Wet, but happy campers are we

Today’s adventures did not start with hand tools, so that was a good.

Up at 8 a.m. we found that the weather had turned very cold overnight and although we didn’t have any snow on the ground, we could see it falling.

The campground has very nice bathroom and shower facilities so to save water storage capacity and to save time in cleaning up our bathroom, we have been using the campground facilities.

Unfortunately for Joan, I apparently got the last hot water of the morning and she didn’t enjoy her cold shower.

I had my usual Cheerios breakfast and we were off on a sightseeing trip about 11 a.m.

We arrived at the Kentucky Horse Park about 11:40 a.m. and the rain had slowed, but we still had to deal with a cold drizzle.

Many of the best exhibits – the Hall of Champions and the Breeds Barn (photo) – are outdoors so we had to deal with a little weather, but still a very enjoyable tour.

The museum was a nice break from the weather and also very interesting. The museum follows the evolution of the horse from prehistoric days through its initial use by man for food and then service.

The Hall of Champions was really cool, as it houses some of the best horse champions in the world. Sadly, Alysheba, a Kentucky Derby winner, died just ten days ago and his stall was closed and lined with flowers. His freshly dug grave was outside, across from legendary horse, John Henry.

But we got an up close and personal look at Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, (photo) Western Dreamer, Cigar, and Kona Gold.

We paid our respects to the grave of Man O’ War and also a fairly new memorial to Secretariat. Our daughter, Elin, is not much of a horse lover, in fact she pretty much despises them, but her mother decided that even she would have enjoyed the Horse Park.

She might not have enjoyed the horse drawn tour (photo) we took in a driving rain that Joan, who had pulled her coat tightly around her face, said reminded her a little of the MSU vs. Florida International monsoon game in September at Spartan Stadium. The only difference was today’s rain was about 37 degrees.

There is a former copy editor, and Misty will know who I’m talking about, who deserves a big apology from me after all the kidding I did at the expense of her beloved Kentucky. This is a wonderful state, a beautiful state, and while the natives here speak a language I can barely understand, are incredibly friendly and nice.

From the Horse Park we followed OnStar directions to Talon Winery south of Lexington where Joan did her wine tasting and we left with a couple bottles of wine. The countryside was filled with horse farms with small, old homes with expansive new barns. In some cases the barns looked more hospitable than the houses.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant in Lexington and then arrived back at our trailer about 7 p.m. We are in for the night and awaiting the MSU vs. North Carolina National Championship basketball game. Go State!