Music City

The best part of road tripping is the ability to change your plans at the last minute. Which is how we ended up in Nashville! 

Friend, and former coworker of mine, Louise has been bugging me to come to Nashville for years. Literally. So I finally decided to do it! Mitch had never been there and it seemed like a cool place to check out and added a minimal amount of extra time and mileage. It meant taking the short sides of a triangle rather than the hypotenuse. Worth it. 

Nashville is a cool place, like I was promised. It is also very hot and humid. But it's the south, so I guess that's par for the course. We got in Saturday evening and decided to hit the town. We headed down to Broadway, the main stretch of bars, clubs, etc. It is a sight to see. So much neon! I did not expect that. 

Our first stop was BBQ. It was an excellent decision. I do love southern BBQ. And Mac and cheese! I could go without the sweet tea everywhere though. I'm by no means a sugar hater, but sweet tea is too much. But back to Nashville... After we were throughly satiated, we walked along Broadway. There truly is live music everywhere. Every single bar has a stage and tons of buskers line the streets. Luckily Louise is a Nashville pro, and married to a musician, so she guided us well. We took on one of her favorite bands at a little bar that wasn't horribly crowded. And they were excellent! They sang a mix of their original music and classic country covers. I'll admit, I didn't know all the covers, but I liked them anyway. I even convinced Midxh to dance, albeit quite briefly, while they played. He was much more interested in watching their stand up bassist- who was incredible. 

We wandered a bit more, saw where the Opry used to be, and counted well over 20 different bachelorette parties with various matching tank tops, dresses, and sashes. Apparently Nashville is the place to go if you are getting married. 

The next day we met up with my cousin Chelsea who is finishing her degree as a nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt. We explored some more of the town; got amazing ice cream floats at The Parlor- mine was cream soda and moose tracks ice cream. Then we saw the Parthenon. Because there is one of those in Nashville- the reason is some sort of fair that happened a long time ago, but the important part is that there is a Parthenon in Tennessee. We saw the giant golden Athena inside, holding a small Nike. And the park it's all located it in was also a Poke Stop. Chelsea has been a Pokemon fan for decades so she was happy to catch a few and I marveled at the mass of people looking for them. Mitch was happy because he got the largest cotton candy anyone has ever seen. 

After that we decided to cool off in the air conditioning of the Opry Land hotel. It's huge! It was once the largest non-gaming hotel in America. It has a river complete with a boat in it, dozens of restaurants, a color coded map, convention center, and hotel rooms that over look it all (inside). It was impressive to wander around and a good way to conclude our very quick Nashville trip. 

We made a new friend.  

 

 

Sometimes you match your soda straw... Love at first sip! 

Selfie with Chelsea 

That is a giant gold woman. 

 

 

 

A giant ball of sugar!

 

Poke hunters

 

This is indoors at the Opryland hotel. I repeat, this is inside!

Following the Whiskey Trail

We left Indiana and started our journey south: through Kentucky. Neither of us had been to Kentucky before. Turns out it's really pretty! And also really humid. We definitely hit the south.  

Our actual destination was Nashville but Kentucky is between Indiana and Nashville for those of you who aren't up on your southern geography. Kentucky is also the home of bourbon, which means they have a ton of distilleries in the state. Something in the 30 range- that's a lot of booze. And while stopping at all of them sounds great, we opted for just one this trip: Makers Mark. 

Our criteria for deciding which distillery to stop at were pretty complex: do they do a tour? How close to "on the way" is it? Makers Mark does tours and is relatively close to the freeway, so it was the winner. And it turned out to be an excellent choice and one I recommend the next time you find yourself traversing Kentucky and in search of bourbon. 

To get there we took a lot of windy back roads through the hilly countryside, hoping we were on the right path. And then we saw it: a huge house and what was clearly the distillery. It is a gorgeous estate: a lovely babbling brook, trees, fields, various buildings all used on the production and bottling. They do everything on site: make the mash, ferment it, distill it, age it in whiskey barrels, bottle it, label it, and hand dip it in their signature red wax. We took a tour, got to taste the fermenting mash (which was actually cold even though it looks like it is boiling- the bubbles are the yeast eating sugars), saw the barrels being aged, saw the bottling line, and learned the history. Most of the credit really belongs to Margie Samuels, the founders wife. She came up with the brand name because the Samuels family had made moonshine that was awful and their name was not terribly well regarded when it came to taste. She also created the brand and did a lot of the early marketing. I love learning about awesome women in history! 

