Good morning, my friends. We traveled through three states yesterday. I was surprised when I realized we would be spending the majority of our driving distance traversing Indiana. Kentucky has a hump on its northeast side and borders Indiana on the west. We started our journey in Kentucky, of course. I caught a few more Kentucky barns as we drove out of town.
5/10/24
Three States
We passed through the town of Shelbyville, which is where Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame lived from 1960 until his death in 1980. Indeed, just down the road in Louisville, one can see the KFC Yum! Center.
Heading on down the road, we drove parallel to the Ohio River for several miles. I knew we'd cross over eventually. Okay...here we go. It was a pretty fancy bridge.
Along the way we passed by the exit to the small town of Dale, Indiana. As it turns out Dale is the birthplace of singer and actor Florence Henderson. If you're of a ripe old age like me, you'll remember her from The Brady Bunch. Also, Abraham Lincoln was raised on a farm in what is now known as Lincoln City. His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died while he was young, and her burial site is located on the original farm. One could take a side trip to a replica of his boyhood home. I found this image online.
(Image credit: "Wood Cabin made out of Tulip Popular"
by amanderson2 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)
As we passed through Evansville, I learned about the Wabash and Erie Canal. The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was the longest canal ever built in North America. Here's another picture I found online.
(Image credit: "Delphi Wabash & Erie Canal Park [#0215]"
by DB's travels is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.)
Just after crossing the canal, we crossed over the Wabash River...
Turning south, we had less than 20 miles before reaching our final destination at Rend Lake in Whittington, Illinois.
And this is a great place for kitties. Smitty got out right away.
It was a nice space for the night, just across from the lake. We walked through the tall trees.
The bank is lined with rocks called "rip rap." It helps prevent erosion of the lakeshore. It seems they're protecting the campsites here. They've left a small "beach" so campers can get out to the water. The rip rap extends down the eastern bank with a small break where you can see the erosion without it. Then, it continues on where another loop of campsites is located.
We first drove to their "public square" where there is a historical marker discussing his visit to Benton. He was quite busy while he was here.
This morning we'll head west some more, ending our day at Lake of the Ozarks State Park in Missouri. We have nothing on the agenda there except to sit still and enjoy the surroundings. Our next stop after that will be Hamilton, Missouri. Who in the class can tell me what is located in Hamilton? I see some hands in the back. That's right...Missouri Star Quilt Co. It's coming, my friends. I'll be paying pilgrimage to this quilters' mecca. You might want to be breaking open your piggy banks because we're going to do some shopping.
Okay, it's a second long day of driving today. My hip handled yesterday's ride with no problems. I think my seat cushion will be the answer to that ailment. If it feels good at the end of today, I'll be confident I've figured out the solution.
5/9/24
Horsing Around
Good morning, my friends. It’s our last morning in Kentucky. We’ll be heading due west when we get underway, crossing back into Illinois (and into the central time zone), and then backtracking a little bit to a COE (Corps of Engineers) park for the night. From there, we'll move on to Missouri the next day. It’s going to be a lot of driving over the next couple of days. It’ll be a good test for my seat cushion. My hip is doing better. I thought I felt a little twinge yesterday while we were out, and so I took a dose of naproxen. It feels fine while I’m sitting here.
So let’s talk about horses, shall we? No, that is not a horse. It’s Smitty. Please. Where are your manners?
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