🚗2017 July 11, Tuesday, Day Trip to Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Ate a waffle topped with cool whip, blackberries, and walnuts for breakfast. Hubby put syrup on his waffle.
We stopped in Loretta for lottery tickets before beginning our journey to Hopkinsville, KY.
We were traveling I-24 past the Nissan Stadium Home of the Tennessee Titans around a quarter till eleven.

Nissan Stadium Home of the Tennessee Titans 

We arrived at Rest Area in Oak Grove Kentucky around 11:30AM. We always have to stop and check out the rest area/Visitor Center in every state. Mississippi has some of the best rest areas that I have seen.
Kentucky is known for its thoroughbred racing tracks and Kentucky Bourbon Trails and we saw a little of both here.

Horse Racing and Kentucky Bourbon

We were seated at Logan's Roadhouse in Hopkinsville Ky at 11:57AM. Hubby ordered the Logan's Roadhouse hamburger and I ordered the Cod Fish with homemade chips.
The girl who waited on us was very busy and it seemed to take quite a while to get our food.

The fish I ordered was undercooked, and not very good and hubby said his hamburger had no taste.

Cod Fish with chips, coleslaw, and tater sauce
the fish was tuff and the breading was not done on the inside, but it did look good.
When cooked right it is delicious.

The real American Roadhouse Hopkinsville, Ky

Pennyroyal Area Museum on ninth street.

Former United States Post Office Building now PennyRoyal Museum 

We were greeted by the curator who was eating her lunch. We paid the small admission price and the curator gave us a short history of the PennyRoyal Museum.  
She said, the museum was a former Post Office and it still had windows where people would send packages and purchase stamps.
She also said that we could send a postcard to someone or to ourselves, put it in the mailbox on the table and they would stamp it. 

Don't forget to send a postcard and put it in the mailbox here.

Upstairs in the PennyRoyal Museum, we saw a display about the early life of a Pioneer in Hopkinsville. 

Pioneer Life in Hopkinsville

Behind the loom was a quilt telling the history of Hopkinsville
25th Annual Quilt Show
Hopkinsville Heritage Quilt
Quiltmakers
Designed by Dixie Thomas
pieced by Kathy Croft
Quilted by Edna Baker, Linnie Wallis, Kathy Croft, Nell Young & Betty Young 

Downstairs we saw a York Square Grand Piano 1870 made by Weaver Piano and Organ Company, and a Winton Upright Piano, 1920 made in Chicago, Il.
We saw local notables such as Billy Boley the Ventriloquist. 
We saw Robin Penn Warren the National Poet, and several displays about Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows.
We saw The mechanical Wonder Horse, ridden by three generations of children from 1907-1994.
We saw a display of the Brook Memorial Hospital and Doctor Phillip C. Brooks.
We saw a hand-carved wooden display about the Trail of Tears by George Barrette Floyd.

 Wooden Carved replica of the Trail of Tears

Display about Edgar Cayce the Sleeping Prophet

http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/the-life-and-times-of-edgar-cayce.aspx 

The Kelly Encounter (Little Green Men)
The Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter was a claimed close encounter with extraterrestrial beings in 1955 near Kelly and Hopkinsville in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. 
UFOlogists regard it as one of the most significant and well-documented cases in the history of UFO incidents, while skeptics say the reports were due to "the effects of excitement" and misidentification of natural phenomena such as meteors and owls. Psychologists have used the alleged incident as an academic example of pseudoscience to help students distinguish truth from fiction.

The Tobacco War 1904-1911
http://www.nkyviews.com/Other/text/text_night_rider_movement.html

There is a story behind each display that could be told. 
I bought three Post Cards and we paid $2 each to visit the Transportation Museum.

The Transportation Museum was located across the street from the Pennyroyal Museum. It was once a Fire Station. 

There was a crew of men working on the roof and they were repairing the Clocktower. (Many years ago the Captain's room caught fire and burned the first clock tower which was larger than the one now on top of the firehouse.)
The firehouse was built before automobiles and the first fire truck was pulled by horses.

The curator said
We have the first (Auto) fire truck ever used by the fire department
It was bought by a former firefighter, and he restored it to its glory days.
He gave the town the firetruck when he found out the town was opening a Transportation Museum inside the old firehouse.

We saw a couple of Dalmatian dogs, a couple of fire trucks, a carriage, Firemen's boots, caps, and the original fire pole the firemen used. We saw a couple of miniature train displays, benches from a train depot, a sleigh, and three different Gasoline tanks the Shell, Gulf, & DX.