The company is still run by a descendant, the grandson of Margie. At the end of the tour we got to do a tasting (woo hoo!). It was about noon and we hadn't really eaten yet, so even though it was a small amount of whiskey, we felt it. We got to try their "white dog" or moonshine- unaged whiskey. We also tried the classic, Bill Jr's (the recently retired CEO and founders son) creation- 46, and a private label election they've just started. Then they bring you into the giftshop where you can purchase your own bottles and hand dip them into the red wax. Obviously we were all about that- so we got a few bottles and dipped them. The pros can do up to 28 bottle dips per minute. We need more practice. We also became Ambassadors. Which means we signed up to get our names put on a gold plaque that will then be placed on a barrel. In 7 years our barrel will be ready for bottling and we get to go back to Kentucky and buy some of the bottles from our barrel. Sneaky marketing at its finest. But we are already planning our trip back for our barrel baby's graduation. You also get to wear a neat name tag and be recognized by the tour guides and all the staff. So that's a fun perk. 

After we dipped our bottles we continued south- to Mammoth Cave National Park. The drive was again quite a few windy back roads. And then signs declaring "road ends in water". I've never seen a sign declaring this and there wasn't any other way to go, so we kept driving. And saw more signs warning of what seemed like our impending doom. And then, all of a sudden, water. The road literally just goes into a small river. But there is a ferry! We waited in line (part because ferrys are cool and part because there was no other option- road ended in water after all) and then got to drive onto the ferry with the two cars in front of us. The ferry is attached to cables and is a very short ride to cross the river. But it was the first time either of us had ever been on a ferry with our vehicle, let alone while sitting in our vehicle. Certainly an unexpected means of transportation in our quest to the park. We also crossed back into the central time zone somewhere along the windy roads, which was lucky for us because the ferry took a bit longer than I anticipated and we would have missed our tour had we not gained an hour. So thanks arbitrary time zone lines! 

And now the main event: Mammoth Cave.  It is the longest series of connected caves in the world and currently sits at about 400 miles, but is continually being mapped and explored. Most of the 400 miles are only crawlable. But a few miles are walkable so we took a tour of two miles of it. We went through giant rooms, very narrow passages aptly named "fat mans misery" and "tall mans misery". Though if you ask me, tall men would be miserable during a solid 75% of the tour. The more places we go the more I'm grateful for both of our short statures. We are very rarely "too tall" for anything and didn't have to do too much ducking in the caves. Thanks genetics!

We also saw a beautiful and incredibly tall dome, lots of scalloped rock formed by the running water that creates the limestone caves, 1800s candle graffiti made by holding the flame of a candle made of animal fat close to the roof of the cave and creating a black mark. We also learned a good amount of history: the earliest tour guides and cave explorers and miners of Mammoth were slaves. They were so good at their jobs that more slaves were often rented out to explore further and currently a descendant of one of the early slave explorers still works at the park. There is also evidence of human presence in the caves 5000 years ago. It was amazing how one cave system has had such an impact and been shaped by so many people through history. From what it sounded like the slaves who explored the cave worked alone and explored further based primarily on their own curiosity and desire to see what lie ahead in the darkness. It was a worthwhile stop and tour, and the cave was a lovely 54 degrees which was a nice reprieve from the heat and stifling humidity above. 

Next stop: Nashville and another new state! 

 

 
How cute is this?   
 
 Fermentation!   

Not boiling- we literally stuck our fingers in this to taste it. It will be distilled and heated later so the germs will die. 
 
 
 

 

This is what our plaque will look like! Hey there bourbon babies. 
 
 

Tasting time 

 
The before picture
 
Mitch was up first. 
 
The process is dip, twist to distribute evenly, set up right for the drips and to dry. 
 
 
The lovely arm covers, gloves, apron, and eye protection are provided. The wax is 350 degrees.  
 
The after picture. 
 Who knew! 
 
Our turn! 
 
 Beware the water. 

 
Cables to get us across.  
 
