Washington County

Well, we've been to Nevada, seen the site of the bloodiest battle in Kentucky history, now we are standing in Texas!  Every time we leave the house on the 120 in 12, we never know what to expect.  The amazing thing is, we have yet to be disappointed.  So, here we are in Washington County on our way to Anderson County (mom is really hollering for some burgoo).  Washington County, oddly enough has deep roots with our 16th President Abraham Lincoln.  But, I'll cover all of that in more detail in our history lesson.

WASHINGTON COUNTY BACKGROUND

Washington County was formed in 1792 from parts of Nelson County.  It was the 10th county in the order of formation but was the first county formed after Kentucky became a state.  The county is named for none other than George Washington and the city of Springfield is the county seat.  The courthouse, built in 1816, is the oldest courthouse still in use in Kentucky.

Washington County is known for its tie to the Lincoln family history.  President Lincoln's grandfather, Abraham, Sr. relocated his family to Washington County in 1782 and settled about five miles north of Springfield, in an area known as Beechland.  Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, the presidents parents, were married in Washington County by Jesse Head, a Methodist minister in 1806.  The original marriage records are still located in the Washington County Courthouse.

At the Lincoln Homestead State Park, they showcase a replica of the log cabin in which Bersheba Lincoln, the president's grandmother raised her five children.  It is located on the traditional site of the original cabin.  The park also boasts The Berry House.  Nancy Hanks, the president's mother lived in this original home.  It is believed that Thomas Lincoln proposed to her in this house standing before the huge fireplace.

There is also a memorial to Nancy Hanks Lincoln on the property.

It is interesting to note that Jacob Beam, founder of Jim Beam Whiskey, sold his first barrel of whiskey in Washington County.

OUR VISIT

Our visit to Washington County started with a brief stop in Texas.  I guess it only seems appropriate, seeing how we had just left Nevada.  We actually missed it the first time.  I was driving pretty fast down U.S. 150 and we passed a little crossroads and I said, "Did that sign say Texas?".  So we turned around and went back.  Sure enough, we had flown right through Texas.   We stopped jumped out, snapped a picture and headed on to Springfield.

The first thing we did was stop at the old courthouse.  There is a memorial there to all the soldiers past and present from Washington County.  The funny thing is, I got a picture of the memorial but none of the courthouse.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I completely missed it.

Right across the street is the new county courthouse.  and out front is  a ten foot tall sculpture of President Lincoln.  The back of the statue has a plaque giving a brief history of the Lincoln family in Washington County.  You will find a picture, earlier in this post.  After reading all the information there, we decided to find our way out to the state park.

When we got there the park was about to close, so we did not pay for the tour.  Instead, we walked around on our own, again taking in all the literature that was available.  They had several pieces of furniture and other belongings that they claim were made and owned by Thomas Lincoln.  It's pretty cool to actually touch a piece of history.

As usual, we had miles to go before we slept, so jumped on the road towards Anderson County.  Mom was finally gonna get the burgoo she had waited for all day.

See you at number twenty-two.

Boyle County

We had no intention of visiting Boyle County on this outing.  But like I mentioned in my last post, we HAD to visit Nevada and Texas on this trip.  All it takes is a quick look at a map and it's not hard to figure out, that if you're in Nevada and want to go to Texas, you have to go through Perryville.  We knew we didn't have the time go to Danville, but Perryville would make a good stop for us, so we decided to check it out.

BOYLE COUNTY BACKGROUND

Boyle County was formed in 1842 from parts of Lincoln and Mercer counties.  It was the ninety-fourth county formed in Kentucky.  The county seat is Danville.  The county is named for John Boyle a prominent Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Congressman, and U.S. District Judge. 

Danville is considered "The City of Firsts" for being the first in many different areas.  Some of these are, it was the location of the first courthouse in Kentucky, had the first U.S. Post Office west of the Alleghenies, home to the first college in the west and was also the first Capital of Kentucky.

Boyle County / Danville is also home to Centre College.  Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders and was officially charted by the Commonwealth in January of 1819.  The school gets its name from being located in the geographical center of Kentucky.  Centre boasts a literal Who's Who in America among its alumni.  Today they offer 27 majors on a 152 acre campus containing 66 building, 14 of which are on the National Historical Register.  Please visit this page for a complete look at the history of Centre College.

Perryville is the site of the largest Civil War battle in Kentucky.  It has also been described as one of the bloodiest battles in modern times.  The Union suffered 4,421 casualties with a force of 22,000  -  28,000 men.  They were as follows: 845 killed, 2,851 wounded and 515 captured or missing.  The Confederacy employed 16,000 troops, of which there were casualties of 3,396.  Those losses were as follows: 510 killed, 2,635 wounded and 251 captured or missing.  Writing a brief narrative of something so monumental to American and Kentucky history is next to impossible.  I encourage you to visit the official webpage of the battle.  You can find it at http://www.battleofperryville.com/ .

OUR VISIT

We anticipated a short visit to Boyle County on our way to Texas.  A quick stop at the Perryville Battlefield and then move on down the road.  I was vaguely familiar with the Battle of Perryville, but didn't know many details.  Before we went to the battlefield we stopped in town, because I saw one of the painted wall advertisements that I like so much.   After a quick stop there, we made our way towards the battlefield.  It was a lot further outside of town than I expected. 

The entrance to the park is impressively unimposing.  From the entrance, you would have no idea you were about to visit a place that saw the death of over 1,300 men.  Once you find yourself inside the park, it is hard to imagine that such a horrible tragedy happened in a place as beautiful as this.  It is a prime example of the rolling hills of the bluegrass.  The park offers memorials to both the United States and Confederate soldiers who died or were wounded that day.  Just like in my last post, I would not be doing the memories of these fine men of both sides any justice if I did not show you pictures of the memorials.

