Richmond Kentucky - The Bourbon Trail

Today, we planned to trek the Bourbon Trail. But before that, we hit the hot breakfast buffet provided by the hotel. I had biscuits and gravy, sausage patties, apple juice and coffee. It hit the spot and the price was right.

I haven't mentioned the heat down here. OK, it was had been very hot and somewhat humid since we got here and this morning was no different. We were set to depart at 8:00 AM, so I had the car running at 7:50 to begin cooling it down. At 8:00 AM sharp, we were looking for Bass Man who was staying off-site. A few minutes later, he rolled in and we rolled out.

Getting ready to set out

The locals are ready

Cargo models the latest in cool biker attire

Our first stop was going to be the legendary Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. While no longer part of the official Bourbon Trail, it still offers a memorable visitor experience. Buffalo Trace is the home of some legendary marques, including the extremely rare and expensive Pappy Van Winkel 23.

Cargo led us north on I-75 and then west on I-64 to Frankfort, where we exited and followed the GPS to the distillery. After parking in the visitor lot, we walked the short distance to the Visitor Center and signed up for a tasting session. The grounds were extremely picturesque and the ambiance smacked of Disney World.

Approaching Frankfort Kentucky

Good looking group

The famous water tower

Buffalo Trace oozes ambiance

As our appointed tasting time approached, we worked our way upstairs. Poor Caleb was given a non-alcoholic treat and exiled to a corner to watch the grownups sample the goods. Our host, Jeff, put a series of bottles on the bar and said he could only give us two samples per person. He suggested we could pair up with someone who chose two other products and be able to get four different tastes.

One interesting new product was Kentucky vodka. I'm not a vodka drinker so I skipped that, but did find a bourbon called Eagle Rare that stroked my palate. We did learn that when smelling bourbon, we should keep our mouths open to allow the vapour to play along our tongues. The alcohol samples were underscored with Rebecca Ruth bourbon candies.

Jeff explained that bourbon was more corn than anything else. Moonshine, on the other hand, was usually ALL corn.

There was a bottle of Pappy 23 in the display case behind Jeff. I asked if he could take it out so I could take a picture of him holding it. He said he couldn't because they wouldn't give him a key to that cabinet. A 750 ml bottle of Pappy 23 is going for at least several thousand dollars according to current Google searches, while Old Rip Van Winkle 23 Year Old is in the $10,000 range. I remember us trying to win an LCBO lottery to get Heather's boss a bottle of Old Rip 10 year old.

Caleb watching the shenanigans

Jeff explaining how to taste bourbon

Bourbon is aged in barrels

The next stop on our path of discovery was Woodford Reserve in Versailles (pronounced VerSALES). To get there, we had to follow a road out through some prime horse farm country. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is quartered near here. Someone pointed out that the water in Kentucky, imbued with calcium due to the underlying limestone strata, is why they have such excellent horses as well as such fine bourbon.

Riding through horse country

Arriving at Woodford Reserve Distillery

The Woodford reserve tour was highly recommended so we booked ourselves in for the next available group. That turned out to be the very next group, departing shortly. Although there has been a distillery on this spot since 1780 and the buildings are the oldest of their kind in Kentucky, production was mothballed in 1971 and was only refurbished by new owners in 1993. Woodford Reserve is now the "Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby".

It wasn't long before a bus came for our group and our guide. It was a short drive down the hill to the production area where we debarked and started through the stone buildings which were almost 200 years old.

First we looked at the feed stocks they use. Corn was the major component, mixed with lesser quantities of rye and, the last 10%, hops. Then we moved on to the wooden fermentation vessels, the copper stills and barreling. Next, we walked to another building where barrels were stacked to the ceiling for aging. The inside of the oak barrels are charred to impart flavour to the bourbon they contain. At the appropriate time, they are moved to yet another building where the proof is adjusted and the product is bottled. The bottling line was shut down when we were there as they scrapped a batch of off-spec bottles.

Visitor Center - Woodford Reserve Distillery

Cargo waiting for our tour to begin

Educational decorations

Wooden fermentation vessels

Makes me think of a pressure cooker

Copper stills

Barreling

Bottling

Scale House

The Tax Man's House

After we finished in bottling, we got back on the bus and went back up the hill to the Visitor Center. We were escorted into a different door where each place at the table had two samples of the product. Unlike the wide variety at Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve has a much narrower product line. Our guide took us through the tasting, again augmented by Rebecca Ruth bourbon candies.

