{Our Trip to Kentucky With More Reviews}

Our trip to Kentucky to see The Ark Encounter was great. I am not a "New Year Resolution" kinda gal as I've tried that and failed to keep the New Year Resolutions that I made. I am more of your "Let's set a few goals to aim for and really try" and "let's think of a few things you'd really like to do in the New Year and aim towards it". I am however one that asks the Lord to give me a WORD for the New Year that will help me to focus on Him more whether it is that I hear it in a sermon, read it in scripture, or see it on a sign or whatever. My Word for 2017 as most of you know is "Believe". Well, the meaning of that word came all the more to life for me when we visited the Ark. If you missed my first post and would like a review on The Ark Encounter you can find it here. http://creationsbycindyphotography.blogspot.ca/2017/03/the-ark-encounter-in-kentucky.html

Marty and I for the most part enjoy the same things, same outings, same foods and I can say that it is a true joy for us to do things together. NOPE, he's not reading this so I am not trying to score any brownie points.  Well, now I am thinking about it though he likes a flat pillar and I like a fat one...so I guess we don't like everything alike. LOL!   It might have something to do with the fact that we have been married for 39 1/2 years. We're also low maintenance which makes him REALLY happy with me! It doesn't take much to make us happy and we're at that stage of life that we don't need to be entertained. So for us, this trip was more than just visiting the Ark. It was getting away from the hustle and bustle and spending some quality time together and that is just what we done. 

So the first thing I packed for our trip was snacks. LOL!  My daughter Kristy made us some homemade cookies to take too and oh mercy...I am so thankful I carried some skinny girl popcorn because I was NEEDING that before we came back home!

We decided to drive all the way to Kentucky and then stop on the way home and spend the night to help break up the drive. It's about 10 1/2 hours or so from our home to Kentucky but remarkably we made it in about 12 1/2 hours. Of course, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. What better place to eat and shop right? 

Then the remainder of our stops consisted of bathroom breaks, fill up with gas, or just a mere "let's get out and walk a little". Well, we walked in a hurry because it was some kind of cold. The wind was horrid.

It wasn't long before my favorite snack came out.

One place we stopped had this small field full of flowers and I didn't snap a picture of it and now I wished I had. But I did snitch me a little flower. If you can imagine though a field full of these cuties then you have imagined pretty! 

 
 Going through Atlanta is always fun! 

In all honesty, the traffic wasn't nearly as bad as we had anticipated it to be. I did offer to drive but for some reason my man felt it would be better if I just sat in silence and text back and forth with our daughters.

He said something along the lines of "Cindy, you can't sight see and drive in Atlanta!

You can surely tell when you are getting close to Tennessee by the mountains.  

Just beautiful...I love the mountains.

 And...needless to say, we passed two Bass Pro Shops and two Cabela's. But no time to stop on the way to Kentucky but we did stop at both on the way back and we did come back with a few goodies.

You can for sure tell when you are entering Kentucky. It has to be some of the prettiest country ever!

Horses, horses and more horses! Kentucky is well known for their beautiful horses. 

When you stop at a rest area and everything is plastered with horses then you know you are in Kentucky! 

Our stop would be in Georgetown KY, only about 35 miles from the Ark Encounter. We stayed at lovely Country Inn and Suites and I must give a little review. We were impressed with their hospitality.  The staff was friendly, helpful and eager to please in any way they could. You don't find that too often these days. The rates are affordable and they have great accommodations.  I am usually not picky by any means as long as my room is clean and most often I don't plan to be in the room much...I can stay inside a room at home, but I wanted a suite with a door this time. I had made up my mind that I wanted to go to bed when I was tired and get up when I wasn't. (My papa's favorite saying). Worked out great for us as my man is an early riser so while he was in the other room having his morning coffee and watching the news this old gal was snoozing!


I snapped just a few pictures to show you how quaint the Country Inn and Suites are.  

You could check out a movie or a book if you desired free of charge. But no time for books or movies. I was too busy roaming Kentucky.

Of course most everywhere you stay now serves cookies and coffee and I can assure you that the coffee was much appreciated! We found ourselves in 20 degree weather with ice sickles hanging from the trees! Before I forget it, the continual breakfast was really good. We usually don't eat continual breakfast to be honest but we did here and the food was good and plentiful with great selections.

We ate at Cattlemen's Roadhouse for dinner as it was within walking distance from our hotel. Believe me, after all that driving and riding we would have called and ordered pizza and had it delivered at that point! Which the next day we did have pizza by the way. Pizza fixes everything especially Papa John's pizza.

