May 29 – “Day Twelve: Knoxville to Elizabethtown, Kentucky”

Started the day with a WalMart fix.  Actually we didn’t really intend to do that.  We pulled off the freeway on our way north toward Kentucky because we saw a sign advertising an Appalachian Museum.  A WalMart parking lot happened to be handy, so we went there to check out the museum’s website.  They were quite proud of their museum.  Exorbitantly so.  And it didn’t open for another hour.  So we did what any other somewhat abnormal human would have done in that circumstance.  We went to WalMart.  While there we picked up some little scissors in the sewing department so I could trim my moustache (got the job done, but definitely not the right appliance. Ouch) and some bandaids for my ruptured waterfall-hike foot blister.  Ahh.  WalMart.  Just the same wherever you are in the world.  That’s a bit scary.

We passed through the town of Rocky Top just outside of Knoxville.  Actually its name used to be Lake City.  They changed it in 2014 after a lengthy court battle went against the owners of the copyright to the song.  To honor the occasion I serenaded Chris with the portion of the song that I could remember.  Loudly.  Just keeping her awake, you know.

Our first “real” stop (other than Cracker Barrel for lunch again) was the Perryville Battlefield near … well, Perryville, Kentucky.  It was the only one so far that attempted to present the Confederate cause in a somewhat positive light.  That may have been because it was a state park and not a national one.  That may also be why it was the hardest one so far to get around in.  The museum was tiny, but the film was actually really good.  If we hadn’t seen that I don’t think we would have gotten anything out of the experience at all.  However, the maps they handed out were just not helpful.  Very confusing, in fact.  As we were getting into the car, we were invited to join a private tour but politely refused.  Mistake.  Oh, we drove all around the place, and we found some of the markers with details of the battle.  But we did get lost, even with their map.  I finally figured out where we were and got us back to the entrance, but we were about battlefielded out.  Chris even told me that she was ready to start thinking about baseball instead of battlefields.

Next on the list was the Abraham Lincoln Trail just south of Louisville.  We bypassed Springfield because all the key sights referenced Abe’s Dad … or his step-mother … or his aunt.  Gotta love all that detail on the internet.  By the time we got to Bardstown (It’s claim to fame was four, count ‘em, four distilleries.  Had to be 21 to even go on the tours.  Probably because there was a tasting room at the end) we realized that most of the places we might be interested in seeing (the Lincoln sites and the abbe) were closing in the next twenty minutes.  So we made an executive decision to head straight for Elizabethtown (it seemed to be the biggest one in the area, and it had a tourist information center.  A pink tourist information center) and a hotel.  Tomorrow’s another day and all that.  We did get some supper after we checked in.  Tried four different local places recommended by the lady at the pink information center.  The first was closed.  The second was open, but we couldn’t locate any place to park.  The third appeared to be open, but we couldn’t find the front door.  Really.  We finally scored at the fourth local place.  You’ll never believe the name, though.  Texas Outlaw.  Steaks and barbecue ribs.  The owner is a Texas transplant.  A little taste of home.  After supper we took a driving tour of Elizabethtown following a pamphlet we got at the tourist information center.  At the pink tourist information center.  It did stand out.  Lots of old houses, as you might imagine.  You’ll never guess where it ended up.  The local cemetery.  Confederate soldiers buried there, you know. 

Hotel Rating: We are back in the two starfish and under realm again. The room was clean enough.  Soap in the bathroom.  Free breakfast.  Nothing terrible.  Nothing outstanding.  It just felt … two starfish-ish.

Psalms 33:5 says, “The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

Father, thank you for getting us to Kentucky, finally.  I’m getting excited about Louisville.  I think Chris is, too.  Or else she is just tired of wars and cemeteries. Amen.