Author: Salemily

We met in San Francisco in December 2013 and were married on Valentine's Day 2016. After two years of marriage, we've decided to trade in corporate life for a global travel adventure and our continued commitment to making a positive difference in the world. Follow our adventure.

Day 20 – Louisville, KY – Pigeon Forge, TN

Just because we were leaving Louisville, doesn’t mean we’re leaving Bourbon country!

C’mon! Join us!
Hey! We know them!
Tempted but we have a reservation elsewhere!
Former Rickhouse? Or just cool marketing material?
Willett! Our home for the next few hours!
Now that’s a clearer sign!
The building on the left is the visitor center! Tasting room downstairs and restaurant upstairs! The building on the right is their distilling facility! You can see the grain storage on the left side (corn in silver and other grains in red), even if the yellow tower dominates the landscape!
The distillery from a prettier angle! The grounds at Willett were exquisite!
Remember the Willett bottle we saw yesterday? The bartender told us to keep the shape in mind as we toured the facility! There it is! The pot still! Clever!
One of our favorites!
Another of our favorites! We also enjoyed the small batch rye but forgot to get a picture! D’oh!
Reluctantly we had to press on from Willett! But the good news is that we found State #15!
Our morning tomorrow! We didn’t know that the Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the country! Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are on the north side of the park and are resting spots for weary travelers before they journey into the park. The only thing we knew about Pigeon Forge is that it was home to Dollywood (Dolly Parton’s theme park) and various other of her entrepreneurial activities! But boy did we mis-underestimate the size of Pigeon Forge. It’s a cross between Las Vegas, Coney Island and Disneyland! All you can eat buffets! Every chain restaurant you can imagine! And menagerie of activities for young families – including a Titanic Museum, a Jurassic Park theme ride, batting cages, racetracks, etc! It’s a stunning eye full to drive past! And we thought we were stopping in a quiet little town!
One example of the eye full!
Another! Yes, that’s King Kong climbing the Empire State Building! And right next to a Mount Rushmore style mountain of Hollywood celebs – John Wayne, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin!

End of day odometer – 5,448 (278 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 4,801 miles

Day 19 – St. Louis, MO – Louisville, KY

A 4 state day! We started in Missouri, drove back into Illinois, across Indiana and into Kentucky! We also had a time zone change (once!)! We are now in the Eastern Daylight Timezone!

State #13
State #14
Our hotel in Louisville (pronounced Lou-uh-ville incidentally) was apparently in the Bourbon District! Serendipity! On the not so good side, we strolled to the Ohio River and took lotsa photos! Upon review, none are worth sharing! Boo! Suffice it to say there’s a huge river that flows just to the north of Louisville and is the marks the border between Indiana and Kentucky!
Such a helpful map!
Our first choice Bourbon bar turned out to be closed so we found a new one! This one was called Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar! So yes, horse racing still looms large in Louisville! Our bartender gave us a tasting tour that reflected different mixes of corn, rye and barley! The picture above reflects an Old Forester flight we did – which included 3 styles that reflect the history of bourbon making! He later let us try some that are tempered by wheat (neutralizes what many people don’t like about bourbon or whisky)! Great guy! We learned a ton!
On our way out, we noted to our bartender that we were going to Willett Distillery in Bardstown! He pulled out this bottle and said take a photo! You’ll understand when you finish your day! So remember this photo for when we do our post on Day 20!

End of day odometer – 5,170 (269 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 4,523 miles

Days 17-18 – Springfield, IL – St. Louis, MO

After nearly two and a half weeks on the road, we finally had a chance to stay in one place for two nights. We worked out, did some laundry and used the gym. More importantly, we got to enjoy some of what St Louis has to offer.

As we approached St. Louis we stumbled across this icon – the Gateway Arch!
After we crossed the Mississippi (again!), we crossed over into Missouri from Illinois! State #12!
As we exited the bridge…and a tiny glimpse of the mighty Mississippi!
After parking our car, we made a bee-line for the Gateway Arch National Park! The Arch is beautiful and it was fun to photograph it from different angles!
The next item our agenda was a 1pm CT game between the St Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants! But first we needed a bit of lunch! Sports & Social is a lively bar/restaurant just outside Busch Stadium! It has loud music, indoor and outdoor games and good food and drinks!
Inside the stadium!
We had lots of fun hanging with Cardinals Nation! We asked lots of questions about where to go for BBQ! What St Louis BBQ means! We started a few boisterous and animated conversations about local favorites! It was great fun!
The stadium was surprisingly not full! A wonderful Sunday afternoon in a baseball crazy town against a leading National League rival! Still not full!
We woke up on Monday morning and our horoscopes said this! It couldn’t be helped!
Sugarfire won the debate at the baseball game, so we had to go check it out!
The whole neighborhood smelled amazing thanks to this giant smoker!
Tremendous BBQ lunch! The brisket was especially delicious! But this was not the culinary high point of the day!
This place makes excellent ice cream! Remarkably good!
Yes! The case does indeed say Strawberry Jalapeno! It’s all strawberry and then the jalapeno sneaks in at the end! AMAZING! The proprietor told us to come back for their best flavor – Mango Jalapeno! Too bad we couldn’t be there for that!
We stayed at the Missouri Athletic Club, right in downtown St Louis. Blocks from both the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium! In the middle of the dining room, adjacent to the booth where we ate a fine dinner, we saw this mural on the wall! Anyone recognize it? It’s a bit hard to see but it’s “The Catch!” Go Niners!