Just so you know I loved the Crispy chicken wrap on whole wheat with steamed broccoli.  Anything you ordered came with 4 huge rolls with tons of butta.....So much for my wheat bread huh?  Now my man ordered a White fish platter and he loved the fish but not the bread it was served on. I would eat there again but I don't think he would unless he was truly hungry. Prices were good and compatible with most places.  

It wasn't long until we hit the hay. I am not sure if either of us moved that night! 

 I'll share a few sightseeing pictures with you. We love to sight see so we found ourselves riding around and exploring. 

 It just seems that once you are off the interstate and away from the city area that there are miles and miles of beautiful country in KY. Rolling hills everywhere. Reminds me of Alabama a bit except for Alabama has the red clay roads and hills. A few places we spotted along those old roads in KY reminded me a lot of some of the old homestead areas in Alabama.

Blooms everywhere but I am quite sure the freeze killed a lot of their beautiful plants, shrubs and trees if not covered. The windchill factor was around 15 degrees.

We done quite a bit of sightseeing and one of the places I wanted to see was the University of Kentucky stadium. It isn't nearly as big as I thought it was but a beautiful stadium.

We stopped at Botanical Gardens to walk a bit. The wind wasn't as wicked so we decided to walk a tad more than I had originally intended too. I don't mind cold but when the winds are horrid...NAY!  We didn't have time to cover the whole grounds but we did manage to cover about a mile. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. I can only imagine what this place looks like in late Spring and Summer when everything is blooming.

  

They had an area that was for children. It was closed off due to renovations but we could peek inside the gate. I can only imagine what it will look like when finished. Beautiful area. I could see a huge model of a horse that was painted in a floral design. We began reading and they apparently have tons of things for the kids to do at the Botanical Gardens. 
 

 I was impressed with Botanical Gardens. What a nice place to visit with lots of nice restrooms, history reading all along the way, picnic areas and lots of space to walk.

We rode around through some historical districts. Downtown Lexington seemed to be where it was happening. Lots of old buildings along with some new but beautifully tended too. I did snatch one picture of The Square. 

 We had a great time browsing around in Lexington and Knoxville. Due to time we didn't browse too long. We stayed at a Hampton Inn on our way home in Dalton, Ga. 

 They too actually had a pretty good continuel breakfast. I am not a breakfast person til around 10ish...but my man loves him some breakfast so needless to say when we walked in the dining area and he smelled bacon...the boy was excited! He had already begun to act like an old bear because he was ready to eat! 

 The Hampton Inn just so happened to be next to The Outback Steak House in which has got to be Marty's favorite steak. It was a most welcomed sight as well since we could just walk out of the door and be there in one minute. AND, I just happened to spot a shopping area within walking distance too! Tuesday Morning here I come! Love that place! 

We seemed to do a lot of sightseeing in a short amount of time. I happened to spot a Thrift store...You know what that meant right?  NOPE, I didn't drive all the way to KY to go to a Thrift Store but when you see a sign and your right there at it, then you might as well stop right? And as my man always patiently does....He sits in the truck and waits on me to return only to say, " I have no clue where you are going to put those bags". I always find a spot....

Love these little flower dishes as I call them.

 Sitting next to those cuties just happened to be these...

Dish washer and oven proof. Think I'll make some little quiche.


 I only saw two of these but I had to grab them. After all they just matched the other little dishes.

And if you are in Dalton Ga., a good place to eat is O'Charley's.  

We had a great time. I think sometimes the mere fact of getting away for a little sabatical does the soul good. I know it does wonders for the mind. I am so glad you joined me for my last review. 
  
I am not sure if you are like me or not but I love stats and facts especially about people, places or things. So if you want to take the time to read a little facts and trivia about Kentucky I have listed some good reading for you.

