Cincinatti OH

Visited with friends, Sharon & Michael and Peggy.   Drove through Ohio then Indiana and back into Ohio on the way to our campground.  Thought we were lost at first.  Unfortunately, we were a little late to see the Reds' All-Star Game, but there was still plenty of signage about, so we took the opportunity to take a few photos.

Sharon, Peggy, Glo & Angie

Walked over purple people bridge into Newport Kentuky had lunch and walked back to Cincinatti. Weather was extreme with 92 temp and 90% humidity. We had to call it a day.

Angie in Cincinnati OH
with Newport KY in the background.

Famous fountain in town square

Angie on Purple People Bridge

Indian Springs RV

Cabana restaurant on the Ohio River 

Angie, Glo, Sharon & Thelma
Cabana Restaurant on Ohio River

Tried beer cheese at Hall's on The River.

Dave, Angie, Glo, Thelma & T

We left Cincinnati headed to Algonac State Park on the St. Clair River about 45 minutes from Detroit.  

Georgetown, Frankfurt & Lexington KY

We left Pigeon Forge on Friday, July 10. Drove to Cove Lake State Park in Caryville, TN, where we had a couple of rest days and I got back into walking.  It was so tranquil and not a neon sign in sight.

Cove Lake

We left there Sunday planning to stay at Renfro Valley. However when we got to Renfro Valley and found nothing happens during the week and the campground was an open field with no shade with temperatures in the 90s, we decided to move on to Lexington, KY.   We stayed at Whispering Hills RV in Georgetown.  We picked my friend, Angie, up at the airport.  She'll be traveling with us for a few weeks.

We visited downtown Georgetown.  What a neat little town.  Very authentic with little to no commercialism.  it was established in 1797. 

Japanese Garden

City Hall

Court House

We had coffee and sweets at the Upbeat cafe, where we chatted with a few locals and learned about Georgetown.

Enjoying coffee @ Upbeat Cafe'

Angie @ Upbeat Cafe

Interesting art and way to promote cycling. 

After our morning coffee we headed over to Frankfurt and the Buffalo Trace Distillery for a tour and a taste. Buffalo Trace is one of the oldest distilleries in the US.  It began in 1771 and is designated a National  Historic Landmark.  It continues to win awards every year.  The tour was one of the best distillery tours we've had. Besides tasting bourbon, we got to taste  Bourbon Cream and bourbon balls. Bourbon Cream is kind of like Baileys, but oh so much better.  Unfortunately you can only buy it in Kentucky.

Fred, tour guide @ Buffalo Trace

After the bourbon tasting we went to Gibby's for lunch and a Kentucky "hot brown" sandwich.  It's a signature sandwich of Kentucky, made with thick slices of white bread, turkey, eggs, cheese and bacon on  top. A heart attach waiting to happen.  Angie had one and loved it. 

We toured the capital and the floral clock. Then Rebecca Ruth's candy factory inventor of the burban ball. Ate way too much chocolate.  

Capital Building- Frankfurt, KY

Floral Clock @ it keeps accrual time (constructed 1961)

While at Whispering Hills we had torrents of rain, which they had been experiencing for days prior to our coming.  The rain was so bad that it began to wash away the supports on our camper.  In the middle of the night around 2:00 am, T and I were out trying to shore up  the supports and reroute the water. T had to move the truck under the rig to keep us from floating away.  It was a bit scary while it was happening.

Photo of supports taken the morning after the rain.

We had to have something to calm us down. What better than Buffalo TraceBourbon Cream. 

The next day, Angie and I took in the sites of Lexington.  We began our day with coffee a A Cup of Common Wealth. 

Glo @ A Cup of Common Wealth

Angie & Glo in front of
Mary Todd Lincoln house

Blue horse @ Lexington  KY Visitor's Center

Angie @ Transylvania University-Lexington KY

Angie with Kriste Kortze

Met great gal Kriste Kortze owner/operator of TheDaily roastery. Learned about how coffee beans are processed and how roasting affects the taste and quality. 

