Louisville! The Possibility City!
More on our trip to Louisville...
We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather on the trip up there or during the week. The weather on the way back--real Wrath of God precipitation combined with continuous spray from passing semis--was another matter. The windmills... I mentioned them yesterday, but I can't explain how awe-inspiring it was to come upon a field of massive freaking windmills in the middle of Indiana. It was like wandering through a plain of Nephilim-erected megaliths. The blades must have measured out at 20 feet or so, and the towers at about 50 or more feet, but that's just a guesstimate. I took pictures but they failed to convey the massive, cool-white, space-age bleakness of those giant pinwheels.
Before crossing the Ohio River, I noticed that the car's gas light was flickering, so I stopped at a station that, honestly, scared the crap out of me. Men with Fu Manchu mustaches mounting giant motorcycles. Camouflage chic. A screaming bat-faced woman who seemed very angry at life. Crossing the great divide between Indiana and Kentucky, the switch from north to upper south became immediately evident. God, guns, and Old Glory started turning up on billboards and bumper stickers. When we reached the hotel, I was amused and aghast to see the pawnbroker next door was advertising that they sold both new AND used guns. Coming from Chicago, it was equally disconcerting to sit in restaurants with smoking sections. In fact, cancer sticks were alight everywhere. Before we left Chicago I mused to Mike that, unless she remembered the great state of KY going blue during the 2008 election, it might be wise to remove our Obama bumper sticker. I didn't, but no harm befell our car. My bad, southerners.
The first day was spent swimming in the hotel pool and chilling out in our room after our rapid but nonetheless five-hour-long drive. Day two began with a stop downtown, where we looked over the mighty Ohio and visited the statues of George Rogers Clark and York, voting member of the Lewis and Clark party and admirable flipper of the bird to William Clark, when the explorer suggested that, hey, now they were back in civilization, York should get back to stepping and fetching for his massa. "Screw that," said York. Really, read that entry. It's a fascinating tale.
While York wins for best statue and story, General Clark did allow for a great "No, YOU the man!" shot. (Damn that scratched lens.)
Louisville also offered a new kook for my files: Kool Smiles. A Google serch only turns up a kid's dentist, and the YouTube address doesn't seem to work. Hm. WHO is trying to silence KOOL SMILES?
More tomorrow.
We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather on the trip up there or during the week. The weather on the way back--real Wrath of God precipitation combined with continuous spray from passing semis--was another matter. The windmills... I mentioned them yesterday, but I can't explain how awe-inspiring it was to come upon a field of massive freaking windmills in the middle of Indiana. It was like wandering through a plain of Nephilim-erected megaliths. The blades must have measured out at 20 feet or so, and the towers at about 50 or more feet, but that's just a guesstimate. I took pictures but they failed to convey the massive, cool-white, space-age bleakness of those giant pinwheels.
Before crossing the Ohio River, I noticed that the car's gas light was flickering, so I stopped at a station that, honestly, scared the crap out of me. Men with Fu Manchu mustaches mounting giant motorcycles. Camouflage chic. A screaming bat-faced woman who seemed very angry at life. Crossing the great divide between Indiana and Kentucky, the switch from north to upper south became immediately evident. God, guns, and Old Glory started turning up on billboards and bumper stickers. When we reached the hotel, I was amused and aghast to see the pawnbroker next door was advertising that they sold both new AND used guns. Coming from Chicago, it was equally disconcerting to sit in restaurants with smoking sections. In fact, cancer sticks were alight everywhere. Before we left Chicago I mused to Mike that, unless she remembered the great state of KY going blue during the 2008 election, it might be wise to remove our Obama bumper sticker. I didn't, but no harm befell our car. My bad, southerners.
The first day was spent swimming in the hotel pool and chilling out in our room after our rapid but nonetheless five-hour-long drive. Day two began with a stop downtown, where we looked over the mighty Ohio and visited the statues of George Rogers Clark and York, voting member of the Lewis and Clark party and admirable flipper of the bird to William Clark, when the explorer suggested that, hey, now they were back in civilization, York should get back to stepping and fetching for his massa. "Screw that," said York. Really, read that entry. It's a fascinating tale.
While York wins for best statue and story, General Clark did allow for a great "No, YOU the man!" shot. (Damn that scratched lens.)
Louisville also offered a new kook for my files: Kool Smiles. A Google serch only turns up a kid's dentist, and the YouTube address doesn't seem to work. Hm. WHO is trying to silence KOOL SMILES?
More tomorrow.