Spring Break Road Trip '09 -- Day 1

Many of you may remember last year in March when our family of 5 took on the road for Spring Break. We had the best time ever, finding wonderful sights to see, people to meet, and good food to eat. Temple and I were able to take the kids to over a half dozen states they had never been. So, this year we planned another road trip, through a few more states the kids can mark off their list to visit. Why? Because we love the torture of the open road.....um, what I mean is, it just makes for some really great memories. Really. :)

Our first official stop was in Tennessee at Nana and Pappy's house (Temple's parents). We stayed with them overnight and then we all loaded up in a van Pappy rented for our road trip. We are so excited they wanted to go with us this year.....how fun.....and it means now the adults outnumber the kids!! YEAH!! :)

• Now, let's get into the adventures Day 1 had to offer the Bowling's:

Our first road trip stop came in Louisville, Kentucky---at this neat place: The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.

• Yep, there's a highlight for the boys---having your picture made with the world's largest baseball bat!!!

• Here's the stats about the "Big Bat" outside the entrance to the museum for you to read: neat, huh?
  

We took the factory tour---very interesting---but they do not allow photography inside the factory. Here's some highlights of what we learned on the tour:

• The Hillerich family began a "wood working" shop in Louisville in 1856.....where they were popular for making bedposts, balusters, and wooden bowling balls.
• It was in 1884, that Mr. Hillerich's son, "Bud", at age 17, persuaded his Dad that the future of the family business was in making baseball bats as opposed to butter churns!! Good call, Bud. And you thought teenagers didn't know anything....... :)
• At times, the factory turns out over 2000 bats per day.
• They use maple or ash wood.
• We watched them take a billet (the stick of wood they put in the machine) and turn it into a Major League Player's baseball bat in 52 seconds. Well, the cutting out part anyway. Then it gets branded with the player's signature, and dipped in their choice of coloring.
• Most all the bats get clear coats or black coats---a few other coloring shades are available in an orange and hickory color. The only "real" time a "colorful" bat is dipped----comes when they make the pros bats they use on Mother's Day Major League games. They are pink and are auctioned off later to raise money for Susan G. Komen cancer research.
• Still in the family----the great-grandson of "Bud" Hillerich, John A. Hillerich IV, is the CEO and President of the company today.
• Very interesting tour. Wish you all could have been there. There's so much to tell and my little brain can't hold it all! :)

• Of course they have ways to make money all over the museum---and all the kids had to take a swing with a Louisville Slugger right on site in the batting cage!

• Even Dad got in the cage---this is Temple and Rivers hitting at the same time!!

• Rivers swinging one of Babe Ruth's bats!!

• And Walt is swinging one of Ken Griffey, Jr.'s bats!!

• Here's some of the neat signatures used for imprinting the pros personal bats. They take their signature from the contract they sign with the Louisville Slugger company and make a plate of it to use to brand into the woodgrain. Didn't Ty Cobb have great handwriting?

• Sorry about this photo, but it was taken through a glass case..... this happens to be one of Babe Ruth's bats that shows where he was "notching" his homeruns into the bat around the Louisville Slugger logo---the Sultan of Swat was able to knock out 21 home runs with this bat before it cracked!! Look closely and you can see the little tick marks he put--like short rays of the sun going around the oval logo.

• The kids had fun climbing atop this giant glove made of limestone.

We also watched a short film in the theater at the Slugger museum. The Crack of the Bat---so good--narrated by James Earl Jones--such a good voice, nothing like Darth Vader! :) Anyway, one of my favorite quotes from the movie was......"if you want to be swinging like a hero at night in October, then you have to start swinging in the morning in March."

• After leaving the Louisville Slugger factory and museum, we were famished. We had to track down some food and fast, before we all perished. Sort of. Well, we were so hungry that I didn't even bring a camera along.....sorry. But luckily, Walt has record of it. He took this photo with our little camera---

We ate at "Tumbleweeds"-- mexican cuisine -- although I think almost everyone ordered steak. But they did have some great queso and THE. BEST. CHIPS. Between the 7 of us, I think we finished off no less than 8 baskets of those things!! Anyway, here's the lovely photo from the evening:

• Walt layed out the Tumbleweed salt and pepper shakers, his sweet tea, the paper Tumbleweed napkin holder, and his utensils. But also to be noted is his chewing gum located right on the table beside his bowl of salsa with queso drippings in it. :)

• We stayed at the Galt House, right along the Ohio River. You could look out our River View Room and see clear across to Indiana!! You may recognize this crosswalk picture. Ours was taken during a drizzle of rain before we left, but you can see this crosswalk and the twin towers of the hotel very clearly where it was featured in the March 2009 issue of Southern Living Magazine. (Go ahead, I'll wait right here, while you get your copy and flip through to find it.)
  

• Before I go, I decided to put a few of the shots from the kid's camera I gave them to use for the trip. Nothing special, just a little point and shoot, but if they drop it and it breaks, I won't cry so much, ya know? It's fun to see what they think is "photo worthy"---and how they go about getting their pictures......so, each day, I'll have some of their photos at the end of my post.....who knows, they may become professionals before this gig is over. :)

PHOTOS FROM THE KID'S CAMERA:

• At the Galt House, outside their bar area, Walt couldn't resist taking a dozen pics of the birds in the atrium. I've given you the best of the 12--and cropped out the horrid flash off the glass on the left side. :)

• Tyner Beth took this shot of Walt using his little mini-Louisville Slugger bats they give out free at the end of the factory tour. Well, one of those is the free bat.....the other two they HAD to buy.....because one mini-bat is not enough. The black one has Ken Griffey, Jr's signature in it, and the pink one (like the colored ones the pros use on Mother's Day) bears the great Bambino's ("Babe" Ruth) signature branded into the wood.

I can't even begin to tell you how many games of the World Series were played using those miniature bats in room 809 at the Galt House. So many, that I bet our neighbors below were ready to have us kicked out. Pappy did come over once to tell the kids the police were on their way up to get them.....but they kept cracking their bats in the land of imagination anyway......because there were homeruns and even grandslams to be made, in the bottom of the 9th, with 2 outs and bases loaded......and not even the law can stop America's greatest game.

• How about this nice pic of Tyner Beth swinging her pink Babe Ruth bat....and don't you just love the accent of Temple's feet?

• And obviously one of the highlights of any hotel trip for my children----the ICE machine. And thus, Walt deemed it worthy of a photo. Haven't you been waiting to see it all this time?

So there you have it, Day 1 is complete, and our ice bucket is full. For the third time. :) Stay tuned to see what adventure awaits us tomorrow!!