End of day odometer – 4,901 (103 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 4,254 miles

Day 16 – Deerfield, IL – Springfield, IL

The big news today is that we officially start the World Famous Route 66 in Chicago – heading west to Santa Monica, CA! Please be prepared for some kitsch and nostalgia from the 1920’s-1950’s!

The starting line in Chicago – Michigan Avenue and East Jackson Boulevard!
Our first stop was Old Joliet Prison! The Blues Brothers! The greatest movie of all time, said only S!
The ice cream shop was closed but Jake and Elwood Blues are still doing their thing! So good!
The Blues Brothers’ car with bullhorn attached – needed to advertise their killer show at the Palace Hotel Ballroom! Orange whip anyone? Stay with us people!
Our breakfast spot in Joliet! Very excited for all the neon signage that’s coming!
In the olden days, these fiberglass giants were cutting edge advertising techniques for all things…most notably car parts like tires and mufflers. Hence, their nickname the muffler men. Now they are kitsch for more mundane things! This one celebrates the NASA Gemini missions and is known as Gemini Man!
Hot Dog Man!
Not technically a muffler man giant, but where else do we put a massive President Lincoln sitting in a wagon? The statue is known as Railsplitter!

Route 66 officially dates to 1926 but didn’t take-off til later as a leisure activity for the emerging middle class and their cars. As such, gas stations and auto mechanics were the early rock stars! This gas station dates to 1932.
The gas station was closed but we checked the prices! Don’t ask! Kitsch pays very well!
Standard Oil? Rockefeller would be proud!
These have obviously been refurbished, but the history just oozes out of these buildings! A popular Route 66 trivia question is what tire brand is advertised at this station! Miller Tires!
No longer cutting edge gas pump technology!
Last one…for today…we promise!
Of the 3, this is the only that was open, but Sigrid didn’t need a “fill’er up!”
We spent some time walking around Pontiac, IL!
Pontiac is home to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame!
More impressive than the HOF museum was this mural, which maps the entire Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica and names nearly every town along the way!
E finally found a car her size! Not enough painted flowers and could you show her something in a purple? And perhaps side doors?
Our awesome first day on Route 66 ended in the home town of President Lincoln! This is the site of the only home that he and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, owned during their marriage! They left the home in 1861 when he become President-Elect, but he never returned obviously!
We’re not sure, but we suspect the aluminum siding was added by a later owner! What you thought the kitsch wasn’t going to rub off?

End of day odometer – 4,798 (246 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 4,151 miles

Day 15 – Green Bay, WI – Deerfield, IL

We met E’s Aunt and Uncle in Wisconsin! We went on a nice nature walk with them after a wonderful lunch!
And now for something completely different! On our nature walk, we walked past a Biergarten and didn’t stop!

After a lovely afternoon with family, we pressed on and crossed over into State #11!

End of day odometer – 4,552  (200 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 3,905 miles

Day 14 – Duluth, MN to Green Bay, WI

About a mile into our drive we crossed into State #10
A holy place for football fans!
Lambeau Field is across the street from this place!
This place!
C’mon you knew they served up the good stuff! With Lambeau in the background!
Our waiter was 19! We kept asking him about beers and he’d run off and bring tasters of things to try! I don’t think we paid for even half of it. He earned every penny of his large gratuity!
The streets around Lambeau are named for some of their all-time greats! The Super Bowl trophy is named after Coach Lombardi!
The Minister of Defense!
Super Bowl winning coach!
Quite the intersection of Super Bowl winning coaches! And former 49ers coaches as well!
An early NFL starr (not a typo)!
Look up gunslinger in the dictionary and there is a picture of…

End of day odometer – 4,352 (346 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 3,705 miles

Day 13 – Fargo, ND – Duluth, MN

Fargo is right on the border so this didn’t take long! Forgetting that we were briefly in Minny yesterday, State #9!
The last few days have been smoky and hazy! We’ve talked about the fires out West, but we’re now seeing smoke from the fires in Canada! The air quality has been okay for breathing, but it’s definitely affected visibility and the weather!
Yep, that Mississippi River! Not as mighty here but we’re near it’s headwaters!
Breakfast stop! Everything a diner should be!
Duluth, MN! Lake Superior! Sadly the haze and smoke followed us from Fargo!
More Lake Superior! In the middle of the photo, you can see the iconic Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge!
A close up of the same bridge in the up position! Is something coming through?

