Most of the images taken today are framed by the car's window. We had miles to go and Steve wasn't willing to stop for much today. I like this perspective anyway. There is something rather magical about the glimpses we catch while speeding by.

We left at 6:10 AM in time to watch the sunrise. Throughout the drive, various sights drew our attention. This large church, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, made us want to explore the little town it was in- Park, Kansas.
This once prosperous city began when a Union Pacific Railroad station was established here in 1868. It was initially called Buffalo Town due to the numerous buffalo that were visible from atop the station's 120 foot tall wooden water tank. By 1879, businesses flourished and the town housed stores, hotels, livery stables, restaurants, saloons, a barbershop, blacksmith shops, a bakery, a college, and a newspaper. In addition, its amazingly beautiful, and very visible, Sacred Heart Catholic Church ("Cathedral of the West" ) has dominated this countryside since 1923. The current population, while only numbering about 150, seemed to take pride in their historic town. One day, I'd like to go back and maybe get out of the car.
This huge work demanded the question, "Did I see what I thought I saw?" In 2001, Cameron Cross created a 24 by 32 foot reproduction of Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers and mounted it on an 80 foot steel easel. This photo doesn't do it justice. The structure and painting weigh 40,000 pounds and resides in Goodland, Kansas. By the way, Kansas is nicknamed 'the Sunflower State' so this painting is perfect for so many reasons.

Another one of those glimpes that demands further explore is the World's Wonder View Tower, a defunct roadside attraction located in Genoa, Colorado. The tower was built in the mid-1920s by C.W. Gregory (known as Colorado's P.T. Barnum) and his partner Myrtle Le Bow. The promoters boasted that it is possible to see six states (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico, and South Dakota) from the top of the tower.

The tower is 65 feet tall. The site it was built on was confirmed in 1934 to be the highest point between New York and Denver. The tower was also a museum and vintage shop which contained curiosities and novelty items such as a two-headed calf, an eight-legged pig, and more than 50,000 types of glass bottles. It also contained historic American West artifacts and weapons, Native American arrowheads and other artifacts, and fossils. It closed due to the last owner's death but the building remains for all of us wanderers to glimpse at while cruising by.

We had a delightful lunch in Vail and this was the view from our table on the front porch of the café.


Sleep will be in the little town of Green River, Utah. We traveled 680 miles today and we're still doing great. The open road is addictive, even at 80 miles per hour!

Through amber waves of grain, traversing five states, with multiple stops, we made it to our evening's destination- Hays, KS.

This town is way more than just the place in which we've chosen to sleep. The city was founded in 1867, as the southern branch of the Union Pacific Railroad worked its way west and was named for Alexander Hays, a Union General killed during the Civil War.

Hays was a rough and tough town in its early years, at one time sporting 37 liquor establishments. Many notable people lived here, including the Custers and the 7th Cavalry, Will Bill Hickok, and William F. Cody, who acquired his nickname of Buffalo Bill by furnishing buffalo to feed the railroad workers in Hays.


Today it is a center for education, business and culture for Western Kansas and 790 miles closer to home.

When we roll into a new town, we try to hit the Visitors' Center first thing because we always find something unique to do that surprises us. The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) was Louisville's surprise.

Before the Civil War, this Louisville company was formed to provide products for people who are blind. Before airplanes, telephones, the Louisville Slugger® bat, and the Kentucky Derby there was the APH (1858).
Our tour began with a very thorough explanation of the company and its services and then we were guided through the factory, having the processes explained. It was surprisingly interesting.
The large volume, back middle, is one half of a Reader's Digest in braille.
After learning how it is all done, we ventured into the museum to discover its history. What an incredible place covering centuries of advancements for aiding the blind. Artifacts, photos, and electronic displays introduced us to the history of tactile alphabets, the braillewriter, Talking Books, and much more. In addition, APH had a long relationship with Helen Keller. This display houses her Bible whose lettering had been worn down due to frequent reading.
I loved the thought that the blind don't have to miss out on game playing- so cool.
I loved this exhibit on Stevland Morris (Stevie Wonder). Unable to attend a regular Detroit school while becoming a pop sensation, Wonder was sent to the Michigan School for the Blind at Motown's expense. This was the actual piano he played on, while there being just another normal student.
In 1956, they printed the World Book Encyclopedia. It weighs 800 pounds. APH is the world’s largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are blind and visually impaired. After spending over two hours here, we were thoroughly impressed.
Our next stop was the arboretum/sculpture garden/cemetery- Cave Hill. Chartered by the General Assembly of Kentucky in 1848 for the purpose of operating a rural cemetery, Cave Hill was dedicated in July of that year and the transition of the existing farm into a beautiful and historic cemetery began.
Truthfully, what brought us here was Colonel Sander's resting place. That catalyst is what allowed us to be blown away by what else was here.
If I was to have a grave marker, I would have the same epitaph, "I had a great time!"



