Enough is enough!   I’ve been underground so long that I’m starting to feel like a mole.   Mammoth Cave is beautiful, but I’ve spent way too much time “down under.”

I want some sun and beach living before the summer ends.  I want to swim in the ocean and run on hard packed sand – even if I can’t run very far any more.   Maybe I can get him to the Virginia coast if I promise to visit some Civil War battlefields.  That sounds like a good compromise – visit a few historic sites, then head for the shore.   I know he’d love to see Manassas and he’s talked about going to Washington DC for a long time – we were both last there in the 60s.   There’s so much to see in that area… the White House, the Supreme Court, the Capitol and of course all the monuments and memorials.  I’d like to get to the Smithsonian too.  Sounds like you could lose yourself there for days.  

Anyway, even though I think Elmer’s recovered from worrying about breaking down out in the countryside, I think I’ll have more success selling him on Virginia if we stick to areas with a lot of visitors.  I’ve been reading about all the vineyard tours around Roanoke so maybe that would be a good first stop.  

Well we saw some beautiful parts of Kentucky, but we sure didn’t get much time to look at the scenery.   At our last stop we got some local maps and figured out a route that took us through some scenic areas. At first it was really nice, meandering along country roads, just driving along through hills, woods and catching the occasional glimpse of a river – really pretty country.  Then – all of a sudden -- well I just don’t know what got into Elmer.   He started driving really fast and talking about “getting back on the main road.”  When I asked him why, he just clenched his teeth and said something about “deliveries”.  Then he told me to turn down the radio – that he was going to hear those dueling banjos in his head all night.

Well I just don’t get it, since the radio was off.   Dueling banjos?

But it all turned out okay.  We headed down to Mammoth Caves.   Vacationing there is one of Elmer’s great childhood memories and he calmed down as soon as we got here.  Funny, he doesn’t usually like crowds, but he was pretty happy to see a lot of people here.   I think we’ll stay for a few days before we head over to Tennessee.  It’s pretty hot right now and it’s cool in those caves.  Plus there are lots of neat places to visit.  Elmer grumbles and calls them tourist traps, but I can’t wait to go visit the wax museum or the “down under” zoo :)

Here it is - the World's Largest Baseball Bat!

Now we need to find the world's largest ball and glove.

Well we’re finally on the road to Louisville. I’m so excited. I’ve been watching the Kentucky Derby for years and I want to get one of those decorated hats. But also while we’re there I want to try getting some really neat photos.

Elmer was always the picture taker in the family, but now I’m having a little fun with it. I can’t say that I’m really very good, but I sure am enjoying learning my way around this new digital camera.

So I’ve got some plans to get some landmark photos when we’re in Louisville including one of the World’s Largest Bat. I’m really excited about seeing that. You’re just going to have to wait and see what that is all about.

And I told Elmer it’s time for another diner stop. I got out my trusty Roadfood book and there’s a great place in Louisville called Lynn’s Paradise Café. Their web pages says that they offer “the tastiest "down home" cooking, the wackiest decor, and genuine southern hospitality.” I know I can get Elmer there for breakfast – they have biscuits and sausage gravy and if that doesn’t get him headed their way, nothing will.

But that’s not all I’ve planned to photograph while we’re in Louisville so watch this space and see what other things we find to take pictures of. Meanwhile, check out Lynn’s and tell me what you think I should order. You can check out their menu at this link to their website: http://www.lynnsparadisecafe.com/menus.html. Be sure to go to their home page and take a look at the café all lit up in the early evening. Doesn’t it look like fun?

Elmer says our mission was accomplished in French Lick. I’m not sure what he means by that. We hardly got any time to do bird watching. Instead we parked the motor home and took our tow car all over town. We drove all around the town and then we got out walked – I think we walked through every building in town. We took a tour through the French Lick Springs Hotel – that’s where Franklin Roosevelt announced that he would run for president the first time, so that was interesting.

I must say, we did have a lot of fun taking a ride on the French Lick Scenic Railway through the Hoosier National Forest. I did get to do a little bird watching then, but I still didn’t see any really big birds like Elmer said the “larry” bird is. Apparently this bird is really well known here. That’s why Elmer was so excited to go through French Lick. He saw signs of the larry bird all through the town, but I never saw a thing.

I guess I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled. Anyone else seen one of these larry birds? What am I looking for exactly?

We'll be heading into Kentucky pretty soon and looking for ideas on places to go. You know how I love diners and good eating! What are some restaurants or places we shouldn't miss while we're in the Bluegrass State? Comment here on our blog or on our Facebook pages to let us know.