First Gasoline-powered Fire Truck and Dalmatian 

Clock Tower being repaired

Firemen's hats

Miniature Train Display and another fire truck.

Our next stop was the Casey Jones Distillery.

The Casey Jones Distillery

 Grape, Peach, and Apple Casey's Cut
Casey's Moonshine, Barrel Cut, and Total Eclipse Moonshine.
Lights Out

At the distillery, we sampled the Casey's cut Eclipse-A-Rita, the Peach, and Apple.
We were shown how the Moonshine was made, and how it was bottled.
There was a wedding later that day at the distillery.

Many different events happen here including the upcoming Total Eclipse on August 21, 2017.
The weekend of August 18 in Hopkinsville is the place to be for the greatest view of the total eclipse.
There will be music, vendors, hot air balloon rides, and much more.

Our next stop was the Commemorative Trail of Tears Park.
Inside the small cabin, we meet a Cherokee Indian Woman.
She told us how this very spot was a chosen way to stop for the Indians on the Trail of Tears.

The nine flags representing the states of the Trail of Tears
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
The removal of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole

https://www.britannica.com/event/Trail-of-Tears

Commemorative Trail of Tears Cabin

Statues at the Trail of Tears

We stopped at Chick-fil-A in Hopkinsville, where we ordered Lemonade, Peach Milkshake, and some chicken fingers.

Chick-fil-a Hopkinsville KY 

Peach Milkshake (my favorite), Chicken strips, and Lemonade

Our next stop was the Fort Campbell Memorial, Park 

As we traveled through Nashville we encountered work traffic.

The sunset on the clouds as we encountered our last mile home
around 8PM

🚂🚂🚂2016 October 15, Saturday, Train Ride! Monterey Fall Foliage Excursion

The sun was peeking through the clouds as we rode through Columbia, Tennessee.
We ate breakfast at Burger King in Columbia, Tennessee. Hubby ordered an egg, cheese, and sausage croissant, I ordered two pieces of sausage and three French breadsticks with syrup and water to drink.
We arrived around 7AM at the Central Railway Museum 220 Willow St Nashville, TN.
Several people had arrived they were parking wherever they could find an open spot. We were the last ones to park in a gated area.
We walked to the museum there were people already standing in line.

We walked into the train museum there were several rows of people sitting. We walked to the back of the museum where we saw a miniature running train display,

At 7:30AM we heard the train whistle, letting everyone know it had arrived and was time to begin loading.
The train holds 500 people and the excursion was sold out.
There was an older couple who had just sat down on a nearby bench.
The woman said the train does not leave until 8:00AM and it will take a while for all these people to board, so we decided to sit down next to them and wait.

The couple had seats in the dome train car.
We were sitting in  25 & 26 on TCRX  4719 First Class.
The conductor/ticket collector had a list of all the passengers and he checked them off as people boarded.

The train's horn blew at 8:00AM as we were leaving the train station.

Selfie as we began our train excursion 

At times the train gained speed up to 55 MPR and would drop down to 35, 25, 15MPR.

The restrooms were not available until the train started to move. Our conductor/ticket collector had to unlock them.
That was my first stop.
The windows on the train were made out of thick hard plastic, not glass which made it hard to get a good picture.

Riding the train up the mountain we saw lots of dried-up creeks and empty fields where the crops had been gathered.
We saw cows, bulls, and other animals feeding along with the hill country.
We rode through the towns of Lebanon, Watertown, Brush Creek, Gordonville's, Caney Fork, Lancaster, Buffalo Valley, Silver Point, Baxter, Watertown, & Cookeville.

I-40 

The train crossed over I-40 several times.
I walked to the dining car for snacks (which was several cars back) I bought two Diet Cokes and two packages of peanut butter crackers which cost me $6.00

Standing Stone Festival was taking place in Monterey, "Where the hilltops kiss the sky."
At  9AM they were having a parade, a Cruise-In after the parade, and at 10AM a Ceremony at Standing Stone.
Near noon they were expecting the Excursion train coming from Nashville.
When we arrived in Monterey the train blew its whistle, letting the people that we had arrived.
Before we left the train we were told to be ready to load onto the train at 1:50PM and the train would be leaving the station at 2:00PM.

Crowd leaving the train

The people of Monterey were prepared for visitors.
The VFW had grilled hamburgers & hotdogs, and a group of women had cooked pinto beans and cornbread.
The Blue Cup and Saucer were filling up with people from the train.