We arrived just in time to watch this monster go through/under the bridge!

Soon after the ship went through, the bridge began to lower the deck!
Done! The bridge in the down position!
As we headed back along the shore, we caught one last glimpse of the ship that came through the Bridge!
Nobody can be surprised at this point, right? A recommendation from a local!
Truth in advertising!
They also make hard seltzers, but we didn’t partake!
Note the pickle in the beer second from the right! This is at least the third brewery at which we’ve seen pickles in beers! What the heck is going on?

End of day odometer – 4,006 (279 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 3,359 miles

Day 12 – Sioux Falls, SD – Fargo, ND

Ever wonder why Sioux Falls is called Sioux Falls and not Sioux City? Cuz Sioux City is in Iowa, silly. But here’s the real reason it’s called Sioux Falls!

As we headed south into Iowa, we stumbled across this gem of a sign!
State #7!
After departing Iowa and back in SD, we stopped at Dempsey’s! Believe it or not, they have a national championship quality brick over pizza! It was delicious!
But they also make their own beer!
They had a million flags at Dempsey’s! Some national flags! Some state flags! Some futbol clubs!
State #8! 2 new states in 1 day!
I mean c’mon! What did you expect? This excellent pub came highly recommended but was across the border in Minnesota! Technically state #9, but we’ll save that for tomorrow!
All sorts of funky art on the walls, but we chose to sit outdoors on the patio!
We loved the Old Red Lion and the Christain Bale Ale!
Chompers was fun too!
Hard at work on the blog! Oh and there’s a beer in the picture too! Cheers!

End of day odometer – 3,727 (289 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 3,080 miles

Day 11 Part 2 – Rapid City, SD – Sioux Falls, SD

Last we left you in Part 1, we were in in Wall, SD. We continued driving Eastward and stopped for a quick bite to eat. But we needed another break on this long driving day. E found exactly what we needed. Let us introduce you to Porter Sculpture Park and Wayne Porter, a self-taught sculptor. He bought some land in Montrose, SD, to feature his artwork while he waits for his cows to fatten up and for his corn to grow tall.

He’s an eccentric guy as you will see from his art and his poetry. But his heart is gold and his stuff is definitely worth stopping for. At only $10 per person, it’s a bargain to witness all of his hardwork. Some of it makes you think. Some of it makes you a bit teary. And all of it is a great big giggle.

This is as good an intro to Wayne Porter as you will get! This sign greeted us in the parking lot!
A buzzard with a knife and fork! Get it!?
Cod skeleton with umbrellas! This makes no sense until we tell you that there is a poem that goes with this exhibit talking about taking a shower with a fish holding an umbrella! The poem didn’t photograph well.
Pandora’s Box + Jack in the Box = this exhibit!
Guardian #1!
Guardian #2! Of what you ask?
Guarding this!

E doesn’t like spiders, but she liked this exhibit!
The fish bowl was one of our favorites!
This was a very powerful exhibit! The woman cleaning up the floor is sweeping up pieces of herself! Speaks to the impact that this kind of work has on a person!
A different take on sees no evil, hears no evil, speaks no evil!
The boars are genetically the same! Related! But they will fight each other on sight! The sculptor asks, what’s wrong with people that behave the same?
Even the T-Rex has to stop to smell the flowers?
The antelope plays the saxophone while nude maidens dance around him!
Wasp with a fly swatter?
Fish smelling the flowers? Birds yakking to each other? And a monkey?
One of S’s favorites!
A mechanical horse! Every bit as big as the bull head that you saw above!

End of day odometer – 3,438 (413 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 2,791 miles

Day 11 Part 1 – Rapid City, SD – Sioux Falls, SD

We’ve tried to keep each post for a single day. But this was an epic day and we took hundreds of photographs. It was hard to cut down to what we will share. Please enjoy!

We’ll get to it in a bit, but probably 60% of all billboards in SD are dedicated to Wall Drug! The one cool aspect is that they still charge old timey prices for coffee, they provide free ice water and lots of major discounts for veterans!
Badlands, here we come!
The Badlands Loop! Route 240! A must do! It’s unbelievable!
Finally here! Let’s get started!
From Rapid City to just outside the Badlands is serene prairie land. About 5 miles out, the land starts to undulate and get a bit wonky. Enter the park and blam! This amazing landscape! What’s crazy is that half of it is above ground and half is below ground! The foreground is all below the prairie-scape as seen in the middle right. The background in the upper right is all above ground!
Close up of the above ground landscape!
I mean, c’mon! It’s just epic! The colors! The camera phone just doesn’t do it justice!
Remarkable!
Now some yellow?!?
Last one! The rows and layers are incredible! They look painted on!
After leaving such an amazing, natural landscape, we headed to kitsch-ville and the land of knick-knacks!
OK, the drug store is cool! Been there almost 100 years, but the rest is just conspicuous consumption of cheaply made goods that are overpriced!
If you want to find Wall Drug, this is all the help we will provide!

Part 2 will follow soon!