Samples laid out for tasting

Caleb, Phillip and Jaime

Caleb feeling pugnacious

The tour completed, we headed back to Frankfort for lunch a Buffalo Wild Wings where Latoya took our orders. Sandy and I both started with Caesar salads after which I had a cheeseburger and Sandy had a pulled pork sandwich.

Leaving Woodford Reserve

What's wrong with this picture?

Another fancy horse farm

One table at Buffalo Wild Wings

Latoya taking Bass Man's order

Sandy is looking cheerful

The last visit of the day was to the Wild Turkey Distillery near Lawrenceburg. On the way in, we could see an impressive bungee jumping operation off a railway bridge adjacent to the road.

Young's High Bridge

283 feet is a long drop

The last distillery of the day

Bus tours stop here too

Once again, we just signed up for tasting. Our session started soon after in a room at the far end of the Visitor Center and, as expected, we each got two samples. There is a strong family component at Wild Turkey and the young lady who guided us through the tasting was a relative. The one flavour that stood out for Sandy and I was American Honey Sting.

Bourbon on the bar

Bass Man appears to be enjoying himself

Our route back to Richmond consisted of taking US 127 south to Danville and then going east to Hyattsville on Kentucky 52 and then on through Kirksville on 1295. This last stretch of road was fast enough and yet twisty enough that I couldn't keep up with the bikes. The fact that I was tired might have also contributed to this. We arrived back at the hotel, after a stop at Walmart for water, at 5:00 PM and found still more people had arrived.

Southbound on US 127

Bass Man greets Cheap B and Big Dawg

The group decided to go to Hooters for supper. It was still within walking distance but we had to cross the main road. There was a short wait while they cleared out their back room for us. Spirits were high as we got settled and ordered.

Why did the riders cross the road?

To get to Hooters, of course

We had to wait a short while for them to clear out the back room for us, but spirits were high while we got seated and placed our orders. The food was good and the servers were pretty.

Beating the rain back to the hotel

Back at the hotel, we moved back into the breakfast room for socializing and secondary bourbon tasting before heading off to bed.

Today's Route (153 Equinox miles):

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Richmond Kentucky - White Hall and Berea

We were awake a little after 6:00 AM and joined a few others at the Waffle House next door at 8:00. Phillip and Caleb, who live about 35 miles away, joined us there. The waitress was quite laid back but the staff, one and all, were very friendly. I can't say I was a fan of anything they had on the menu.

The Slingshot is like a people magnet

Caleb is ready to ride

The group of motorcycles, followed by a Slingshot and an Equinox, rolled out of the parking lot at 9:30 with Cargo in the lead. They said we were going to Cassius Clay's home. I was thinking boxer but we were really headed a little ways north to White Hall State Historic Site, the home of Cassius Marcellus Clay, an abolitionist politician from the 1800's.

Our turn to not be last

Stewey looks like he's really having fun

Approaching White Hall

We didn't go inside the Clay mansion but the grounds were very pleasant so we wandered around taking photos. Cassius Marcellus Clay was one of the earliest southern planters to come out against slavery and even started a newspaper in Lexington in 1845 promoting abolition. This led to death threats and vandalism, so printing was moved north to Cincinnati. He was one of the founders of the Republican Party and a friend of Abraham Lincoln. The stories of these and other exploits (soldier and statesman) make me think that this was a man whose story should be much better known than it is. Hollywood, where are you?

Caleb's $2.00 bill

Bass Man and Caleb read one of the historical markers

Even the restrooms fit the period

Things were so green

Caleb at White Hall

Phillip (and Caleb) led the next stage of our journey. We took I-75 south back to Richmond where we got off and continued south on back roads. The countryside around here was green, rolling and very pretty. Eventually, we arrived at Berea Old Town.

Everyone chasing the sidecar

Nice roads

Berea Kentucky

 We have passed Berea, Kentucky many times on I-75 but have never stopped in. My mother had an experience here years ago on her way home from Florida when she stopped due to torrential rains and had a near miss with a Tornado, but that is the sum of all I knew about Berea before today.

The Welcome Center in the old train station in Old Town was very nice. A lady named Wendy explained that the town of Berea was founded on land given by Marcellus Clay and that Berea College, the first interracial college in the USA, opened here in 1855.  It remains a non-denominational Christian school that draws most of its students from lower income families in Appalachia and charges no tuition for its four year undergraduate programs.

