Our trip south was pretty uneventful which is not a bad thing. We left the Cherry Capitol early and drove down the western side of the state. We need to go back and spend more time in this area. I did manage to find a quilt shop to run in while Joe made some work calls.
I tried to find another quilt shop but it was very difficult to find and did not have parking, so we continued on. Heading back to the interstate we saw in the distance what looked like a castle.it happened to be where we got on the interstate so we had to drive over to it to see what it was. Joe was betting on a casino. I wasn’t sure, but I was not expecting an apartment complex. Can you imagine living in a castle?
We had reservations in Louisville so we had to continue on. We had a time trying to find a place for dinner. We were hungry and tired and the restaurants we conspiring against us. The first one had some flooding issues and was closed for the evening, the second one had a 40 minute to an hour wait. We finally found someplace that would let us in. Then on to our hotel and a good night’s sleep.
Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny, and maybe a little humid. We were staying in the shadows of Louisville’s football stadium.
Our plan was to go to Churchill Downs and tour the museum. About 30 years ago when we were town we came over for the Dawn at the Downs breakfast. You had a breakfast buffet up in the nice area you see on Derby Day. You got to watch the horses train and you got a tour of the back lot where they board the horses. We saw D. Wayne Lucas back there on that visit. We said we were going to come to the Derby but we still haven’t. We got tickets for the museum that included two films and a guided tour out to the track. We got to see some horses training this morning too. It is well worth it to do this tour. They also have a back lot tour, but it was full this morning.
When we walked in we were taking pictures inside and the two workers said no one ever takes a picture of us. So I did. The gentleman was who took us on our tour of the track. Churchill downs was founded in 1875 and this year they celebrated the 150th running of the roses. Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark,Jr. (grandson of the explorer William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition) was president of the Louisville Jockey Club. He started the Downs and ultimately the Derby
I picked out my seat and now my hat for the derby.
To run in the Derby the horse has to be a thoroughbred horse 2 or 3 years old. It can be either a colt or a filly to run in the Derby.
After we finished up at the Derby, we headed over to a locally famous place for lunch. It is in the shadows of Churchill and caters to trainers and jockeys from the track. Now there’s lots of people that work in the back lot of the track. There’s trainers, riders, and cool down workers, all kinds of support staff. They live at the track until around Thanksgiving. We had lunch at Wagners Pharmacy. They only serve breakfast and lunch. The walls are covered with Derby pictures and information.
Joe ordered the Derby sandwich and I got today’s special of stuffed peppers.
We finished lunch and then hit the road. Our goal was to get through Nashville before rush hour. Of course non rush hour is getting smaller and smaller in Nashville.
We were pretty much successful in getting through Nashville without too much traffic. We made it home and the second load of laundry is in the machine. Thanks for joining us on our travels.