The Cup & Saucer Restaurant 

We walked down the street looking at the vendor's wares.
We stopped at a booth where several young girls were selling cookies.
We bought a package of peanut butter cookies and a package of oatmeal raisins.
We had a diet cook left over from the train ride.
We ate our snacks as we walked through the downtown area, which was a couple of blocks away.
We stopped to look at the cars from the cruise-in which consisted of about 10 cars.

I stopped to take a picture of the Civil War Historic Marker.

Stokes' Atrocity
Four miles north of this site, the atrocity occurred during the War Between the States. On March 12, 1864, Federal Col. William B. Stokes and approximately 200 soldiers of the 5th Tenn. Volunteer Cavalry (Union) surrounded the homes of a Southern sympathizer and shot six unarmed Confederate soldiers. These soldiers, led by 2nd Lt. Robert S. Davis, included members from Terry's 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment and one Alabama cavalryman. They became separated from their original outfit and had recently joined forces with Captain Champ Ferguson's independent cavalry company.
Continued

Stokes' Atrocity
Days earlier the Confederates had routed Col. Stoke's command in the skirmish at Dug Hill on the Calfkiller River. Shortly after the shooting at the house, Lt. Davis — the only Confederate wounded and not killed outright — was taken into the yard, tied to a cedar gatepost, and his body riddled with bullets. His last words were "You ought not to do this, I have never done anything but my sworn duty.

Old Fire Truck in front of Train Depot Museum 

Stone Standing Monument 

Standing Stone Monument
The Standing Stone was a 13-foot (4.0 m)-tall rock that once stood upright on a sandstone ledge in the area. It was the legendary boundary between Cherokee and Shawnee territory and marked the Cherokee Tallonteeskee Trail. The 8-foot (2.4 m) remnant of this stone is preserved in Monterey, where a Standing Stone Celebration of Native American Heritage is held each October

We wanted to see the Standing Stone that everyone was talking about, it was located several blocks away from the festival.
There was a concrete path that twisted and turned near the train tracks, which led to Standing Stone.
Standing Stone was in front of the public library.
After taking a few pictures we visited the library, I needed to charge my cell phone and use the restroom.
In the library, I noticed an article that was near the information desk

The article said: that Thomas Jefferson Whittaker 
Dec 18, 1818-Nov 30, 1900 "Murdered by Grandson just 150 ft Yards from here."
This piqued my interest so I read the article. 
One of the earliest pioneers of Standing Stone, now called Monterey, T.J. Whittaker stood 6-ft 2in. in his stockings. The son of Capt.  John Whitaker was a War of 1812 Veteran who fought in Gen. Andrew Jackson's Army. Whittaker was born about two miles from the present town. 
He married Nancy Dillard Clark in 1841 and raised a large family. In 1853, he bought the old homestead from his father. The home is set on what is now the corner of N. Elmore St. and Old Walton Rd. 
An Avid hunter, Whittaker killed deer, bears, wildcats, wolves, panthers, and more. 
Whittaker Park was donated to the town by him.
On his last day on earth, Whittaker arose early. About noon, he took his mules along with some horseshoes to the blacksmith. Returning home about 4:30PM on that Friday afternoon, he came across his grandson, Jackie Whittaker, and a Cooper man arguing in front of the Standing Stone monument. He tried to get his grandson to go home, but it seemed to make the situation worse, so he pulled the mule and headed home.
After traveling about 150 yards, Whittaker's grandson came up from behind him and demanded his mule and took it away from him. Whittaker picked up a stick to defend himself, but his grandson stuck a knife into his grandfather's neck, killing him. 
Jackie Whittaker ran home and got his pistol, daring any of the womenfolk who had gone to help TJ Whittaker. Police Chief Alec Weeks (Later Putman Sheriff) came to the scene. The young Whittaker fired at him, by missed. Weeks returned fire hitting him twice. The grandson recovered to spend time in prison. Thomas Jefferson Whittaker is buried in the Whittaker Cemetery, just north of here on Elmore St. not far from where he lived and not far from where he died. 

The Story Teller 

We walked to the Train Depot Museum, there were many people from the train Excursion inside.
We walked through the museum viewing the many items that were on display and heard locals telling stories about Monterey.
When he finished talking, I said we have stories about our town that are similar, especially about the war.
I told him a story about an ex-Civil War Soldier named Tom Clark and his gang of bushwhackers, how they came into our town and ravaged it.
He and his gang were captured and hanged. Tom Clark said (so they say) that no one would ever ride over him.  He was buried in the middle of Tennessee Street and is rode over every day.
The man laughed!
He said, my last name is Clark and I have a distant relative named Tom Clark how ironic is that?

