My OperaKentucky, Day II
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 12:27:51 AM
From: Glendale, KY
To: Bardstown, KY
Miles: 48
MPG: 49.4
Leaving Glendale, we back-tracked a bit to see Abe Lincoln’s birthplace. Hey, wait a second. We thought he grew up poor?!? This place looks pretty posh.
Hang on. The actual house is inside. That makes much more sense.
The House Lincoln Didn’t Grow Up In
Next stop, the National Historic Landmark billed as “Lincoln’s boyhood home.” According to the official US Government tour guide, Ranger Bob, after Lincoln’s family was evicted from the “birthplace” home, they moved somewhere in the 248 acres that currently make up this site. They never actually built a house here, since they were trying to get the “birthplace” home back through the courts. Anyway, this one old man who had played with some of the Lincoln children in his youth remembered that they lived somewhere around a certain spot on the grounds, so some enterprising entrepreneur build a log house on the spot in the 20’s and started hocking tickets to see it. In 2001, the current owner of this prime tourist trap died and willed the land to the National Park Service. Now we have this fine attraction.
(Note: Ranger Bob told us the entire story with a completely straight face, then willingly posed with the Flamingo without even cracking a smile)
Continuing on to Bardstown, KY – the bourbon capital of the world – we met up with Jess and Beth Rankin (some old Army friends) to do a bit of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (a bit is all you can do, for obvious reasons). The whiskey museum was fine…
So was the Maker’s Mark distillery tour…
(looks tasty, eh?)
And the Bourbon Heritage Center Tasting…
But the highlight had to be the local Trappist monastery, where the brothers make cheese and bourbon fudge to support the place. It was actually pretty interesting to sit and talk to them. Sorry if we let anyone down, but we did not have the heart to ask them to pose with the flamingo. I think that is a hell-worthy offense.
By the way, if anyone is confused to see Jon chatting with a monk because of that whole vow of silence thing, let us clear that up. The “vow of silence” is a myth, we were told. It’s more of a “rule” that monks can follow at their own discretion.
To: Bardstown, KY
Miles: 48
MPG: 49.4
Leaving Glendale, we back-tracked a bit to see Abe Lincoln’s birthplace. Hey, wait a second. We thought he grew up poor?!? This place looks pretty posh.
Hang on. The actual house is inside. That makes much more sense.
The House Lincoln Didn’t Grow Up In
Next stop, the National Historic Landmark billed as “Lincoln’s boyhood home.” According to the official US Government tour guide, Ranger Bob, after Lincoln’s family was evicted from the “birthplace” home, they moved somewhere in the 248 acres that currently make up this site. They never actually built a house here, since they were trying to get the “birthplace” home back through the courts. Anyway, this one old man who had played with some of the Lincoln children in his youth remembered that they lived somewhere around a certain spot on the grounds, so some enterprising entrepreneur build a log house on the spot in the 20’s and started hocking tickets to see it. In 2001, the current owner of this prime tourist trap died and willed the land to the National Park Service. Now we have this fine attraction.
(Note: Ranger Bob told us the entire story with a completely straight face, then willingly posed with the Flamingo without even cracking a smile)
Continuing on to Bardstown, KY – the bourbon capital of the world – we met up with Jess and Beth Rankin (some old Army friends) to do a bit of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (a bit is all you can do, for obvious reasons). The whiskey museum was fine…
So was the Maker’s Mark distillery tour…
(looks tasty, eh?)
And the Bourbon Heritage Center Tasting…
But the highlight had to be the local Trappist monastery, where the brothers make cheese and bourbon fudge to support the place. It was actually pretty interesting to sit and talk to them. Sorry if we let anyone down, but we did not have the heart to ask them to pose with the flamingo. I think that is a hell-worthy offense.
By the way, if anyone is confused to see Jon chatting with a monk because of that whole vow of silence thing, let us clear that up. The “vow of silence” is a myth, we were told. It’s more of a “rule” that monks can follow at their own discretion.