Rides over
 
So long ferry! 

 
 
Remnants of 1800s mining. They wanted the nitrate rich soil to make salt petre which was then used to make gun powder
 
This is Giants Coffin
 
Old school tagging
 
They weren't kidding. It was quite a narrow passage.

 

 

Indiana- My home and native land

Fort Wayne- our Eastern most destination and first stop in Indiana. I was born there and much of my mom’s family still lives there, so we stopped in for a few days to visit. We got to see my nearly 95 year old grandpa (and his naked cat and collection of naked statues), and lots more relatives. We had dinner, at Casa of course, with my grandpa and his wife, my uncle Jimmy and Aunt Maureen, Aunt Nancy (previously featured in Ranching adventures), cousin Katie and her husband and kids. And we stayed with my Uncle Pat and Deann and had dinner on other nights with my cousin Emily and her fiancé Joel and my cousin Sean. We also stopped by the old Fort (Wayne). I've never been, at least that I can remember. It wasn't open, so we looked around, confirmed it did indeed appear to be a fort, and left before the humidity killed us.

Highlights of Fort Wayne were obviously the abundance of naked statues and my Uncle Pat’s house. He has an indoor pool- which we enjoyed while floating in pool lounge chairs and watching TV. But the best part of his house is the brand new Jet bathtub. I’m not usually a big bath taker, but this tub was so deep and impressive I decided it try it out while Mitch caught up on sleep. I figured I’d put a little of the cheap $2 Suave body wash I had picked up at a drugstore along the trip in the water. Best decision ever. I filled the tub and the body wash did exactly what I expected- almost nothing. Then I turned on the jets. I did not anticipate that the jets would agitate the body wash into bubbles. But it did. And oh, the bubbles. Mariah Carey has nothing on these bubbles. If you’ve ever wondered how movie bathtub scenes always have tons of bubbles the key is jets. There was at least a 10-12 inch layer of bubbles covering the entire tub. I even woke Mitch up to come see the bubbles (he was thrilled…)

We topped off our Fort Wayne time with dinner, drinks, and Karaoke at “The Office Tavern”. Which is obviously a brilliant name for a bar! The secret to getting Mitch to sing karaoke is giving him several drams of good scotch before hand. In this case Johnnie Walker Platinum. The Office was nearly empty and we each got up for several songs before calling it a night. Sidetone: There are a lot of words to Men in Black.

Then we headed south to the Indianapolis area. We had lunch with Mitch’s friend Jenny from Purdue and browsed Indy Reads Books, the non-profit used bookstore she manages that promotes and benefits literacy education in Indianapolis (very worth a stop if you find yourself in Indy). Then went up to Fishers to have dinner and crash with my cousins Tony and Aleka and their kids- Giovanna and Josephine. Mitch was of course a big hit with Josephine (because every kid loves him) and he made a new friend- their cockatiel PeeWee. Giovanna assisted him with taking a “What Bird Is Right For Me” quiz, because he continues to insist he wants a bird (we have 9 chickens- those are birds, I have informed him), and his results were “Pigeon or Dove”, so if you have a pigeon needing a home, Mitch is your man. 

Then we headed to southern Indiana for lunch and an evening with another rowing buddy, Alex. We stayed with Alex last year but he has since moved to a small town and two acres of beautiful land and a darling house with his dogs- Scotty and Watson. Mitch learned to chop wood and is now ready to become a farmer and/or lumberjack. We also got some sweet corn from the side of the road, but since no one was working the trailer of corn, we stuck a dollar bill in the box of bags and grabbed a few ears. Small towns have their pros for sure. 

We capped off the evening by grilling some brats, eating our fresh corn, watching the fireflys and marveling at how weird daylight savings time is since it was still light out after 9pm. 

 Seriously, look at those bubbles!

 We took in a movie... any guesses on which one?

 Dinner with Grandpa

Maureen, Jimmy, and Nancy as well

 Some giant painted balls floating on the St Mary's River

 My first trip to the Fort! 

 Very fort like. 

 He knows ALL of the words to Cabaret. 

 Pretty sure this is a groundhog/woodchuck. 

 Peewee liked Mitch's head a lot. He has a thing for brunettes apparently. 

