We wish you all a very happy holiday season! Traveling via RV over the holidays is not a whole different than being at home. There are decorations, parties, lots of food, and the spirit of the season everywhere you look. While we do miss being with our families and friends this year, we celebrated in our own way.
Since the day after Thanksgiving we’ve had our little traveling Christmas tree adorning our dining room table. Garland frames our fireplace and other little decorations dot the RV. We even have a light show outside every evening.
Our camper-decorated treeFireplace garlandOutdoor decorations Cozy as home
Our newest yard flag, a staple in campsite decorations, has been a hit…at least with us! Anyone else a fan of the movie Christmas Vacation?
Steve and his Runza Christmas sweater and his new yard flag
We are not the only ones who decorate for the season. Here are a few examples of how other campers have expressed their creativity and festive spirit around the campground.
Note the pretty tree inside the clam Lots of lights Tiny tree on the picnic tableOur neighbors at the KOA won “best decorated site” award
We spent Christmas at the beautiful, newly renovated KOA in Sugarland Key, about 20 miles north of Key West. The resort goes all out for the holidays and works hard to bring campers together. We spent Christmas day in the covered bar area, sharing a potluck meal with campers from all over. Our German table mates kept us entertained most of the afternoon with great travel-related conversation. The events culminated in a left-right gift exchange in which we both walked away with some fun goodies.
Potluck just getting startedLeft-right gift exchange
The weather continues to be hit or miss. In fact, on Christmas day it rained over four inches! But we awoke the next day to blue skies, perfect for kayaking and biking! We asked Santa for more sunny days ahead!
Again, we’re wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
It’s been a while since we posted a travel blog. It’s not that we aren’t traveling. No, we are certainly covering some miles and having adventures here and there, but mostly we are living in our RV while working our way as far south as we can for the winter.
We last left you in Lexington, Kentucky where we were taking in Horse and Bourbon Country. Since then we stopped at Mammoth Cave National Park to explore the world’s longest cave. Did you know that this one cavern spans over 400 miles, and cave experts continue to find new passageways every year? It’s hard to get good photos underground, but we were there!
Our ride to Frozen NiagaraNice hikes in the national park
From cave country we moved south a few hours and spent a weekend in Nashville. We passed on visiting Broadway and all the bars, but we did catch a fun Eagles tribute band at one of Nashville’s renowned live music venues, 3rd and Lindsley.
From Nashville we headed to Gulf Shore, Alabama and one of our favorite state parks. Gulf State Park has an incredible campground, miles and miles of trails, and a beautiful white sand beach. We saw cool creatures and nice sunsets almost every day.
Possum or Opossum?Maybe a cottonmouth?Our favorite alligator
Unfortunately, we encountered quite a bit of rain (over 3 inches one day!) and not the greatest weather overall. That just meant we had more opportunities to visit one of our favorite bars, the Florabama.
In fact, we spent our Thanksgiving at the Florabama with hundreds of others who shared in the spirit of thanks. We met other fun people, enjoyed great live music, and partook in one of the largest potlucks we’ve ever seen! While being with family would have definitely beat it, it was a great second option!
Happy Thanksgiving!Side dish tableDessert tableOur new friendsThis was the second helping!
Another adventure while in Gulf Shores was a visit to the USS Alabama Battleship. Located in Mobile Bay the large ship began her work in WWII, earning nine battle stars for meritorious service. She’s now a National Historic Landmark and provides visitors nearly unrestricted access. We had a blast exploring the bridge, the brig, and all points in between.
After two weeks at Gulf State Park we headed north again, with a stop in Montgomery to visit the Legacy Museum and Memorial. This beautiful, new facility presents the history of slavery from the international slave trade through current day mass incarceration. It was eye-opening and sobering and if you are in Montgomery and have a little time, we highly recommend it.
Wandering the county displays of recorded lynchingsBeautiful memorialGrounds of the memorial
Next stop was Huntsville, Alabama for Steve’s latest marathon. He completed the Rocket City Marathon with an indoor finish on a cool, rainy morning and can now cross Alabama off the list of states.
The sun came outAnd he crosses the finish line inside
In Huntsville we visited the Space and Rocket Center featuring the Saturn 5 and a number of other huge relics of our country’s space efforts. The center has some cool artifacts and educational features, and we enjoyed our morning exploring the rockets and planetarium.
US Space and Rocket CenterReady for blastoff!Getting ready to ride the Moon ShotBike ride around the Space and Rocket Center
While in Huntsville we experienced swarms of lady bugs in the forest behind our camper, and now we are learning how to eradicate those suckers from an RV. When you travel in your home, the challenges never end!
We’re now headed to the Keys for Christmas and New Years and hoping for better weather. Today, in Jupiter, Florida, where we are camped, we are bracing for up to five inches of rain and wind gusts up to 50mph tonight. We are hopeful it clears up enough on tomorrow to make our way south.
So, while the weather has not been too cooperative lately, we continue to enjoy our time in the RV, exploring new neighborhoods and basically just living. All is well!
If you love horses, Lexington is your place. If you love bourbon, Lexington is your place. Heck, if you don’t like either but love beautiful countryside and a nice urban feel, Lexington is your place. We’ve spent eight nights here and it wasn’t enough!
