Stop and See the Country

The Maker's Mark distillery features a beautiful 36' x 6' Chihuly glass ceiling in a hallway leading from the tasting rooms to the gift shop. Each of the tasting rooms has a different art motif.

A week centered in Bardstown, Kentucky, using a rental car to explore Bourbon Country from Lexington to Louisville, was wonderful. I had initially figured I wouldn't bother with the well-publicized Kentucky Bourbon Trail passport, since the nine distilleries were spaced so far apart, and really, how much different can the tours be? But I found each of the tours and tasting experiences was different, most were really interesting and loaded with history of the craft, and the lure of driving the countryside taking in the springtime lush rolling hills, gorgeous looking stables and fragrant rickhouses was too much to pass up. Not only did I complete my passport, but I stopped at a few other locations that had also been recommended when I was learning about the area.

Don't worry - the distilleries are regulated to only serve an ounce per tasting, so when they sample 2-3 labels, it truly is just a taste (a newly-passed law has increased this to 1-3/4 ounce, effective later this year). And most of the distilleries are separated by a pretty good distance, so a comfortable day of tasting includes just two or three sites. A week in the area allowed for a leisurely, relaxed and responsible pace.

After Kentucky, I used the city bus system to explore St. Louis from a centrally-located urban RV park. Though I try to avoid bad weather when I can, getting through the mid-west in the spring makes that pretty difficult. Luckily the worst storm I was in didn't produce damaging wind or hail, but the skies above St. Louis were impressively troubled as it rolled in. My photos don't do it justice - the sky darkened dramatically and actually turned a weird shade of green. I came out of a Soulard-area restaurant on my way downtown to this sky, and when I got downtown I ducked inside a lounge for the worst of it. Charley was very happy to see me when I got back - poor doggie!

The next day I went up to the top of the Gateway Arch in their tram that seems to work much like a ski lift. It was a spectacular view from the top. If I'd had my glasses on, I probably could have seen the score of the Cardinals game.

I explored quite a bit of St. Louis and was conscious of the city's crime statistics, which seemed to be constantly on the local news. But in my walking around to use the bus system, for the most part if I was alone in a quiet area and met someone walking the opposite direction, the other person would simply say, "How-ya doin'?" in a quick passing, non-threatening way. The city had quite a bit to offer and I just had a small taste.

I had to stop in Sioux Falls to see the waterfalls right in the city. Reminds me of Tumwater.

I broke up my drive west into small chunks and eventually made my way to South Dakota. My friend Laurie had suggested a stop at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. I had no idea what this was, but Mitchell was right along my drive along I-90, so of course I stopped. Reminiscent of grange produce displays at the fair, the entire building was decorated (inside and out) with a mosaic of corn and other locally-grown grains and grasses. As corny as it was (see what I did?), it was also kind of amazing. They redecorate the building annually with different designs and motifs. I really messed up, though, by not swinging by to see it lit up at night when I first got to town.

From there, I made my way through the Badlands National Park for an incredible sunset drive. The dry earth formations look like a moonscape, but the place was alive at sunset. In the grassy patches and the cliff edges I saw a mountain lion (first time I've seen one in the wild), two bison, herds of bighorn sheep, watched and listened to prairie dogs for awhile, and of course, deer and coyotes.

Wall Drug, here I come....