Kentucky - Pennyrile State Park, Sebree and Mammoth Cave
Our staying at Pennyrile State Resort Park was determined by availability. There were several Kentucky State Parks in more desirous locations, however they were all under some form of renovation and camping sites unavailable (at least in my determination on Reserve America). So This would suffice. it really wasn't out of the question for our purposes.
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| 4 rows of levelers! look at the step up! |
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| Pennyrile is nice and offers a great bathhouse with hot showers! |
First order of business was to make contact with cousin Casey in Owensboro and confirm our arrival and itinerary. Next on the order of business. Visit the Webster County Library in Dixon and do some genealogy research. We are trying to pin point the location of the family farm. Since there is no longer any living relatives who can verify the location (supposedly the house is long gone) I thought actually going to the Library might provide some more data than is available on line. We arrived and I was able to make contact with the Librarian who is in charge of the Genealogy Section. After searching for about an hour, I did locate several deeds in our Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother's names. With this info, combined with a reference from the 1920 Federal Census, we went across the street to the County Courthouse. There, the staff was very helpful and just like the movie National Treasure, we had more clues but still not the prize!. We could get in a general area, Southwest of Sebree, but the road names have been changed, making more exact findings difficult. We drove on to Sebree and got a feel for the area at least and upon arriving in the town, I did go to the 1893 bank. This bank is amazing in that it is still owned by the original family, never closed and still has its original Teller Line, Marble Floors, Writing Station, Bench and Façade! There is a nice oil painting made off a photo of the bank at the time of its' opening in 1893. A strong chance grandpa was in there as a young man.
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| unchanged since 1893! Sebree Bank |
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| Sebree Bank back in Grandpa's day |
Sebree "ain't much of a gong concern" but the town has some nice neighborhoods and the people were very friendly. They go for Halloween decorating in a big way!
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| great decorating! |
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| that's one big spider! |
Then, after driving around looking on some roads that seemed to be logical replacements for those mentioned in the deeds, we spoke with Casey and made evening plans (he is a few years younger than myself and still working at his dental practice). We agreed Cindy and I would swing by Dave's Sticky Pig in Madisonville and bring their delicious BBQ and sides to Casey's house for dinner. We did and it was amazing! We visited a few short hours, told stories and shared some fine Bourbon! Then it was time for the 1 1/2 drive back to camp. An approaching weather front could be nasty judging from the lightning flashes as we drove towards it. We made it back, walked CJ and were inside no more than 2 minutes when the rains started.
The next morning, we drove to Hopkinsville, timing our arrival to grab a nice wood oven pizza at
Main Street Tavern for lunch. Outside there are a series of nicely done murals depicting local businesses.
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| Cindy heading in for lunch -nice murals, Hopkinsville KY |
Then back out and on our way to our destination for the day,
Casey Jones Distillery. A small, Moonshine Distillery, with a family history dating back to Prohibition and Moonshining. We joined a tasting and then took the tour through the small distillery and then headed back to camp. Worth while and fun. They were right in the path of the Solar Eclipse a few years back and have a product named after it. They also offer RV camping through Harvest Hosts.
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| Dave outside Casey Jones Distillery - nice truck |
That evening we choose to dine at the Pennyrile Lodge Restaurant. The menu was fairly varied and we choose the Rib Eye (Cindy had the baked potato while I opted for the fried Okra!). The steak was OK for the price. I had a delicious piece of pie for desert. The dining room had large windows that afford a view of Pennyrile Lake. Nice. Then over to the lounge to BLOG for a bit (grabbing WIFI) then back to CJ and the RV for the night.
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| Pennyrile Lake as seen from Lodge Dining Room |
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| Lounge at Pennyrile Lodge - cozy! |
Our last day in Kentucky was set aside to visit
Mammoth Cave National Park. Located almost in the center of the state, MCNP has been visited by tourists since 1816! Over 400 miles of cave and "rooms" as large as 2 acres in size. The drive took us around two hours from camp and when we arrived, we signed up for different tours so CJ would be covered. MCNP offers many different tours. Mine accessed the cave at its original opening and was 2 miles and 500 + steps in duration. Along the way we saw the remains of the 1812 salt peter extraction pits as well as a 300 ft climb up fire tower type stairs near the end. Cindy's tour put her on a bus and she entered the cave through an air lock. Hers was shorter in length and slightly less steps. Both were very interesting and covered by our Golden Pass on admission fees - $7.50 each!
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| MCNP - over 200 years of tours! |
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| Original entrance to the 400 miles of Mammoth Cave |
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| 200 year old remains of Salt Peter extraction to make black powder |
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| early visitors toured with candles and lamps! left their names |
Afterwards, the two hour drive back to camp and packing up for an early departure in the morning. A 400 mile day was planned to get us to eastern Ohio on I70. Our drive over through Kentucky and then up past Louisville and then Cincinnati went smoothly. There were some slowdowns at the two larger cities, but nothing of consequence. Then eastward for the final leg of the trip home. Wolfie's Campground (Good Sam affiliate) in Zanesville would be our last stop. Wolfie's was well maintained and in full on Halloween mode when we arrived. Inflatable decorations everywhere, Goosebumps II showing for the kiddies and trick or treat scheduled for the following evening. Fun stuff. We pulled in leveled up, connected to power and kicked back. 400 + miles that day and time to chill. CJ got several walks and then after some light surfing, bedtime. The next morning we were up, packed and on the road just after 8 am. Back to I 70 then, through West Virginia (yes we played John Denver as we crossed the border) then on the PA turnpike at New Stanton and home! We arrived on a sunny afternoon around 3pm.
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| Sunset at Wolfie's - last night on the road |
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| a bit foggy crossing the Monongahela into West Virginia |
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| sunny return to PA |
This was a very enjoyable trip and again, we were able to take in many sights. Travelling lesser used highways can be enriching and less stressful and we would do that again when practical.
we traveled 5800 miles in the RV
we traveled 2000 miles in the Jeep
we visited 2 National Parks
we visited 4 National Monuments
we boondocked at Walmart 3 nights
we stayed at 1 City Park
attended 1 International event - Balloon Fiesta
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| our travels with a camper/RV |
take care - CJ
