Trail and the architecture is very very modern, a definite contrast from the other distilleries that are along the trail. In fact their tag line is Welcome to the Modern Frontier of Whiskey. So very beautiful and they have designated RV parking spaces which makes the visit for us so much easier and safer…wait for it…
Notice the nice designated RV parking area...
Coach Addy on the Rocks...(ok...kissing the rock)
Buffalo Trace Distillery on the other hand…boasts as being one of the oldest and largest distilleries on the trail. They also have NO labeled RV parking and each of their parking lot guides pointed us in a different direction. We finally ended up in a location away from the parking lot and behind one of the Rickhouses where they store their barrels of whiskey. A pretty cool location actually.
Notice not designated RV parking...
We found our way into the visitors center and the tasting bar. Buffalo Trace is also known as being the only distillery to offer free tours and tastings. How awesome is that?! Well, free is a relative term…We enjoyed our tasting and learning more about this time honored bourbon and distillery. As we made our way back to Coach Addy, it was becoming obvious to us that exiting this location might not be an easy endeavor. Now Peder is an excellent driver and has over 11,000 miles under his belt on this trip. He has been in some very tight and tricky situations, but for some reason this exit proved to be his nemesis. We meandered through the back lots of the distillery, finally finding what seemed like an exit; it was an exit but it was a very tight exit with large rocks on each side of the coach. Well, Peder only saw the large rocks on the driver side and I was too late mentioning that there were rocks on the passenger side also…Suffice to say that we didn’t have Buffalo Trace on the Rocks but we did end up with Coach Addy on the Rocks! OUCH!
Fortunately, the damage is all on the underside of the bay doors, so it’s not too noticeable at first glance, but the damage is pretty extensive and runs along multiple bay doors. It’s not going to be cheap to fix, a few thousand dollars, I am sure. UGH! We were bummed, to say the least, but considering all of the driving and the tight spots that we have been in, we have been pleasantly surprised that it hasn’t happened sooner. Once we recovered from the shock of hitting the rock and thought of how much the repair will be, we affectionately called the tasting at Buffalo Trace…The most expensive “free tasting” we could have had! We really are trying to keep our sense of humor!
Hot Tip #2: Don’t be too hard on yourself!
Peder was obviously bummed about kissing the rocks at Buffalo Trace and I felt badly that I didn’t point them out to him as we were making the turn, but you can’t be too hard on yourselves. You do the best you can, be as careful as you can, plan your exit routes as best as you can, and that’s all you can do. Accidents happen!
Our last two stops on the Bourbon Trail were lovely and uneventful! Yeah! We have enough drama for a while. We like uneventful! The Woodford Reserve Path to Flavor tour and Sip and Stroll tour at Four Roses Distillery were great! We learned so much and really tasted some of my favorite bourbons. These two distilleries couldn’t be more different in style, both in the architecture and the distilling process. I would highly recommend both stops. Oh, and they both have RV parking clearly marked! ☺️
Making the mash!
Elkhorn Creek RV Park
Our last few days in Kentucky will be spent at this charming and beautiful RV Park with our site right on the creek. The park has great places to walk Charlie, a swimming pool and live music in the evening. A perfect place to spend four peaceful nights. We are exhausted from the past few weeks. Our time in Kansas City, Tennessee and Kentucky have been incredible, but so very busy. We need a little R&R to recover from the hustle and bustle and re-energize for the next couple of weeks which will include our last stop in our circle of friends tour (John and Debra in Chicago) and about 2300 miles as we finish up Leg 3 of Coach Addy’s Big Adventure! It’s hard to believe that we will be starting Leg 4, the final leg of our trip in just a few weeks! Wow! The time has gone by so fast, but when I look back, we have experienced so much!
Lesson Learned: Accidents Happen! Learn from them and move on! Don’t dwell on what has passed, don’t let it ruin your trip. And don’t play the guilt game-don’t blame others or yourself! Everybody is doing the best that they can! And try to keep your sense of humor!
Bummer of the Week:
It would have to be our “Rocky Adventure” at Buffalo Trace. It would have been unlikely that we would have completed our trip without hitting anything, but it sure would have been nice!
Highlight of the Week:
Visiting places that have special meaning to my stepdad. I don’t know, somehow it just warmed my heart to see and experience places and things that have brought him joy over the years. Being a member of the Tennessee Squire Club was always a fun thing, especially when they would send out funny letters about your plot of land and how they needed your permission to cross it for some reason...What a great marketing tool for Jack Daniels! This "membership" is something that has been passed onto my son Jake and many of his friends, who now also belong to the fan club and “own” their small piece of land in Lynchburg. And stepping into the grandstand at Churchill Downs was very moving for me, knowing how much Ray loves this sport and all of the joy that it has brought him over the years.
Such a special week! Looking forward to another couple of days of Rest & Relaxation before we head North to The Windy City-Chicago! Sending positive thoughts to all of my friends and family who are back on the west coast and getting prepared for Hurricane Hillary. Stay safe everyone! What a crazy year of weather!
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