Aug. 18, 2010 Louisville, KY

Today we had a “back stage” pass for a tour of Churchill Downs! This facility is huge! I had always thought that it was located more in the country, but it is right in the middle of downtown Louisville! It is gorgeous, and it has a very interesting history. We toured the stables, press box, millionaires row, jockey locker room, memorial garden and out to the track. We were lucky to have the earliest tour of the day because all of the horses were out getting shoed, groomed and washed. There were also lots of horses working on the track. Our tour guide told us that later in the day, all the horses are back in their stalls and not easily seen. We were so lucky, these horses are beautiful! We went through the museum then had lunch at the track café. Erin tried an authentic Kentucky “Hot Brown” sandwich (shaved turkey and bacon on a English muffin, covered with a hot cheese sauce) the rest of us had a more traditional lunch. The food was great!

Next we headed to the Louisville Slugger baseball bat factory. This was a really great tour. I’m sad that we couldn’t take pictures inside of the actual production, they said it was “top secret”. We got to see the bats go from their beginning as just a core of wood, all the way to the finished shape. We even got to bring home the little spindles that are cut off the ends after the shaping is complete, and the bats are ready for sanding. We saw the newest machine that is computerized and can shape any part of the bat to one- one hundredth of an inch! They have a wall with a cubby for all the professional players who are under contract with Louisville Slugger. In each cubby are the wood cores that have been handpicked to meet the desires of each individual player. They keep several on hand and make them up as needed. We saw how the bats were finished; flame seared – to bring out the grain, stained or clear coated , or painted. The wood cores are graded as to their perfection of grain, and made into bats for pro-ball, minor league ball, collegiate ball, high school, little league, recreational and mini souvenir bats. They use almost all of the wood to produce the bats, there is no waste! The little spindles that are cut off get ground into sawdust that is given to local turkey farms, and it is also mixed with clay and sand for use on the track at Churchill Downs. Some of the wood shavings are sold to furniture companies for use as filler.

After the factory tour we went through the museum. They had an exhibit where I put on cotton gloves, and was able to hold the actual bat that Mickey Mantle used! I saw the bat that Babe Ruth used when he pointed to the stands, and hit his famous home run. They had an entire hallway, floor to ceiling, of wood squares with the signatures of all the players from 1935 to the present who have a contract with them! These squares were all made from the actual templates used for each players bat. Lots of baseball history was made with Louisville Slugger bats!

Back at the KOA, we BBQ’d hamburgers, watched a movie, and got Erin and Bryan all packed up so they would be ready for their early morning airport call.

Aug. 17, 2010 - Alabama to Kentucky

After we left Pelham, AL., we spent the whole day driving. We took a brief stop in Nashville to take some pictures at the Parthenon replica. As we drove through town we could see where so much of Nashville was flooded earlier this summer. There are a lot of "bowls" in the city and the river going right through it. Even the weather today was sprinkling, overcast and very humid. We crossed the state line into Kentucky and had dinner at Zaxby's. After the short rest and good eats, we pulled into our KOA outside of Louisville about 11pm.

Aug. 16, 2010 - Leaving Mississippi

Today was a day of goodbyes. After we had breakfast, we dropped Lindsey, Erin and Bryan at Target to get Lindsey some last minute essentials. It was time to say goodbye to LeeAnne and Paul so Rich and I brought them to the airport. It was sad to see them go, but it was great having all the kids together for so much of our trip! Rich and I met up with the others, and then made one more run to the school to drop off the things from Target. Lindsey followed us back to the RV with her car to pick up a few forgotten items, then we had to say goodbye to her too!! This day is turning out to be really tough - too many goodbyes!

With just four of us left, we headed out of Mississippi, and on to Tuscaloosa, AL. for dinner. We then drove a short distance to our KOA camp in Pelham, AL.

pics from around Jackson

Aug. 15,2010 - around Jackson MS.

I don’t think that we could have picked a hotter day to tour around Lindsey’s school! She was really excited to show LeeAnne and Paul around. Some of the classroom buildings were closed, but we were able to see all of the dorms, the student center, and the dance center. I really like the dorm that Lindsey is in this year! It is the oldest one on campus and stands right in the middle of the school property. I mean the oldest in a good way. Very historic and classically southern! She has a single room, and shares a bathroom with 2 other girls. Her room looks out onto the student center and meandering walkways, lined with Myrtle trees and Azaleas. This campus is really very beautiful,!

After we got all of Lindsey’s things up to her room (on the third floor!!!) we went to McAllister’s for lunch. Then we toured around Jackson and saw some of her and Brett’s favorite spots, including the Rez. This is a huge reservoir where people boat, ski, fish, swim and picnic. Then it was off to see the State Capital building, and the Governor’s Mansion. Yikes! Could it be any hotter? I think not! Our next stop was “Bop’s” (again) for some frozen Custard.

Brett came back to the RV with us all, and the ”kids” played board games while Rich and I caught up on e-mails and watched a movie. It was great hanging out in the air conditioning and having fun together. After several hours of “Munchkin” they called it a night. We said goodbye to Brett, and Lindsey packed her things to move out of the RV. Erin spent the night with Lindsey in the dorm and helped her to put the finishing touches on her room.

pics from Vicksburg, MS

Aug 15, 2010 - Vicksburg, Mississippi

Today we drove into Mississippi and dropped the RV off at Le Fleur State Park Campground on the Pearl River. We pulled into our site, unhooked the car, and drove about 45 minutes to Vicksburg. It is the battlefield where the South lost control of the Mississippi River. We started our tour at the visitor’s center where we caught up on some history so we would have a better appreciation of what we were seeing. Having just stayed at Nottoway Plantation, we were able to get a feel of what it may have been like on that part of the Mississippi River during the Civil War.

We drove on a 16 mile road that meandered through 2000 acres of National Parkland. There are 150 restored cannons, and over 1,350 markers and monuments that identify all of the battles during the siege of Vicksburg. All of the original forts, rifle pits and battery positions are visible, and when you are on high ground, you can imagine just how the battles unfolded! It was a very powerful and emotional experience to be on the actual ground that shaped the future of the United States.

It was not just about the battle on the ground, but even more importantly, it was the battle for control of the river ways. Hundreds of vessels of all kinds battled up and down the rivers, but none were as effective as the “Ironclads” which were the backbone of the fleet. These boats had 2-3 inch thick pieces of iron covering the entire top and sides of the boat at an angle, which made them resistant to cannon fire. The underbelly of the boat was left unprotected to save weight, and maintain stability. However, this left the ironclads open to attack by the newly invented “torpedos” that we now know as mines. The Union Iron Clad, “Cairo” met just such a fate. It sunk in the Yazoo River in just 12 minutes due to two torpedo hits to the side. It was raised from the river floor 102 years after it’s sinking, and is now resting on a concrete pad within the Vicksburg National Park. The Cairo and it’s contents were very well preserved, and the museum displays hundreds of these salvaged artifacts, giving us knowledge of what Naval life was like during the Civil War.

Brett was scheduled to get off of work at 8pm, so we drove into Jackson in time to meet up with him for dinner. He has Sunday off, so we will all move Lindsey into her dorm and show LeeAnne and Paul around her campus.