First let’s talk horses! Lexington is considered the “horse capital of the world,” with the most well-known farms and horses on the planet. We stayed at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground, which is connected to the Kentucky Horse Park, home to the International Museum of the Horse and a massive show facility.
The legendary LexingtonOur home away from home at Kentucky Horse ParkOne of many beautiful pieces of art at Kentucky Horse Park
I was lucky enough to grow up around Arabian horses and often visited the barns of Lasma Arabians. *Bask++ was the king of the barn and to this day one of the most legendary Arabian stallions ever. So, imagine my surprise when we entered the museum to find a life-sized bronze of *Bask++ dominating the lobby!
My face when I first see the sculpture!*Bask++’s final resting placeSteve entering the Arabian Horse gallery in the museum
Later we walked through the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Gallery and on the grounds found *Bask++’s grave. It may seem unremarkable to someone who doesn’t know Arabians, but for me it was like arriving to Mecca.
Also at the Kentucky Horse Park we met several of the resident horses including Connor, a massive Belgian and Manny, a rare American Cream Draft. During the season there are over 1,000 horses of 100’s of breeds on the grounds. Unfortunately we arrived at the start of the winter season and only about 100 horses were in residence to meet.
Connor, a very big BelgianManny, an American Cream Draft
The other cool thing about staying at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground was proximity to the show grounds. While Steve spent Saturday afternoon watching his beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers on TV, I wandered the grounds of the US Dressage Finals and caught some great horsemanship.
Two rings going at onceFreestyle Dressage
In Lexington, horse racing is based at Keeneland. While not as well known as Churchill Downs, the track has a legacy as the place to train and race if you are a Derby contender. We toured Keeneland on the second day of the fall breeding stock sale.
Welcome to KeenelandWatching the morning workoutsWorking hardOriginal LeRoy NeimanBeautiful time of year at the track
A staple on the industry’s calendar, the breeding stock sale brings the Thoroughbred world together under one roof to buy and sell the future of the sport. Over 3,500 horses are sold over a seven day period, with the most expensive horses selling earliest. On day one, two mares sold for $6 million each. Being there on day two meant we got to see some of the high dollar mares auctioned to those who hope to cash in soon. Check out the prices in the photos below.
While Keeneland is the first stop for horse lovers who visit Lexington, number two on the list has to be Claiborne Farms, the industry-leading farm that was home to Secretariat. During our tour of the stallion barns we met two stallions up close. War of Will won the 2019 Preakness and earned almost $1.9 million while he was racing. His stud fee is now $25,000.
War of WillWar of Will
We also met War of Will’s sire, the acclaimed War Front. As one of the top producing Thoroughbred stallions, his stud fee is $100,000, and he has been syndicated with a current value of $83 million. I fed him a candy and got a handful of drool that I wished I could have bottled! He also gives really good hugs!
Feeding War Front a peppermintGetting a little tongueExpensive spit!
Finally, a trip to Claiborne Farms always takes you past the personal pasture of Secretariat and to his final resting place. Secretariat, commonly known as Big Red, won the triple crown in 1973, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three races. He is considered by many to be the greatest race horse of all time. Seeing his grave and hearing about the impact he had on so many choked me up, to say the least.
Secretariat’s paddockSecretariat’s stallSecretariat’s resting place
Claiborne is set just outside of Paris, KY, and the town was dedicating the Secretariat Park when we were there. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the sculpture, but the park was stunning. We also had the opportunity to have our photo taken with Big Red.
Before the unveilingArtwork at Secretariat ParkOnly wish this was the real thing!
Okay, enough about horses…how about some bourbon? Our multi-week exploration of Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail continued. In all, between our time in Bardstown, Louisville, and Lexington, we visited 15 distilleries. Some were big, name-brand operations and others were small craft distilleries where we met with the master distiller. Steve still doesn’t have a favorite…he says his favorite is the one in his hand! In case you’re curious, here’s the list of distilleries we visited while in Kentucky:
Richter’s
Evan Williams
Bulleit
Heaven Hill
Bardstown Boubon Co.
Maker’s Mark
Woodford Reserve
Town Branch
Jeptha Creed
Willett
Limestone Branch
James E. Pepper
Hartfield & Co,
Buffalo Trace
Barrel House
Every distillery was unique, as was its process and final product.
At Jeptha CreedJeptha Creed tastingTown BranchWoodford ReserveWoodford ReserveFood and spirits pairing at Woodford Reserve
One interesting experience was at Buffalo Trace. We arrived at 11 a.m. on Sunday to a huge crowd waiting to get in. We figured it was just a popular place. Later we learned that they have a shortage of their specialty bourbons and when one is released, locals come to buy their allotment. The day we arrived, Eagle Rare, a bourbon aged for 10 years was available. Since we waited for 45 minutes to get through the doors, we figured we better buy a bottle in addition to our walk around the property and our tasting.
What’s with the crowd at Buffalo Trace?The bottle they were all waiting forBuffalo Trace groundsBarrel crossing at Buffalo TraceFree tastings!
At Bulleit we skipped the tour and joined in a Bourbon Brain trivia contest. I guess we’ve now been on enough tours to know the ins and outs of bourbon because we won!!! Hats, mugs, and a cocktail made for a fun afternoon at Bulleit!
Why not play?Cool hats to the winnersAnd cups!
We’re beginning our travels southward, with some fun stops ahead before we reach the beach. We’ll keep you posted!
Marnie and Steve Travel 