Wendy explained that Berea College was heavily involved in the arts, a theme that ran throughout the whole town. She also said that we should avoid the back roads after dark due to dangers from moonshiners and wild dogs. The town had been dry, no alcohol available whatsoever, but now was becoming moist with some eating establishments having a limited selection of adult beverages available.

Since it was near lunchtime, Phillip suggested that we head over to the Boone Tavern for lunch.

A Berea College building

The college celebrates its alumni

The Boone Tavern was busy. We found parking spaces in the back lot as a tour bus was disgorging its passengers and we all immediately thought of Stonewall, who drives tour buses out of Toronto. The tavern is quite impressive, just over 100 years old and owned by Berea College. Despite its name, it is not a drinking establishment. Students make up 50% of the staff.

Caleb at the Boone Tavern

Ideal for bus tours

We didn't eat at the tavern. After walking through the lobby to the street side, we went down the block to PapaLeno's where we managed to get a table that seated all of us. I ordered chicken noodle soup and got a large bowl with much chicken, many noodles and a bit of soup. I'd recommend it. That was followed by a chicken salad sandwich.

PapaLeno's - Berea Kentucky

After lunch, people were checking the weather radar on their phones and discussing the nasty looking storm cell approaching Richmond from the west. We hot-footed it back to the Boone parking lot and headed out to I-75 as briskly as we could.

Florida driver - what can I say?

There was a severe thunderstorm watch in place as we rolled north on I-75. We could see the black clouds coming in but just caught a few heavy drops as we exited the freeway. There were a few fancy moves as the bikes went around a beer truck that was blocking the hotel entrance, but we in the Equinox didn't care. Roofs and wipers will do that to you.

Racing the storm to Richmond

We spent some time sitting by the large indoor pool while Caleb swam. His mom Jaime arrived after having completed her work for the day and joined him. Later on, Stewey took Jaime and then Rainman, for rides in the Slingshot.

Looking worried heading out

All smiles coming back

What is Rainman thinking?

For supper, we walked next door to the Cook Out, a place that does hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and sides. I had a burger and hushpuppies. The food was good and the staff were enthusiastic, but they were young and a tad uncoordinated. They probably could have used a little manager guidance.

After supper, we ran into the central hall problem in the hotel. More folks had rolled in and there were now too many of us for the small room adjacent to the lobby. Showing how the hospitality industry is supposed to work, the desk clerk opened the very nice breakfast room for us to socialize in.

Wait, the breakfast room had buffet style warming trays. They had a full hot breakfast? What were we doing at the Waffle House this morning? Tomorrow would be different. In the meantime, we visited and swapped stories. Tomorrow we were supposed to follow part of the Bourbon Trail to some legendary distilleries.

Best Western Richmond Kentucky breakfast room

Again, we didn't stay up too late. I get a lot better sleep when we are on the road.

Today's Route (45 Equinox miles):

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Woodstock Ontario to Richmond Kentucky

We had the hotel continental breakfast, fueled the Equinox and were on the road well before 7:00 AM. I decided to avoid the bridge or tunnel at Detroit by taking the 402 from London to Sarnia and crossing via the Blue Water Bridge to Port Huron.

There were several small (six to ten unit) wind farms along the 402, nothing like the huge installations we see in the USA. This is probably a good thing considering that expensive wind power gets first priority in Ontario, while surplus cheaper source electricity is shed south of the border.

Wind turbine near Strathroy Ontario

We were held up at the toll booths before we got onto the Blue Water Bridge. Once we made it through, we saw that the three lane US bound bridge were down to one lane due to maintenance and/or repairs. Once we got down the other side, the NEXUS lane was open. Three questions (going where? how long? anything to declare?) and we were on our way.

One lane, lots of waiting

NEXUS works for us

Back in the USA

Traffic was good on I-94 down to Detroit. Once we got south into Ohio, there was very little of I-75 all the way to Kentucky that wasn't under construction. Finally, in Cincinnati about three miles short of the bridge out of the state, we ground to a halt. We lost half an hour because someone going our way got rear-ended and the police still had the lane closed.