Never have we seen a cemetery adorned as elaborately as this one. In the Victorian period, personal wealth increased, as did family aggrandizement. The garden cemetery became the repository of symbols of success in the form of true monumental art. The landscape gardeners embellished the natural setting with exotic trees and shrubs while the marble sculptors and granite fabricators erected elaborate memorials to individuals and families. Cave Hill has been blessed by a succession of competent and innovative landscape gardeners, and Louisville has been a regional center for monument makers. The result is a rural, garden-style cemetery which has always been considered a model to emulate. And a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

We ended our last day here in the Old Louisville area, first developed as Louisville's first "suburb", between the 1870s and the early 1900s. It is home to the largest Victorian district in the United States and this amazing park. Interestingly, during the Southern Exposition in 1883, 13 of the park's 17 acres were temporarily "roofed in" and used to showcase Thomas Edison's light bulb, one of the first large-scale public displays of the light bulb in the world.
We came here for the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's 56 year of performances, the longest running free Shakespeare in the Park in the U.S.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona was an excellent production. While the wording was all the Bard's, the costuming was The Great Gatsby. Modern songs, accompanied by a ukulele, made the performance seem modern and quite refreshing. What a fabulous summer night in Louisville.
This evening pretty much concluded our Southern Sojourn. Tomorrow begins long days of driving hundreds of miles in an effort to get home. It has been unbelievably incredible. We have loved it all.

Today's short drive brought us through beautiful horse country onto our way to Kentucky's largest city.

Knowing we were only passing through, Keeneland was the spot we chose to help us better understand the Bluegrass region.

Keeneland is unique in that it is both a Thoroughbred race track and an auction company. We were allowed to explore. We promised we'd return when we could spend the time needed to truly experience this awesome place.

Colonel Sanders (1890-1980) is BIG in Kentucky. The Louisville Visitors' Center even had a small museum dedicated to this unique man.
Before there was KFC, there was really no such thing as fast food chicken. Fast food meant thin, easily griddled burgers and thin-cut potato sticks you could dump in the deep fryer. But starting in 1930, a school dropout and army veteran named Harland Sanders had a popular roadside motel, restaurant, and service station in Corbin, Ky., where he served down-home southern classics including fried chicken and country ham.
KFC seasoning is what his chicken is famous for today, but it was this pressure cooker that made the original recipe finger lickin' good.
As we wandered around town, we saw a variety of painted horse statues, standing regally in front of local businesses. Each one is unique and has a story behind it. Known as Gallopalooza, this project began as a way to beautify the streets, encourage local exploration, increase tourism, showcase local artists and generate civic pride. We'll keep searching for them as we explore tomorrow.

Conceptional artist Serkan Özkay made this 30 ft. David and it is part of an amazing outdoor art series, located throughout the city.
We delighted in strolling down historic Main Street. It was like a hunt to find our favorite players who have been inducted into the Louisville Slugger Walk of Fame. They are permanently enshrined with a bronze caste of the Louisville Slugger model bat they used, and a bronze home plate with highlights of their career.
We were headed into the Louisville Slugger Factory, but had to get this photo of the World's Biggest Bat first. Made of steel, it weighs 68,000 pounds and stands 120-feet tall. The Big Bat is an exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth's 34-inch Louisville Slugger bat.

We learned the incredible history of this family run business. We then had a great guided tour through the factory (no photos allowed) where Louisville Slugger bats are crafted with the same pride that started in 1884. We were shown each step of the process and we even got our own mini bat as a souvenir.
This was Babe Ruth's bat. The notches around the logo were carved by Babe, himself, to indicate his home runs. We learned so much about the players and their dedication to their 'sluggers'. It was educational and interesting.


We loved the historical architecture we found everywhere.
We ended our day at Spalding University's Festival of Contemporary Writing for a public reading by Michael White, author of Travels in Vermeer.
This was another event which had a theme of "art as healing". Mr. White shared his memoir which spoke of his new found fascination with Vermeer and the power his works had to mend his broken heart.
This loft, located in the heart of it all, is our home for two nights.



And this is where we will dream about all the fun Louisville will hold for us tomorrow.