Lost the parking lot for awhile. Used the mural to find it. 

Girl and 3 monkeys, mural at our parking lot in Lexington, KY

Triangle Park

Shakespeare & Co.
A high tea sort of place fun and great food and service. 

Kentucky Horse Park, definitely a place to go to see and learn about horses.

Man 'O War's tomb

Pigeon Forge, TN

We've spent the last nine days in Pigeon Forge, TN.  The first four days we had mostly rain, so we didn't get out much.  We did manage to drive into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and up to Clingman's Dome.  The weather was so foggy we couldn't see much, but it was a great drive and what we did see was beautiful.

We took in a dinner show at the Majestic Theatre: Hazard County Hoe Down.   It was a  fun evening.

Our friends Lonnie & Cynthia drove over from Ringgold, GA to spend an evening with us.  We had a wonderful time catching up and enjoying a good meal at the Old Mill Restaurant, situated on the Pigeon Forge river with a great view of the water.

Once the weather cleared we spent a day at Dollywood.  We saw all the shows we could and rode a few rides.  Had a  great day.

Smoky Mountain String Band

Country Cross Roads

American Bald Eagle in Wings Across America

Glo & T loved The Roaring Rampage Ride

Amazing how beautiful the Bald eagle is when you can see one up close.

T got soaking wet on this ride, but he loved it!

And Miss Lillian was so funny she had T up doing the chicken dance.

Miss Lillian

Our last day here we drove to another part of the Smoky Mountain National Park: Cades Cove.  It was much lower in elevation and the sun was shining, so we could to see a lot and go hiking.

The trail was wonderful, cool and with cascading water all along the trail.

Tomorrow we move on heading north.  Our plans are to spend a few days going through Kentucky while we wait for friends to join us and then head up to Michigan.  

I forgot to add a note about our last night at Pigeon Forge. The RV park residents have a pot luck every Thursday night and that night they had live entertainment. We got to enjoy lots of old classics such as Ronnie Milsap, Sanatra, Bing Crosby, Billy Ray Sierus, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jim Lowe and others all performed by Ronny Space, a local performer.  We had great fun!

Stay tuned for more adventures of the Rolling Hills, making memories.

A Little More Time In Nashville

Our last few days were filled with more fun!  We met an old friend, Susan E, from our high school days and toured The First Center For Visual Arts.  What a wonderful exhibit Italian Style: Fashion Since 1945, and Postcards of the Wiener Werkstatte. After dinner we walked Broadway and wondered in and out of the  Honkey Tonk bars.  You get to listen to great music for free.

                                              Broadway at night

Of course we had to visit the Opry Land Hotel to see the indoor atrium we'd heard so much about.

Indoor Atrium @ Opry Land Hotel

We visited Andrew Jackson's Hermitage.  The Hermitage is more than a house.  The museum of Andrew Jackson has so much information about the man, his life and his politics.  I enjoyed it so much I wanted to go back again, but alas there is so much to see and do in this area.  

Glo @ Guide at The Hermitage

T @ Andrew Jackson's tomb

Andrew Jackson's home

We spent a day in Franklin, TN.  It was fun seeing him excited about where he was born and lived the first 7 years of his life.

1st Presbyterian Church (1842),
where T was introduced to Christianity.

The hospital where T was born (built before 1937)

The house in which T first lived.

On our last day in the area, we drove over to Kentucky to see Mammoth Cave National Park.  Touring the cave was great.  It is the worlds longest cave at over 400 miles.  Our tour only covered about 2 miles.  I wanted to stay and see other tours but that will have to be on another visit.  One or our guides was Jerry Bransford.  His great-great grandfather was one of the first guides at Mammoth Cave.  A book Making Their Mark: The Signature of Slavery At Mammoth Cave, by Joy Medley Lyons, tells the story of slavery at Mammoth Cave and about Materson Bransford.   Jerry and his father, David were interviewed as part of the research of the book.

Glo & Jerry Bransford

Glo & T at entrance to Mammoth Cave NP