Day 2: Keen for Keeneland

Once again, we followed our tour guide's advice and went back to Keenland first thing in the morning. He'd told us that they would run the horses in the morning, which you can watch for free. Watching them go around the track was just awesome and made us want to come back and see a race. So beautiful!

Having been there yesterday, we were able to explain to other visitors that the screeching hawks were just a recording. There was an official Keeneland tour going on and we heard a slightly different story about the track surface (changed back to attract specific races, no mention of the heat factor).

Afterwards, we continued with our Guide's advice and had breakfast at the Track Kitchen. This is basically the company cafeteria where the jockeys and other Keeneland workers eat. It's definitely not fancy, but boy do you get your money's worth. We had the breakfast special where you get a eggs, potatoes, biscuits, and more for just $5.00.

The walls are covered with pictures of champion horses from every year. We looked around, but couldn't find Secretariat. In fact, the photos completely skipped the years that Secretariat raced. We asked the cashier (who was extremely friendly) and he told us that Secretariat actually never raced there. That was a surprise.

Afterwards, we drove over to the Legacy trail. The trailhead is really nice and very well marked with a big stone entrance. It's a great trail through some really nice areas. We got a little mixed up when we didn't take the detour (which is really the actual trail), but managed to find our way back when we spotted some other riders. We wished it had gone all the way downtown (not quite), but it was still a great ride. I quite enjoyed the abandoned mental hospital at the end, which dates back to 1816.

We went back by the Kentucky Horse Park for some more souvenirs. Tried to bike there, but the trail didn't quite go far enough that we could tell. Then we finally hit the road to head home. Fortunately, the good weather stuck with us, so the trip back was far more pleasant. We definitely look forward to going back.

Day 1: Bourbon, Stallions, and Mares (Oh My!)

The number one thing we wanted to do in Lexington was take one of the horse farm tours. There are three or four from which to choose, and we had settled on Thoroughbred Tours. They pick you up right at your hotel and take you to several working farms, locations for movies like Secretariat, and get you up close with the horses. Online booking was also a plus.

After the rain last night, we were a little concerned about the weather, and with good reason. It was still pretty cloudy and drizzled quite a bit. Not exactly the sunny day for which we'd hoped, but since we were spending a lot of time in the tour van, we figured it would work out.

The bus was actually running a little late picking us up, and we were getting concerned. After I called to check on it, I was reassured that they hadn't forgotten us. We soon found that they were just a little laid back and didn't stick to a strict schedule. For example, our three-hour tour actually ran four hours. Our tour guide, Daniel, was a retired schoolteacher and just excellent at keeping us informed and entertained.

Our first stop (or rather, pass-through, since we didn't actually stop) was Calumet, one of the largest farms in Lexington. It has acres and acres of land corralled off with white wooden fences. The next farm had black fencing, which was seemed to be the most common color. It also helped for neighboring farms to have different colors. And in addition to all the many corrals, they also put fences around the trees to keep horses from being struck by lightning if it hits a tree.

Horses are huge business in Lexington. Fence construction seems to be right behind it. We saw many more farms with thousands of acres. Unbelievably beautiful. Lexington seems to be mostly sprawling acres of horse farms with just little pockets of human civilization.

The farms are so large, local families can't afford to run them anymore. Many are owned by people who made their millions elsewhere and bought into the business. There was an oil sheik, the CEO of Cobra golf clubs, and a builder. Only a couple of farms were owned by people actually from Lexington. 

Next up was one of the major highlights of the tour, Keeneland race track. This is where they not only race horses, but auction them off as well. In fact, the auction scenes in Secretariat were filmed there.

Keeneland was built in the 1930s, and despite some modern upgrades (like drive-through betting), you can feel the history there. Much of it feels like you've stepped back in time. On our way to the track, we also saw the station where the jockeys weigh in, saddle and all. 

The first thing that grabs your attention is the sound of constantly shrieking hawks in the stadium. It's actually a recording triggered by motion sensors to scare off any birds. Of course, they turn it off during races.

We were also told that the track was a special earth blend created by the University of Kentucky. Previously, they had an "Astro-turf" polyurethane track that would get too hot and was bad for the horses. After spending millions to put it in, they spent millions more to replace it.

We also learned about the origins of the lawn jockey, of which there are many at Keeneland. Supposedly, there was a young African-American boy named Jocko Graves who froze to death caring for the horses and holding a lantern while Washington crossed the Delaware. He was so moved that he had a small statue made in the boy's honor. For this reason, lawn jockeys were originally black. The ones at Keeneland are all painted to match actual racing uniforms.

