Spring Break Road Trip '09 --- Day 2

For Day 2, we gathered up our bags and left the Galt House.....Tyner Beth took one last chance to do a straddle split across our window seat to view the Ohio River and peer over into the state of Indiana with only the naked eye.

• And here we are driving in the drizzling rain....taking the short trip over the river by way of this fine bridge:

• See....there's proof....the Indiana State welcome sign....now who else would post a blurry, rain spotted photo of such if it weren't the truth?

So, mark Indiana off the kid's list of states....we did something awesome there.......wanna see?

• Nope it wasn't the Indy 500, nor the Home of the NCAA that we visited to mark this milestone..........remember, we are traveling with Pappy and Nana---and Pappy loves Cracker Barrel.....so here's how we celebrated the great state of Indiana. And by the way, in case you are wondering, the Northerners haven't managed to mess up a Cracker Barrel....still good southern style cooking. Walt ordered his standard two boxes of cereal with a side of fruit---and he noticed his milk was brought in from Illinois. So, he's thinking of counting that as a visit as well. :) HA!

For those of you who remember our trip from last year, Temple and I had a rule that we would not eat at any chain restaurant---no McDonald's or Cracker Barrels allowed---only local fare for us. And mostly in the form of a great Diner. We all love the show on Food Network, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". So this would have been a MAJOR rule-breaker for us......but because it was Pappy's choice, we let it slide! :)

• Today, for our big stop, we visited a National historical landmark in Kentucky, known as Locust Grove. Not only is it a local historical site.....it is also part of my children's heritage. Which makes it score serious BONUS points for a road trip stop. In fact, I already have plans for one of the kids to do this as their history project next year......good stuff.



• A photo of the homestead known as Locust Grove: It was built by William and Lucy (Clark) Croghan. One of Lucy's brothers was General Jonathan Clark -- who happens to be the great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather of our children. Another brother to Lucy and Jonathan was George Rogers Clark (who would be a great....uncle)--the founder of Louisville and a great commander who conquered the Northwest Territory. Later in life, he lived at Locust Grove with his sister, until his death. Another famous brother, and thus a great......uncle of the children, whom you may recognize the name......was William Clark. Keep reading to the end to see what he was famous for.....



• I'd like for you to meet our fabulous tour guide---Ms. Lynn Renau. Who just might happen to be the best little Locust Grove historian to grace the day. We so enjoyed her lively and informative tour. She was equally thrilled to be hosting us for the day--- "relatives of General Jonathan Clark"----a really big deal to her, and she made us feel so important!!! Thanks Ms. Lynn---we appreciate all your efforts to learn and then further impart that knowledge to us about our history.

• One of my favorite parts of the tour of the home was this ballroom.....and the wallpaper they had found underneath all the scrapings. I thought it was beautiful. Obviously they had replicated it---but on the wall in the ballroom, they had actually pieces of the original wallpaper behind a glass frame.....remember this was from the late eighteenth century. This wallpaper would have been plated in either Paris or London, and sent to this Kentucky farm. FANCY!

• One of the bed coverings......made from Indigo dye--a very expensive item back in the 1700's. Tyner Beth looked up at us during this room's tour and said..."that bedspread looks like Auburn."....... so there you have it, from the mouth of babes. Clearly, our family was ahead of it's time.....already Auburn Tiger fans, long before anyone ever heard the cry "WAR EAGLE!"

• What? You think I'm kidding? Here's even more proof that Tyner Beth found on the third floor: She saw this room and looked up at me and said, "oh, momma, I love that bed, especially that net stuff across the top.....it looks like Tiger pawprints." Seriously, can you dispute such research?

• There's tons of info I could give you about Historic Locust Grove, but I'll just give you the link for you to get an overview of it for yourself when you find the time .....
  
• www.locustgrove.org

And maybe you might want to look up more info on Lucy's brothers----George Rogers Clark and Jonathan Clark---both of whom were Generals during the Revolutionary War.

....after we left Locust Grove, it was time for another food break.

• Well, just to show we made up for breaking the rules this morning, we ate at a local, non-chain restaurant tonight! And it just so happened to be a diner Temple found iwith the GPS. Rima's Diner was classic family style---and had an apparent love for The King himself, Elvis. We all enjoyed some good food.....and there were a couple who even treated themselves to dessert. Fun times!!

• We finished off the night by stretching out at the hotel! Here are Pappy and Tyner Beth in deep concentration over a game of Crazy Eights.....in which she won almost every match!! :)

And now the highly anitcipated:

• PHOTOS FROM THE KID CAMERA:
  

Walt captured his Daddy playing with one of the pistols in the gallery at Locust Grove. Tons of history written on the walls.

Now here's a nice shot Walt took----recognize this room? It's that beautiful, old wallpaper from the photo I took above----the Ballroom. A great place to be, and so lovely. And the spot where many famous Statesmen, Patriots and Presidents gathered for a evening of music and cards.

• Oh, would you look at that---I actually made it into a photo thanks to the kid cam. This was taken on the 2nd floor of Locust Grove. But most important to note in this photo is this:

I began to think about the fact that here they are, Temple Bowling, IV (my father-in-law) and Temple Bowling, V (my husband)---the descendants of General Jonathan Clark, brother to Lucy Clark Croghan, -- standing in the very home at Locust Grove where they all slept....ate meals.....standing in the very home where their family ancestors entertained President James Monroe, General Andrew Jackson and several other historical leaders. Even Lucy's brother, (remember me telling you I'd have more to say about him) stopped by Locust Grove --- William Clark and his fellow explorer friend, Meriwether Lewis----whom you know as the famous expedition team of Lewis and Clark.

And as Paul Harvey would say, "now you know the rest of the story." :)

That's all for Day 2, folks......a history lesson from part of the kids own history---now, that's priceless.