1909 Imperial Hotel 

We walked back to the vendors to buy some meat skins and water.
We bought the water from the group of women selling beans and cornbread.
One of the women asked how much it cost to ride the train.
We walked passed the 1909 Imperial Hotel stopping to take a couple of pictures.

We heard the train whistle.
People shouted THE TRAIN IS COMING!
People were taking pictures and videos as the train made its way toward us.

When the train came to a complete stop, the conductor called OUT ALL ABOARD!

While we were visiting the town the train had rode up to the switchyard.
Switching the Engines from the front of the train to the back of the train.
Now the gift shop, dining cars, and women's restrooms were in front of us.
The conductor had turned our seats in that direction.
After everyone loaded into the train, the conductor checked his list making sure that he did not leave anyone behind. He had told us earlier that the train would leave at 2:00PM and anyone left behind would have to take a taxi home.

As we were descending down the mountain the train moved slowly, breaking so the train would not become a run-a-way train.
Sitting in front of us was a man from Connecticut, he was telling the conductor a funny story.
I told the story of my daughter's plane experience. How a doctor or nurse was needed and she and a dentist were the only ones on the plane.
A woman was in the restroom, sweating profusely, she had taken two Ex-Lax Laxatives before boarding the plane.
When my daughter bent down to take the woman's blood pressure, her pants couched on the edge of something and made a big rip down the back of her pants.

My daughter lived in Newington, Connecticut, Boston, Mass, and Providence, RI.
I told the man from Connecticut, about all the places that we visited when I came to visit her.

The sun was setting and I wanted to get a picture so I walked to where the train cars connected.
I stuck my head out the window and started taking pictures. I even got one of the full moons.

We arrived at the train depot in Nashville around  7:57PM.

Full Moon 

Panda Express

Cream  Cheese Rangoon

Honey Walnut Shrimp 

We stopped at 7:50 p.m. at Panda Express, Spring Hill, TN.
Hubby ordered a plate with Chow Mein, orange chicken, broccoli & beef, and one chicken egg roll.
I ordered a small plate of Honey Walnut Shrimp and three Cream Cheese rangoons.
We were home by 10:00PM, hubby's bedtime.

2003 ~ April 2-6 My English cousin comes to Alabama from Reepham, England

Day 1: Wednesday, April 2, 2003

I took two of my grandchildren with me to pick up my cousin at the Huntsville, Alabama Airport.
His flight arrived at 5:53 P.M.

I tried to give a little history about the Buxton Family to my grandchildren. 

I told them that one of my great-uncles was a midget.

My granddaughter said, “ Granny was your great uncle born small and did he grow small?

My granddaughter was trying to figure out why my great-uncle was a midget.

I took the grandkids to Zaxby’s for supper where they ordered hot wings.

While we were at Zaxby's the kids asked me what my cousin looked like, and I said I had not seen him in five years but I am sure he looked the same.

After we finished eating we went to the airport to pick up my cousin. We met up with him at baggage claims.

My cousin said he was starving so we stopped a SubZone.
My grandson was still hungry so he ordered a Meatball sandwich.

The ride home took a little over an hour and a half.
We stopped at Ronald's and then I took the grandkids home. 
My cousin was impressed by the double-wide trailer where the grandkids lived.
We live in an RV with only one bedroom so we booked my cousin a room at Days Inn in Florence Room number 124.

Day 2: Thursday, April 3, 2003 
I picked up my cousin and we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

I ordered two pieces of sourdough toast and my cousin ordered fried apples and muffins.
My cousin wanted to make a long-distance call to his wife, so we stopped at a pay phone booth at a local gas station.

Off to see the sites that the Shoals has to offer. 

Our first stop was the Renaissance Tower, it was closed for renovations, but the front office was open so we went inside.

The clerk in the office said, “The Renaissance Tower will open again to the public in about one and half years.”

Then she said, I love your accent, where are you from?

Somehow we got on the subject of wine and the clerk said,” They have French Wine at Sam’s Club and it is marked down to $4.00 a bottle.”

She said the reason you can get the wine for this cost is because of the French. They supported the Americans in the war against Arabia. 

The Renaissance Tower

We rode across Wilson Dam

We stopped at my cousin's, she had just pulled into her drive. 
She had left her husband at the hospital in the ICU and had just a few minutes to visit with us.

We rode to Spring Park to see the beautiful manmade cascading waterfall.

