Churchill Downs and a Few Breweries…

We also couldn't resist taking the bridge across the mighty Ohio river into Indiana.  The views of the river and the skyline were great and we could see the Four bridge in the distance.  At a later date we plan to walk or bike across this old railroad bridge turned into a pedestrian/biking attraction.  Apparently it offers beautiful panoramic views of the city of Louisville skyline as well as a trail to the falls in Indiana.

On the way home we went to Churchill Downs and lucky for us it was partially open since they have a pari-mutuel betting parlor on premises. We parked out front and walked in and as we were walking up an outside stairway a security guard yelled at us saying we weren’t suppose to be up there. I apologized and then the guard, Joe, asked if we wanted to join him and a couple he was with to go see the track. We emphatically said yes and off we went…

Well Joe not only showed us the track but he took us all through the facility giving us a private tour. He took us up an elevator to observe the track from high above at a plaza just below the Millionaires Row which he also toured us through. We even saw the glass replica of Churchill Downs created because Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana had commissioned it as they loved their experience on Derby Day. It was donated to the track after Lady Diana's death. Joe also took us to see some great art depicting each of the owners and jockeys who have won the Kentucky Derby  Really cool art…

 

Wow, what serendipity it was meeting Joe and chatting with the very nice couple from Los Angeles,  The four of us couldn't get over the luck we had in being treated to such an interesting private tour. Joe obviously has a passion for the place as he explained he has been in and around the track since he was three years old. He had originally worked with the horses part time and seasonally as a security guard.  He persisted and over time he achieved his dream full time position at the track.  His passion and knowledge of the history of Churchill Downs was amazing and we really want to find a way to write to someone in charge about his kindness in giving us this wonderful tour.. We certainly appreciated the time Joe took to show us around this grand and historic racing facility…

As if the day couldn't get better we visited a couple of breweries in Louisville. The first was  downtown called Bluegrass Brewing Company and we liked the vibe of this brewery much more than we did their just average beer . So for our second beer we ventured over to Apocolypse Brewery.  A news station was there and a big crowd of people.  We discovered the brewery was hosting a "Poorcastle" Music Fest to mock the bigger aforementioned event down by the river (Forecastle). For five dollars people could enjoy local bands along with their brews. 

Food trucks were there and a lineup of bands.  We elected not to participate in the music event because of time limitations and instead only visited the brewery.  We were glad we came as we enjoyed this beer much more than our first brewery.  Sharon particularly enjoyed her black pepper APA that was indeed tasty.  Louisville has been really welcoming so we are really glad we made a return trip to this fine city!

Last Day in Bowling Green Then Off to Visit to Louisville, Kentucky…

Our last day at the Barren Tailwater COE Park we drove over to Bowling Green to see the car show and some live music by Kin Foke. This was all part of Bowling Green's Second Saturdays Street Fair which was held simultaneously with the 12th Annual Classics on Main Car Show.

We checked out all the cool old cars including one that someone with a welding flair created out of lots of older car parts coming up with quite the creation. After ooohhhh’ing and aaahhhhhhh’ing at all the neat cars we strolled into the center of Fountain Park and checked out the music by Kin Foke. They played a lot of R&B and some great Motown classics. We certainly enjoyed the free music in the park.

After the music was over we checked out another of Bowling Greens disc golf courses at the Spiro Kereiakes Park. This was a great course with lots of rolling hills creating many a challenging shot up or down a hill and around lots of trees. No water hazards on this course which is the way we prefer. We like not losing discs at 10-15 bucks a pop…

After our disc golf we headed back home to tidy up the RV for departure. The next day (Sunday) we left Barren Tailwater COE Park after waiting in a small queue with the “weekenders” at the dump station. After taking care of our business we Kentucky 1533 to 101 and finally got on to Interstate 65. A few hours later we had pulled into Our Old Kentucky Home State Park where we have four days reserved in the town of Bardstown, Kentucky.

As soon as we set up camp we drove about 40 minutes north to visit the city of Louisville, KY. We like to visit cities on Sundays since there is little traffic, no rush hours and best of all free parking!!! We parked near the visitors center and picked up a downtown map. We have visited Louisville a few times before but like walking around the town as there are so many historic buildings to enjoy I love the fact that when demolition of older buildings occur in Louisville they take great care to at least save the front façade keeping that old historic charm the architecture once had.

We walked all along central downtown Louisville and all along the waterfront park where preparations were being made for the big music hoopla called Forecastle. With general admission tickets going for $200 per head we certainly won’t be attending it! After checking out downtown we headed over and drove through the University of Louisville. This Atlantic Coast Conference basketball powerhouse has quite the presence in Louisville.

As this blog is getting a bit wordy I will continue the rest of our day in the next blog…

A day at the Horse Track in Saratoga Springs , NY…

More friends from our old hometown showed up here at the camp so it is like a reunion of sorts to see several of our old friends to share stories with. After a full day of soaking rain falling over the Adirondack Park here in upstate New York we all made plans to head over to Saratoga Springs, NY for the day to visit the race course. The race course at Saratoga Springs first opened in 1863 and is said to be the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States.

The info below was taken from Wikipedia and it sums it all up about this fine thoroughbred horse race course:

“Saratoga Race Course has two well-known nicknames -- The Spa (for the nearby mineral springs), and the "Graveyard of Champions" (for the upsets that have occurred there). Man o' War suffered his only defeat in twenty one starts while racing at Saratoga Race Course; Secretariat was defeated at Saratoga Race Course by Onion after winning the Triple Crown; and Gallant Fox was beaten by 100-1 longshot Jim Dandy in the 1930 Travers Stakes.”

The weather was exceptional as the high was near 80 and there was no rain in sight. We drove over to Saratoga Springs and parked near the track where we paid a fellow $10 to park in the large yard behind several homes. With lawn chairs in hand we made our way over to the track and paid the $3.00 entry fee. Picked up  a “pink sheet” to see which horses were running and their odds for this day and then settled down near the race track.

Saratoga Race Course has a few unique features that make visiting this track fun. The horses that race here and the jockeys that ride them are many of the top money winners in the USA. So you get to watch some of the best of the best. So what makes it unique? You can get right next to the thoroughbreds and be within a few feet of them and the jockeys as the horses are being led to the paddock since the path from the stables runs right through the picnic grounds where we were sitting. There is also a mineral spring called the Big Red Spring in the grounds where you can drink some of the mineral waters that made Saratoga Springs famous. Can you say strong sulfur smell… and it doesn’t taste very good but its healthy…. so they say!

With ten races on the docket we decided we would stay for six of them and then head downtown for a few frosty beverages at some of the local establishments. We made our bets on all six races and came very close to winning an exacta bet twice but the stars were not in our favor that day as we had no winnings to show at the end of the sixth race. So it was down to downtown Saratoga to visit some of the well known and frequently visited post track establishments. A fitting end to a fantastic day at the track…

I didn’t realize I didn’t take any pictures of the ponies while we there until we got back to the camp – Sigh… Maybe, next time I will take pictures of the horses and jockeys and maybe next time we will win… We do know that the sun will rise the next morning no matter what…