Mammoth Cave National Park

8/08/05 - Mammoth Cave National Park
This afternoon we decided to go visit the Mammoth Cave National Park. We took mostly country roads to get there and were very impressed with the beautiful homes along the way and how immaculate all the private properties were. Even the cemeteries were beautiful kept up and decorated.

It took us a while longer to get to the park than we had anticipated, but we were just in time for the last tour of the caves, which happened to be a special photo tour. A small group of us (perhaps a dozen) were escorted into one of the main caves and then after a short tour, we got to spend most of an hour photographing the beautiful caves. Here are some more photos of the Mammoth Caves. It was after 8PM when we got out and so it took us awhile before we found a place to eat dinner. Then we took the freeway home in the dark.

Bardstown Welcome Center

8/09/05 - Bardstown
Today we moved the coach to the White Acres Campground near Bardstown, KY (Map). Then we went exploring this great little town that dates back to the 1700s. One of the first buildings we noticed was the Welcome Center which is very interesting old building built in 1892. One corner business has been the local drug store for over 100 years.

Saint Joseph Cathedral, which was built by both Catholics and Protestants, was the first Roman Catholic Cathedral built in the US west of the Allegheny Mountains and was dedicated in 1819. I was particularly impressed with the statuary.

Old Hay Wagons

8/10/05 - Louiseville, KY
This morning we drove through Bardstown and up to Louisville (Map). On the way we saw these interesting hay wagons which I thought were picturesque. I also photographed this old barn I thought was interesting.

In Louiseville we saw some beautiful churches. We had lunch at the Paradise Cafe which was quite interesting, amusing and had good food too. Here are some photos of the Paradise Cafe.

Rooster Run

We saw many beautiful old brick buildings including a beautiful, round brick church and school that captivated me.

Next we spent a couple of hours driving through some of the great parks and neighborhoods in Louiseville. Here is a fascinating brick wall we saw.

I also found this parking surface quite interesting as well as many of the homes in the area.

On the way home we stopped at this gas station. Being the big chicken fans we are (we raised about a hundred of them in Redwood Valley), we couldn't resist the Rooster Run gas station and general store.

We saw many bourbon plants in this area, and some beautiful tobacco fields .

Beer Can Car

Here's a car you don't see every day. I don't know if it is specifically an advertisement or not but it certainly is very creative.

Another pretty sunset tonight made particularly interesting by the dozen or so parachutes falling in front of the setting sun .

8/11/05 - Buffalo Crossing
Last night on the evening news we heard about a place nearby that has a young white buffalo. So today we decided to go and check out this very unusual occurrence. On the way we drove through Bardstown we stopped to check out the historical Federal Hill mansion at My Old Kentucky Home State Park where Stephen Foster wrote the very famous song My Old Kentucky Home in 1852. We did not go on the house tour, but I took pictures of the grounds including a beautiful statue in the little cemetery.

In the American Indian tradition, a white buffalo is very sacred. It took us about an hour to get there via country roads, but thanks to some good directions I got from their website we found it fairly easily.

White Buffalo Calf

When we got to Buffalo Crossing, we headed straight for the white buffalo calf and she was lying with her mother about 50 ft away from the fence. My wife had me get a chair out of our car, so she could sit and wait for them to get up. There is a small zoo there, so I spent some time taking photos of the baby camels, peacocks, turkeys, goats, walabys, baby buffalo and cows, and old farming equipment on display.

Seeing there was not much action with the white buffalo calf yet, I decided to go for a walk and check out the rest of the grounds. I saw a small herd of miniature horses, several Emus, a couple of newly shorn Alpacas, Donkeys, several pigs, a Yak, a herd of Watusi cattle being fed (this was the most fun) and a herd of Buffalo (of course). Here are some photos of the Buffalo Crossing.

Pond at Buffalo Crossing

On the walk back to the white buffalo I took photos of the beautiful pond, with it's many wild fowl and some interesting old bales of hay. When I got back the calf was up and waiting with its mother to be fed. This of course was the main event and a great photo opportunity.

As we left the animal area at Buffalo Crossing I took some photos of darling miniature horses ready to provide rides to any willing child.

Next we had an early dinner at the restaurant there. They served buffalo meat (and other meats) of course, and had a nice gift store and a great display of taxidermy (preserved animals either standing or mounted on a wall), as well as old farming and household items which sparked an interesting conversation.