From there we drove through more farms and actually got out to see some horses just out grazing and trotting around. A couple of them came up close so we could pet them, which was great.

Our next major stop was the Kentucky Horse Park, which has a great entrance and huge gift shop. Though we weren't entirely sure what it was at first. Outside is an amazing horse sculpture that gallops in slow motion. The movement is absolutely perfect, all done with chains and gears.

Across from that is a statue of Secretariat. He's not actually buried there, but definitely holds a place of honor, since it's one of the first things you see when you arrive.

Down a pathway to the left in the center of a round garden is a statue of Man o' War, who is actually buried there. Along with many of his progeny: War Admiral, War Kilt, and several others, all with "War" in their names. Man o' War was buried whole, while the others just have the head, heart, and hooves buried (for both symbolic and practical reasons).

In the gift shop, we got some famous Bourbon Balls, made with chocolate and Kentucky's other famous export: bourbon. Needless to say, they were quite tasty.

Found out later it's kind of a theme park (makes sense) with horse shows, rides, and all sorts of horse-related exhibits (but no rides). You can't actually see the park part from the outside and the park entrance is understated. Especially compared to the gift shop. They built it because most of the farms stopped allowing tours and visitors. They used to years ago, but as Lexington grew more popular and people (sadly) weren't always on their best behavior (this is why we can't have nice things). The park allows people to learn about racing and get up close to the animals.

We were surprised to learn that most people make money in the selling and breeding of horses. You can spend thousands and thousands on a thoroughbred and there's no guarantee he'll ever run a single race. It's all a big crap shoot with every horse. While they make a lot when they win, they make a whole lot more on stud fees.

By this point, the tour was running long, so we had to take some folks back. The rest of us didn't have any prior commitments, so we spent another hour on the very best part of the tour.

Our final stop was McPeek, a small breeding farm that is actually open to visitors. Here we really got to see several horses up close. 

The vast majority of these were males and all there for breeding. Every one of them had a number in their name, such as "Cry Baby XVI. (they were all around the 15-16 range). This indicates the sire and how far down the line they are. Actual racing names come later and have to be approved, and no more than 18 letters, including spaces.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were getting pretty hungry. We opted for an early dinner at J.J. McBrewster's, which our tour guide recommend, and had been featured on Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives. They're known for their many flavors of BBQ sauce, which were all excellent.

Finally, we went downtown to the historic Kentucky Theater mainly because we love old theaters. It was a choice between Sing Street, about a high school kid in Dublin who starts a band to impress a girl, and Blue Velvet. Marsha really hates Blue Velvet, so we opted for Sing Street simply because it wasn't Blue Velvet. We enjoyed the movie so much that I bought Marsha the soundtrack. Ended up a great choice after all! 

Day 0: Kentucky Horse Country

One of the destinations that's been on our list for a while is Lexington, Kentucky. Marsha went there for business several years ago (her mom and friend got to do all the sight-seeing). We finally decided to make a weekend trip of it and even take our bikes.

Lexington is only about six hours away (in theory), so we left home Friday afternoon as soon as we got off work. We headed northwest to Charleston, WV, then across to Lexington. Let me tell you, this was one long trip in terrible weather. It rained like a big dog, with no signs of letting up. What made it even worse was that we were driving through the mountains the whole time. We really considered stopping, but kept on, hoping we'd eventually drive out of it.

Luckily, the rain finally let up and we got here around midnight. The one thing that kept me going was knowing that I had driven through worse (see Cleveland to Chicago). Ironically, we'd originally planned this trip for early April, but had postponed it due to the weather. 

Day 15: Lost in Opryland

Last day before we head home. After two-plus weeks and everything we've done, it feels like we've been gone forever.

We enjoyed dinner at the hotel restaurant/bar so much, we went back for the breakfast buffet, which was also pretty good. Then we drove by the Arch again, trying to get a better photo (which you can see on yesterday's post). Finally, it was time to hit the road. Only one goal for the day: drive to Nashville.

We got on the highway and immediately crossed back into Illinois. Feels like we're coming full circle, since we'd already passed through there two weeks ago at the very start of the trip.

We hadn't been on the highway very long before we got stuck in yet another traffic jam for 45 minutes. I have a theory about traffic jams (one that would be sorely tested today, but in the end still held true). It's like that scene in The World According to Garp where Garp buys the house after the plane hits it because its been "pre-disastered," with the odds against another one. In the end, we went through road construction four times today, but only the first one slowed us down.