Spring Park 

 Ivy Green

Next, we stopped at Ivy Green, the birth home of Helen Keller. 
We paid the admission price and the curator was very knowledgeable about the Keller home.
She told us how Ann Sullivan had dedicated her life to Helen Keller. 

She told us that Helen was the daughter of Mr. Keller and his second Kate. 

She also told us that Helen was born in the small house next to the large house, which was at one time occupied by David and Mary Keller Helen’s grandparents. 

She told us that Helen had spinal Meni at age 18 months, which left her deaf, dumb, and blind.
We thanked her for all the information and started touring the house.
Next, we walked outside to the building where Ann Sullivan took Helen, so she could teach her without interruption.

We walked by the water pump where Helen said her first word, WATER!

I rode passed the house that my grandfather built and lived in until his death. 
My cousin is a relative of my grandmother on my father's side. 
I also rode passed the cemetery where they are buried. 

We stopped at McFarland Park which is along the Tennessee River.

For lunch, I took my cousin to the historic, Classic Parlor Trowbridge on 316 N. Court Street. 

They are known for their different types of ice cream, hot dogs, and quick sandwiches. 

Don’t remember what we ordered but I know it was good.

Our next stop was Pope's Tavern.
We paid the admission and the curator started filling us in on the history.
I think she said was a former professor and a Watson.
She told us some history about the Watson family not sure right now how that related to the Tavern.
She was a very interesting person and she kept us way past closing time.

We rode to my home where my cousin used the computer to send his wife an email.

For dinner, we went to Barnhill's where we met up with other family members.

Amelia and her husband Peanut, my brothers David & Terry, and Terry's wife Caroline.
Harry and his wife Brenda and my son Mike.
We had a very enjoyable meal reunion.
We dropped my cousin off at the hotel and drove home. 

Day 3: Friday, April 4, 2003
My cousin and I ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, and two slices of sourdough bread. 

Our first stop was Wal-Mart.
My cousin had promised to give my aunt, who worked at Wal-Mart, some British coins.

My uncle was also there.

In Wal-Mart we met a woman in the automotive department, she asked my cousin where he was from in England and he said Reepham, then she said, I am from a little town not far from where you live.

She said I married an American Soldier and came to America to live. 

Next, we went to the bus station so my cousin could purchase a bus ticket to Myrtle Beach South Carolina. 

More site seeing: 

Our first stop was the log cabin/Home/Museum, where the Father of the Blues W.C. Handy was born and lived. The cabin was moved to this site. We saw the Handy library, Several photos hanging on the walls. There were a couple of quilts lying on the rockers, a quilt atop the bed, a fireplace, a rug on the floor, Kerosene lanterns, a beautiful piano, and in the kitchen wooden dough bowl, glassware, and many cooking tools, dishes, rub-board, dipper, bucket, washpan, soap, pitcher, and many other items. 

Our next stop was Indian Mount where we walked many steps to the top.

We rode across the O'Neal Bridge named for Governor O'neal who once lived in this area. 
We rode to Tuscumbia to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
We toured the museum and stopped in the gift shop.  
The woman in the gift shop said where are you from? I love your accent. I said my cousin is visiting family and he is from England. 

  WC Handy Museum 

For lunch, we stopped at Rick's in Muscle Shoals.
We ate supper at Newborns in Florence. Once again we met up with family members. 
Amelia's husband doesn't eat fish so he ordered chicken. 

Day 4: Saturday, April 5, 2003 
Amelia cooked supper and everyone brought a dish.
Bobbie, Dad, Teresa, Rick, Harrison, Paula, and Robert

Amelia had prepared chicken, blueberry, and strawberry cheesecake.

My cousin talked about our relatives who lived in England.

Day 5: Sunday, April 6, 2003
My husband took us to the TVA Dam to show us how the dam works.
My husband took us inside of the dam, and we all had to wear hard hats.

He showed us how the flood gates, & turbines work.
He showed us the waterfall.

 Wilson Dam Turbines

We then rode to Opry Mills in Nashville.

We stopped at the Bass Pro Shop and walked through Opry Mill Mall where my cousin bought a music box for his daughter. 

On the way to Nashville, we saw a lot of farm equipment.
My cousin was very impressed with the many different types of tractors he saw. 
He is a cattle farmer in England.

 Bass Pro Shop in Nashville 

Day 6: Monday, April 7, 2003
Sadly we had to say goodbye.
I dropped my cousin off at the bus depot and from there he is going to 

Myrtle Beach South Carolina.
He said he enjoyed his visit to the Shoals and would love to come back.

I am so glad he came for a visit. It is not very often we ever get to meet relatives that live so far away.