Kentucky Facts and Trivia

1. The town of Murray is home to the Boy Scouts of America Scouting Museum located on the campus of Murray State University.
2. The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held horse race in the country. It is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.
3. The Bluegrass Country around Lexington is home to some of the world's finest racehorses.
4. Kentucky was a popular hunting ground for the Shawnee and Cherokee Indian nations prior to being settled by white settlers.
5. In 1774 Harrodstown (now Harrodsburg) was established as the first permanent settlement in the Kentucky region. It was named after James Harrod who led a team of area surveyors.
6. The old official state tree was the Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus.) The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is the current official state tree. The change was made in 1976.
7. Cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaolin's restaurant in Louisville.
8. Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured in Bowling Green.
9. Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave and was first promoted in 1816, making it the second oldest tourist attraction in the United States. Niagara Falls, New York is first.
10. Begun in 1819 the first commercial oil well was on the Cumberland River in McCreary County.
11. The first Miss America from Kentucky is Heather Renee French. She was crowned September 18, 1999.
12. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant owned and operated by Colonel Sanders is located in Corbin.
13. Kentucky is the state where both Abraham Lincoln, President of the Union, and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, were born. They were born less than one hundred miles and one year apart.
14. Cumberland is the only waterfall in the world to regularly display a Moonbow. It is located just southwest of Corbin.
15. Fleming County is recognized as the Covered Bridge Capital of Kentucky.
16. Shelby County is recognized as the Saddlebred Capital of Kentucky.
17. The town of Corbin was the birthplace of old time movie star Arthur Lake whose real surname was Silverlake: He played the role of Dagwood in the "Blondie" films of the 1930s and ‘40s. Lake's parents were trapeze artists billed as The Flying Silverlakes.
18. Christian County is wet while Bourbon County is dry. Barren County has the most fertile land in the state.
19. Thunder Over Louisville is the opening ceremony for the Kentucky Derby Festival and is the world's largest fireworks display.
20. More than 100 native Kentuckians have been elected governors of other states.
21. In 1888, "Honest Dick" Tate the state treasurer embezzled $247,000 and fled the state.
22. The song "Happy Birthday to You" was the creation of two Louisville sisters in 1893.
23. Teacher Mary S. Wilson held the first observance of Mother's Day in Henderson in 1887. It was made a national holiday in 1916.
24. The great Man o' War won all of his horse races except one which he lost to a horse named Upset.
25. The first town in the United States to be named for the first president was Washington. It was named in 1780.
26. Pikeville annually leads the nation in per capita consumption of Pepsi-Cola.
27. The first American performance of a Beethoven symphony was in Lexington in 1817.
28. Post-It Notes are manufactured exclusively in Cynthiana. The exact number made annually of these popular notes is a trade secret.
29. Kentucky was the 15th state to join the Union and the first on the western frontier.
30. Bluegrass is not really blue--its green--but in the spring bluegrass produces bluish purple buds that when seen in large fields give a blue cast to the grass. Today Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State.
31. There is a legend that the inspiration for Stephen Foster's hymn like song "My Old Kentucky Home" was written in 1852 after an unverified trip to visit relatives in Kentucky.
32. Daniel Boone and his wife Rebecca are buried in the Frankfort Cemetery. Their son Isaac is buried at Blue Licks Battlefield near Carlisle, where he was killed in the last battle of the Revolutionary War fought in Kentucky.
33. The only monument south of the Ohio River dedicated to Union Soldiers who died in the Civil War is located in Vanceburg.
34. The public saw an electric light for the first time in Louisville. Thomas Edison introduced his incandescent light bulb to crowds at the Southern Exposition in 1883.
35. The radio was invented by a Kentuckian named Nathan B. Stubblefield of Murray in 1892. It was three years before Marconi made his claim to the invention.
36. The first enamel bathtub was made in Louisville in 1856.
37. In the War of 1812 more than half of all Americans killed in action were Kentuckians.
38. Middlesboro is the only city in the United States built within a meteor crater.
39. Joe Bowen holds the world record for stilt walking endurance. He walked 3,008 miles on stilts between Bowen, Kentucky to Los Angeles, California.
40. The world's largest free-swinging bell known as the World Peace Bell is on permanent display in Newport.
41. High Bridge located near Nicholasville is the highest railroad bridge over navigable water in the United States.
42. Carrie Nation the spokesperson against rum, tobacco, pornography, and corsets was born near Lancaster in Garrard County.
43. The brass plate embedded in the sidewalk at the corner of Limestone and Main Street in downtown Lexington is a memorial marker honoring Smiley Pete. The animal was known as the town dog in Lexington. He died in 1957.
44. Kentucky-born Alben W. Barkley was the oldest United States Vice President when he assumed office in 1949. He was 71 years old.
45. More than $6 billion worth of gold is held in the underground vaults of Fort Knox. This
46. The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington has 82 stained-glass windows including the world's largest hand-blown one. The window measures 24 feet wide by 67 feet high and depicts the Council of Ephesus with 134 life-sized figures.
47. The Lost River Cave and Valley Bowling Green includes a cave with the shortest and deepest underground river in the world. It contains the largest cave opening east of the Mississippi.
48. The swimsuit Mark Spitz wore in the 1972 Olympic games was manufactured in Paris, Kentucky.
49. Frederick Vinson who was born in Louisa is the only Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court known to be born in jail.
50. Pike County the world's largest producer of coal is famous for the Hatfield-McCoy feud, an Appalachian vendetta that lasted from the Civil War to the 1890s.

Thanks for joining me and I will see you again before long with I HOPE a Spring-Easter Tablescape or a least a little more update on my little room. I am looking at material for curtains now! Oh my the choices!

 Hugs and blessings, Cindy