Go Wildcats!

Dad's death defying unicycle ride @ COSI

The next morning we were all sad to say goodbye to our Pennsylvania gang, but we were excited about our next big stop -- Lexington, Kentucky. 

On the way there, we stopped in Columbus, Ohio, where we had a pie picnic, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, with three different kinds of pie. Then we headed into COSI, Center of Science and Industry. We started with a section that was all about water, where we went into a submarine and shot water into large vases. Then we went to a section where we built with big blocks, then a history section that showed what life was like in the 1890s and 1962. We loved it. It showed grocery stores, phones, TVs, toys and all kinds of things. We thought the phones and TVs were especially funny. 

Next we saw the largest collection of Cracker Jack prizes, which Mom thought was interesting, and Dad rode a death defying high wire unicycle. It was two stories off the ground! Turner was very scared for him, and Dad was really brave. We were all relieved when he finished unscathed. When Dad got off the unicycle, Turner said, “I’m glad Dad is not dead!”

The best day of Dad's life

After COSI, we next stopped in Cincinnati for dinner. We first headed to Skyline Chili, where we tried a little bit of all the different varieties of delicious Cincinnati-style chili, then Graeter’s Ice Cream, which we ate by a huge fountain. We agreed it was all very good, and a great idea for a stop. I told Dad I really like that city. To make things even more fun, we rode over the river from Cincinnati to Kentucky in our car on a ferry. Turner was worried about alligators, but we were relieved to get out and look around and see that we were out of alligator country. We all agreed it was more fun than taking a bridge, and it was followed by a fun winding road back to the highway.

Mom and me at the Pepper Distillery

A couple hours later, we arrived at our apartment in Lexington. Dad’s friend grew up in Lexington but now lives in Austin, and she generously let us stay in her beautiful apartment for a few nights. We were all very happy to shower and go to bed once we got there.

The next morning we headed to one of Dad’s favorite places on Earth, the University of Kentucky. We went to the Joe Craft Center, which is where the school’s men’s and women’s basketball teams practice. Dad had arranged a tour, which he was very excited about. It was summer, so the place was being used by volleyball camps and we didn’t get to see any players. But we did get to see lots of trophies, pictures on the walls, and descriptions of players and teams that Dad remembered from his childhood. Dad also loved talking about basketball with the tour guide. Mom noticed no one in Lexington wears anything that’s not blue.

We next found a farmer’s market and gear store that were right next to each other, where we stocked up on produce and Kentucky shirts, then went back to the apartment so Mom and Dad could nap. 

That afternoon, we met up with Dad’s friend. She and her sister own the building that was probably the first bourbon distillery. It hadn’t been used for anything in 40 years and fell into total disrepair and they are fixing it up so places like a distillery, brewery and restaurants can use it. It was really amazing. First we went to the finished part, which is a brewery and bar, restaurant and ice cream lounge. It was gorgeous and busy. Then we went into the unfinished section. It was CRAZY! It was raining, and there are huge holes in the roof, so it rained right into the building. There was graffiti that said, “A monster,” and puddles and debris everywhere. It was very fun hearing about all their plans while looking at what they started out with and a finished section.

I was super excited about this enormous duck we found
at the Kentucky Horse Park

We kicked off our last day there with a trolley ride around the city. The bus driver and other passengers were very nice and told us little tidbits about different things we passed. After that, we went to Kentucky Horse Park. We rode a horse-pulled trolley around the park, rode ponies, had a picnic, brushed a pony, watched a show where women rode horses from around the world and told us about their different breeds before letting us pet the horses and ask questions, and looked around a huge international horse museum. We all agreed the show was the best part.

Our last big stop was Mammoth Cave the next morning. We did the Domes and Dripstones tour, which was ¾ of a linear mile and took about two hours. We had to take a bus from the business center to the cave, then went down 280 stairs into the cave. The tour guide told us we were 25 stories under the surface. It was cool down there, 54 degrees. It felt very nice. We saw all kinds of limestone formations – stalagmites, stalactites, columns, straws and layers of stone. We also saw cave crickets, which look like huge spiders. We were very brave about them, even when they were right over our heads. At one point in the tour, the guide turned off all the lights and had everyone be quiet so we could experience total silence and total darkness. He said it only gets that dark two places in the world -– caves and deep in the sea. He told us how our brains played a trick on us. Even though our eyes couldn’t see our hands, our brains thought we could.

One funny thing about Kentucky was we met a lot of people from Germany. Dad talked with a guy who was from Munich. His family was doing a five-week road trip all around the country. It made our trip sound short and sweet.

We had a fun stop for lunch. In Nashville, there is a Krystal and White Castle across the street from each other. We got some of each and had a taste test. Turner preferred White Castle, which Mom said was due to his Turner blood (the Turner family is from Indiana, which is a White Castle state). The rest of us like Krystal slightly better.

The rest of our trip was driving time. Our last overnight, we stayed at a nice hotel outside of Little Rock, where we got to swim.

One thing Mom did to make things interesting and to console Hazel, who had a headache, was to sit in the back with us. Mom showed us an app on her phone that she used on the trip, Waze. It’s like a game where you report things you see on the road, like obstacles on the road, police, and accidents. It makes the drive more interesting and helps you and other drivers anticipate what’s happening on the road. Hazel taught Mom about the app she and Turner like on their Kindles, Toca Mini, where they make funny little guys.

The last day of driving we stopped at a place called Buc-ee's to get gas. Mom and Dad were shocked at how big and busy it was. Mom said it was like a convenience store combined with a mall. They did have very clean restrooms, which apparently they are famous for.

Home sweet home

Also on that day, we listened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the second time on the trip. Dad downloaded the audiobook, along with a few others, before we left Austin, and we really enjoyed it. Earlier in the trip, we also listened to Pippi Longstocking. Listening to those audiobooks was a great way to pass time, and was a great idea.

We were sad to end our trip. It was nice spending so much time together, seeing lots of family, and doing so many fun new things. It was a great change of pace. But it was also nice to come home to our friends and lots of swimming and other fun we’ll have the rest of the summer.

To see the rest of our trip photos, click here.