Day 4-5: Louisville (Eric)

Day 4-5 (June 2-3, 2021): We only spent one night in Louisville, and we both wish we had added another night to explore the city. Since we had limited time, I’ll share most of what we saw during our brief visit to our second stop on our epic road trip. 

We stayed in the downtown area which was cool, but it reminded us of Houston a little in the sense that it is a business area that seems to shut down in the evening. Having said that, we found some cool things to see and do. We first walked to dinner around the corner from our hotel to a place called The Mussel and Burger Bar, which is exactly what it sounds like. I had mussels, which took a while, but were yummy. Jenny had a seafood burger, which sounds odd, but was awesome - I tried a bite too. The French fries were also very tasty. 

Next, we spent time walking around seeing cool sights...

A replica of Michelangelo’s David - with a mask added due to the pandemic...

A giant bat outside the Louisville Slugger Museum...

One of several painted horses around the city...

Kentucky - the birthplace of Bourbonism...

Cool architecture...

The Ohio River (we walked along the river for a good distance and saw some interesting sights)...







Day 2 in Louisville involved a visit to the famous Churchill Downs horse racing track, home of the Kentucky Derby. This is a must see if you’re in the area even if you’re not into horse racing. Neither Jenny nor I are into horses or racing, but the history and the magnificence of the grounds and the horses made us appreciate both a little more. In fact, if we’d had an extra night, we would have returned that night to see the races that would have happened in the evening. 

We went to the museum which had some informative and fascinating exhibits about the history of horse racing. The Kentucky Derby has been going on since 1875, and now it has grown to attract as many as 170,000 spectators in a non-pandemic year. 

The absolute highlight, which you have to get up early to see, is the thoroughbred workout. I will include some pictures, but they will not capture the majesty of these amazing animals. They are quite breathtaking as they can reach speeds of up to 40mph. 

If you zoom in on this picture, you can see that all four hooves are off the ground...

And now for a variety of cool shots of horses...

This horse was deliberately being slowed down by the trainer and that’s why his head is down. They don’t run the horses at full speed every day as the horse would wear out. 



This trainer stopped and talked to us for a while and ended up being from the same small town (Park Rapids, Minnesota) as one of the guests. It only has a population of 4,000, so it was one of those small world experiences that make traveling interesting. 




That’s all for now. I will post more about our next destination Cuyahoga Valley National Park when I get a chance. 

And Bitey has been doing fine on the trip still. Here he is relaxing with his people...

Day 1-3: Memphis (Eric)

Day 1-3 (May 30-June 1, 2021): Our first destination on our epic road trip with our cat, Bitey, brought us to Memphis. I am writing this from the rooftop of our hotel, and the view alone has helped me to achieve a much needed peaceful break from an incredibly stressful school year. 

Memphis is another city that exceeded my expectations. It has the elements that we’ve grown to love about traveling to different cities. It has a downtown filled with a variety of sights and great places to eat. 

Bitey has also been enjoying the views from our hotel room. 

In this post, I will be sharing a few of our favorite places we’ve visited while here in Memphis  
Beale Street is like the Bourbon Street of Memphis, and while not something that Jenny and I are normally interested in, it was worth wandering up and down to check out the eclectic mix of bars, music halls, and food places that line this street. BB Kings Blues Club was incredibly popular. So much so that we gave it a pass. The other place that caught our eye was an Irish bar that had live goats called Silky O’Sullivans, but it wasn’t open when we walked by. 

After an amazing dinner at a restaurant called Flight (our favorite restaurant in Memphis - not cheap but excellent food), we walked across a pedestrian bridge to see Mud Island River Park. While the maintenance of the park seems to have declined a little, we thought it was definitely worth wandering around. The one thing I didn’t take a picture of because it was hard to capture was a reproduction of the flow of the Mississippi River that spanned the length of the park. It ended in a large wading pool that was supposed to represent the Gulf of Mexico where the river ends near New Orleans. It was worth seeing. The views of the actual Mississippi from both the bridge and the park were also beautiful. 

One of the more surprising destinations we visited was the Bass Pro pyramid. We initially decided to visit the store because we both needed new sandals. But the store itself is a sight to see with ponds filled with fish, ducks, and even alligators. It is worth checking out if you’re in the area. We didn’t make it up to the observation deck and restaurant at the top of the pyramid, but after wandering through the whole store, we ended with more than just new shoes. The whole experience far surpassed my expectations. It’s not just a store; it’s an adventure. 

No trip to Memphis could be complete without a trip to Graceland, and while Jenny and I are not huge Elvis fans, it was cool to see the place the King called home for most of his all-too-short life. He was clearly a man with interesting tastes and a love for the unique which I’m sure helped propel him to greatness. If you look carefully at the Jungle Room picture (the one with the green shag carpet), you can see Jenny and me reflected in the mirror. For Elvis fans, Graceland is a must see. For everyone else, it’s worth a visit if you happen to be in Memphis. 

One of our food experiences was dinner at the Peabody Hotel made famous because they have ducks who hang out in a fountain in the lobby. The sight is worth checking out even if you don’t eat there. 

Rendezvous is also worth a visit for the ribs. It’s a cool place in a basement with a lot of character and good food. 

I saved the most powerful experience for last, and this one words and pictures will not do justice. The Lorraine Hotel, the sight of Martin Luther King’s assassination, has been converted into the National Civil Rights Museum. As Jenny and I wandered through the exhibits, we were both moved to tears several times over the cruelty of humanity. However, it is also a testament to the human spirit for endeavoring to overcome this cruelty through peaceful, non-violent means. I cannot capture the emotional impact this place had on me, and I am saddened to know that African Americans still fight for equality to this day. If you’re in Memphis, this place is a must see.