Eventually, we got back underway through Illinois farm country. Again. If there's one thing we've seen more of than road construction, it's farmland. Saw lots of corn, as expected, but not a single bale of hay. So now I have no idea where Illinois stands on the whole small rectangle vs. large roll debate. That all changed, though, when we crossed into Kentucky, which was all large rolls all the way.

Halfway through Illinois, the thought occurred to me that we might pass through Metropolis, and sure enough we did. We had come full circle once again, since we had stopped by the Superman house on our very first day.

Gary, Indiana, and even Marceline to a degree, could learn a thing or two from Metropolis. By sheer luck of the draw, the name of their little town is most-closely associated with Superman, and they've embraced it whole hog. In addition to the giant Superman statue in front of the courthouse and official recognition by DC Comics, they also host an annual Superman celebration.

We'd visited the tiny hamlet of Metropolis a few years ago and I was anxious to see if it had changed any. Previously, it was was a little run-down (except for the statue). The Super Museum even more so. I was thrilled to see that things were much improved. 

The Super Museum has been repainted, the street lights all have hanging planters with fresh flowers (can you beat that?), and they even installed a tourist information booth next to the statue.

What's more, the outside of the booth answered my biggest question: whether or not the Lois Lane statue honoring the "First Lady of Metropolis," Noel Neill, had been installed. Sure enough, it had. Just a few blocks from Superman.

We were also surprised to see that the little town is growing. They've added a new hotel and new fast food options since we were there last. The annual Superman Celebration is clearly paying off. 

From there it was just a short drive past one of my favorite-named towns, 

Paducah, KY (which has an awesome movie theater, by the way), on our way to Music City.

We got there around 6:00 and checked into the Gaylord Opryland, which we'd only really seen from across the parking lot at the Grand Ole Opry. Now, we knew this place was big, but like Yellowstone, we weren't quite prepared for just how big. I started to get an idea when they gave me a map of the inside of the hotel.

We had plans to meet my old friend, Hal, and his daughter, Claire, for dinner. So, it was off to the room real quick to drop off our suitcase (just one -- we'd wisely consolidated since we only had one leg left to go) and freshen up. You know those freaky horror movies where someone is running down a long hall and the further they go, the longer the hall gets? Yep, that's what it was like going to our room.

The one thing that really puzzles us is how they manage to fill all those rooms, especially without a casino. There's so many restaurants inside and things to do, you could spend a week in there without ever going out. I mean, the Opry is popular, but it doesn't hold that many people.

Hal picked us up in the Magnolia section, which was clear on other side of the hotel. We actually got a little lost trying to find our way there. Later that night after dinner, I had to go back to the room for a few minutes, and really did get lost. Even tried to put my key in the wrong door. Luckily, an employee helped me get back on track.

Hal took us near downtown to The Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden, one of the best new restaurants in Nashville with award-winning burgers. It was really crowded, so we had to wait just a bit, but surprisingly it was only 30 minutes, just like they said. They have a really cool automated system where you input your cell number and it calls you when your table is ready. That was awesome. The food was fantastic and the service was quick. Can't beat that. And can't wait to go back.

Afterwards, Hal took us on a quick tour of downtown, past Broadway (the main drag, not to be confused with the one in NYC), Music Row where all the producers' offices are, and the absolutely ginormous brand new convention center. This place is so unbelievably huge (shades of Gaylord), a street runs underneath it.

From there it was back to the hotel to explore. It's like the Bellagio with the layout of Caesar's Palace or even Wall Drug (confused). In fact, it's the biggest hotel in the US without a casino. As I said, this place is unbelievably ginormous. Imagine Disney World with a roof.

There's actually several attractions inside with DreamWorks characters. Marsha had her heart set on the narrated boat ride around Delta section, and luckily it was still open despite the website and hotel information telling us it wouldn't be.

The Delta section is actually filled with all live plants. At first we thought they were fake until our boat captain told us otherwise and showed us the banana trees growing fruit. Since it was night, it was too dark to get a decent picture, though. We'll have to go back in the daytime on our next trip. Walking around there made me think of being in Disney World at night. I couldn't help but think about how cool (literally) it would be if the park had a roof and was completely air-conditioned.

All in all, it was pretty magical and the perfect place to end our trip. Tomorrow, the final trek home.