Ambassador Bridge - Detroit (the bridge we wouldn't take)

Welcome to road work

The orange barrel companies are doing well

Merging was tricky

Findlay Ohio

Road sweeping near Lima Ohio

Self portrait

Stopped in Cincinnati

The old and the new

Leaving Ohio

The sad thing was that when we finally crossed into Kentucky and started up the Covington Hill, there were miles and miles of northbound I-75 vehicle dead stopped. The only reason I could see for the hold up was rubberneckers at the southbound wreck site gawking. Sad but not uncommon.

Northbound I-75 traffic jam headed for Ohio

We arrived at the Best Western Hotel in Richmond, Kentucky (home of the VROC Wolfman's Wandering Rally in 2009) at 4:45. The door closest to our room was around the back where we parked next to Stewey's Polaris Slingshot. He, Cargo and Bass Man were already here.

The five of us decided to go down the road to King's Buffet for supper. It was nothing spectacular but we still managed to eat to much as we caught up on what everyone had been up to since we last saw each other.

Back at the motel, we found the WiFi signal was weak (sometimes non-existent) in our room. It was much better in the lobby, where a small meeting room gave us all a place to gather, visit and solve the problems of the world. Rainman and Stockbridge Richard from Georgia joined us for a while. We ended up heading back to the room and hitting the sack around 9:30.

One note on social gatherings and hotels/motels. It is much easier to socialize when the room doors face put into the parking lot rather than opening to an internal corridor. I know the latter is supposed to be safer, but it stifles interaction.

Today's Route (523 Equinox miles):

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Sudbury Ontario to Woodstock Ontario

Happy Amazon Prime Day (whatever that means).

Today, we were back on the road heading for Richmond, Kentucky to see some friends. On the way, we decided to also stop and see Jasper and Fiona (and their parents) in Woodstock, Ontario. This would be a quick blitz, seeing us home next Monday, so we once again left the bike in the garage.

Sandy had to take her Mom to the chiropractor this morning so we didn't manage to get underway until 11:30. It was 31C under mostly clear skies, and the weather service said the Humidex would reach 39 later this afternoon. We have had very little rain this month or last and are now verging on drought conditions.

Heading south on Highway 69, we found that they had opened another section of four-lane from north of Highway 64 almost to the French River Trading Post. The  new stretch was, for some reason, reduced to one lane with orange barrels, but the potential was there.

New four lane near French River

Sandy didn't realize this van was towing a trailer

We stopped at McDonald's in Parry Sound, where my new skills in ordering at the kiosks was apparent. Unfortunately, the food doesn't came any faster as people scurry around back and forth in the background but orders take forever to arrive. I think they still need some work on organizing this strategy. Then, outside, I observed that every trailer pull-though spot had a car or pickup truck in it despite many open car spaces even closer to the door. The one truck towing a trailer had to park in the bus lane. Think, people!!!

There was another stretch of orange barrels near the Moon River where crews were installing new deer fencing. This was very tall fence, unlike the Hobbit sized sections back up at the French. I really do need to ask MTO what a two foot high fence is supposed to stop.

The traffic on Highway 400 was starting to get busy both ways, so I decided to try a new route to Woodstock. We exited at Highway 9 as usual, but did not turn south onto Airport Road and Highway 24 at Mono Mills. Instead, we stayed on 9 past Orangeville to Arthur, where we turned southwest through Tavistock to Woodstock. There was almost no traffic on this stretch so we were able to make good time.

This part of southwestern Ontario is very pretty with its patchwork quilt of different crops and its low rolling hills. There were many German names and Mennonite farms along the way.

Farm southwest of Arthur, Ontario

Two lanes, no traffic

We arrived at the Days Inn in Woodstock about 5:30 PM. This was out first time staying at this particular facility but, courtesy of the Wyndham Go Fast promotion, we were paying about half what it would have cost us at our usual Best Western Plus. After taking the bags to our room, we headed over to Heather and Tom's. They had ordered Domino's Pizza (thin crust pepperoni) for supper.

Fiona is getting bigger. She is now two months old and is a doll. Jasper is starting to talk a lot and we even understood some of the words he said. He was no longer as shy as he was on our past visits.

Fiona Claire Gronek

Jasper James Gronek and mom Heather

A little angel

After the kids went to bed, we watched Into The Storm on Netflix before going back to the hotel. It was too late to finish this blog write-up, so I loaded the photos, drew the map and transcribed the notes before calling it a night. The Kindle and I were in bed by 11:00 PM.

Today's Route (324 Equinox miles):

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