I had planned to spend a night in the Red River Gorge, but between so much of the park being closed for winter and more snow and freezing temps I called an audible and moved up my arrival in Louisville. A friend who used to be in my book club before she moved for grad school very graciously invited me to stay at her place and was okay with the date change. It was great to see Ashley, Alan, and their doggie Peanut, and hear what they’ve been up to in the years since I’ve last seen them. Seeing all these people with their real grown up lives and houses and matching guest towels, etc. is so interesting compared to my houseless existence- one day maybe I’ll be a real adult too, but probably not. Ha.
We went for a drink and snack at a local brewery in a converted grain storage bin (or something like that- my memory is the worst), and then on to a restaurant downtown adjacent to the minor league baseball stadium where the names and labels of the beers at this place were hilarious, such as ‘the Brown Note’ and ‘Bloody Show’. On the drive to and from I got a mini tour of town, so between that and the long list of suggestions from Alan I was ready with a plan when I left their place the next day.
The first stop a cemetery where not only are Muhammad Ali and Colonel Sanders buried, but also a bunch of elaborate memorial statues. The highlights were a serene spot with a classical monument, a sphinx, a magician, and all sorts of unique memorials. Somewhere in the cemetery is a statue of a little girl swinging on Jesus’ arms but I couldn’t find it, which was a bummer because it sounds like quite the design.
Next up was walking around downtown to see some fun things like the giant baseball bat outside the Louisville Slugger museum, this big troll under an overpass, and some cool street art. I walked past all the bourbon tours which are the big draw here but had no interest in that- blegh. More for you, everyone else.
By the riverside I parked and walked across the Big Four Bridge to Indiana- my first steps in that state as far as I know. Had a coffee, saw a house with a bunch of pig decorations in the yard, headed back, and on the Kentucky side walked around the park a little before heading out. There’s a statue of Lincoln sitting by the river, with a plaque explaining that Lincoln (whose wife was from the area) would come here, and sit and watch as the ships transported slaves, solidifying his aversion to the institution. A moving sculpture, tarnished unfortunately by someone having places a dead pigeon next to him and a paper sign in his hand. Pretty disgraceful. Aside from that, Louisville was an awesome place!
The Van is Go 