The Many Places and Faces of Chicago

Before we officially left Wisconsin, we had one last stop to make- The Norske Nook. Excellent Scandinavian food and the BEST pie ever. I used to go there on days off when I worked at camp, and oh the pie, the amazing pie. We got curds as well- because Wisconsin. And Strawberry Sour Cream Pie- to go. 

But then we crossed into Illinois and the Chicagoland. There is a lot to that. All the suburbs are interesting- they’re small towns that were swallowed by the mass that is Chicago, so most of them have their own downtowns, city councils, etc. We stayed in Elmhurst. It was adorable. And home to my cousin Stephan, his wife, Leslie, and their three super adorable kids- Kendall (6), James (3 1/2), and Adelynn (1).

Within mere moments of arriving, James eagerly grabbed Mitch by the hand and led him to the basement to play. The basement is kid heaven- legos, barbies, trucks, cards, you name it. Mitch agreed and got to see the pillow fort and assist in Lego castle building. The next day the kids showed us around the Museum of Science and Industry.

MSI is amazing! First off, that place is huge. We were there for about 5 hours and saw less than a quarter of it. We explored the coal mine, stumbled through the mirror maze (I got separated and lost and Mitch tried to go in after me, but I made it out without seeing him. Mirrors are tricky), ventured underwater in a German U-Boat from World War II (ok, it wasn’t actually underwater, but it was underground, and the water table is high that close to the lake, so practically underwater), and Lego exhibit. We also looked at all the farm stuff, drove a tractor and combine, and saw real life baby chickens! Chicks! Clearly the best part. They have an incubator, so we got to see a few chicks pipping and working on hatching and a few more who just hatched as well as lots that were a couple of days old. The Schlesinger crew are pros and have made more than a few visits, so we were lucky to have such knowledgeable and eager guides to hold our hands and show us around.

We topped off the day with a visit to Mitch’s great-uncle and cousin, popcorn from Garrett’s, and a walk along the Michigan avenue to admire the stores we will never shop in. But we had popcorn, so who needs fancy bags? 

The rest of our weekend continued to be jam packed with people, places, and things. We saw an old friend of Mitch’s, Sonia, and her fiancé, Jeff, and ate at Portillos. Midwesterners pronounce it Port- Til- Oh’s. I don’t understand it either. It clearly should be pronounced Por- Tea-yo’s. But they had delicious chocolate cake, so I’ll let it slide. 

We started one of our days with adventures in public transportation. I’m pretty good at navigating public transit, but commuter train, to subway, to park, involved a lot more walking than I anticipated. We managed, found our trains, and walked, a lot, to get to the destination. But we finally made it and saw an old rowing buddy of Mitch’s, Tara, and watched some sprint races in the park. Then we wandered to the free Lincoln Park Zoo. The best exhibit, by far, was the macaques. They have a new habitat that incorporates interactive technology allowing them to request things and communicate with their trainers. They also had two tiny babies and a 1 year old baby. Baby monkeys are the best! They run, they jump, they climb on top of their mamas. They melt all hearts. We also saw the harbor seals doing their daily wellness activities with their trainers, and a variety of other creatures. 

Then it was off to meet and spend time with his cousins, Debbie and Stephanie, and Stephanie’s husband Brian, and more of their friends. We checked out the SquareRoots festival, took in some live music, drank out of a pineapple, and got a great dinner and margaritas. We are good at this “visit people and hang in the city” thing. Mitch’s cousins were fantastic and so friendly. It was easy to spend the entire afternoon and evening with them.

We ate the classics: Chicago style pizza, more than one ice cream stop, popcorn, and hotdogs. We got some much needed sleep (in a super fun bunkbed! Thanks James). And loved all the time spent with friends and family. Chicago did us well. And I got pictures with about half of the people we saw... improvement? 

 Museum of Science and Industry

 Just a quick trip to St Louis, Lego style

 James and the Pully

James and Kendall getting to participate in a lego demonstration

 Adelynn loves selfies

 Oh hey, Space Needle.

 Kendall the Clown

 Everyone loves a Caroselfie! 

 Me and my bear

 Pineapple drinks are the best drinks

 Brian, Debbie, and Stephanie

 James is ready for ice cream- goggles always help.