 We ended up spending a lot more time there than we had anticipated.  We found ourselves reading and studying all of the markers around the park.  When you're standing there it is hard to even conceive a battle the size of the one that took place there.  On top of all the men that were killed there that day in early October, 1862, almost 5,500 men were wounded.  The devastation was so great and the losses so big, the Confederacy never returned to Kentucky in great force again.  With this battle the state stayed firmly in the Union.

Time was running short and we had two more counties to see.  So we loaded up jumped on U.S. 150 for the quick ride to Texas on our way to Springfield in Washington County.

Mercer County

Well, we are up to number nineteen.  We have had so much fun up to this point.  Our year will be over and all the counties seen, before we know it.  We planned this weekends trip around the Burgoo Festival in Anderson County.  We looked at the map and thought we would only visit three counties on this outing, I guess plans, like rules, are made to be broken. You will find out more about that over the next few posts.  But for now we will cover a bit of history and our visit to Mercer County.

MERCER COUNTY BACKGROUND

Mercer County was formed in 1784 and was the sixth county formed in the Commonwealth.  Harrodsburg is the county seat.  The county was named for General Hugh Mercer, a Revolutionary War hero and close friend of George Washington.

The city of Harrodsburg has the distinction of being the first permanent English settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains, having been settled in 1774.  It was originally call Harrod's Town and was founded by James Harrod.  In 1776 Harrod's Town became the county seat of Kentucky County, Virginia.  It later became the county seat of Lincoln County and finally became the Mercer County seat when it was formed in 1784.

Besides Old Fort Harrod, one of the best known sites in Mercer County is Shakertown at Pleasant Hill.  The Shakers were a Christian sect that saw their peak in the late 1800's.  By 1805 the Shakers had found their way to Kentucky.  By the mid-1850's Pleasant Hill had become one of the largest Shaker communities in America.  There were over 600 residents occupying 250 building on 2,800 acres.  For numerous reasons, the community folded in 1910 and the residents deeded the land to a private citizen.  However, in 1966 a group of concerned citizens founded a non-profit organization to restore the village and educate people about the Shaker way of life.

OUR VISIT

Our trip to Mercer County started out along U.S. 68.  We wound our way out of Jessamine County and crossed the Kentucky River near Pleasant Hill.  Of course we had to stop.  Unbeknown to us, there was a festival going on that weekend, so there were people everywhere.  And because we knew we had two other counties to get to, we walked around the outside of the village and drove through most of the park.  Being a fan of architecture, I love all of the old buildings at a place like this.  Going back to Shakertown and having lunch at the restaurant there is one of the things that will be on our "gotta go back" list.

After checking out Shakertown, we made our way to Harrodsburg.  I had no idea it was the first permanent settlement in Kentucky or that it was the county seat of Kentucky County.  But, the first thing we did was to find our way downtown, because we also like to check the courthouse if we can.  Much to our surprise, there was no court house.  They are in the process of building a new one.  So we took in a little bit of downtown and headed over to Old Fort Harrod.

What stands today as Old Fort Harrod is a reproduction of the original fort.  The original actually stood where today's parking lot is located.  The most fascinating part of the park to me was the old pioneer graveyard.   I'm going to break from my norm on this post and put up several pictures of the plaques and memorials at the park. 

 

We had one last stop on our trip through Mercer County.  As those of you that know us, our youngest son is quite inquisitive.  During one of our last outings, he asked to see the map, it is only a Kentucky map, mind you.  So we let him see it.  It wasn't long, before he said "I found Nevada".  We told him he was wrong, we were in Kentucky.  But he insisted he had found Nevada and finally showed us.  Sure enough, there it was; Nevada, Kentucky.  In case you haven't figured it out yet, Nevada is in Mercer County.  Not much to see, except the sign, but we saw it!  The funny thing is, he also found Texas, but it is in Washington County and we were on our way there.



Bath County

We had already had a full day.  We had made quick stop in Nicholas County, mom fell in love with Fleming County and we had a good visit in Rowan County, but we had one more stop.  We were on our way to Bath County.  We had done some research and knew there was one thing we wanted to do while we were there.  The problem was, we had to keep from getting lost.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself, first we need to cover a brief history.

BATH COUNTY BACKGROUND

Bath County was formed in January of 1811, being cut from Montgomery County.  The county gets its name for the many medicinal springs that are found in the area.  The county seat is the city of Owingsville, named for Colonel Thomas D. Owings, organizer of the U.S. 28th Infantry Regiment.

In 1790, the Old State iron furnace was built.  During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Bath County provided most of the iron needs of Kentucky as well as most other regions west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Olympia Springs, one of Kentucky's most popular resorts in the nineteenth century was located in Bath County.  It was actually a destination on the first stagecoach line out of Lexington in 1803.

The primary industry in Bath County has always been agriculture.  Crops include tobacco, hay and grain, as well as milk and beef cattle.  However, with the creation of Cave Run Lake on the Rowan County border and the completion of Interstate 64 through the county, tourism and industry has been on the rise.  Yet, as late as 1987, nearly 74% of the land in Bath County was devoted to farms.

OUR VISIT

We made our way into Bath County via U.S. 60.  The first little town we hit was Salt Lick.  My work had taken me there several time before, but mom and the boys had never been there.  It is such a quaint little town that looks like you picked it up out of the late '30s or '40s.  As I mentioned in my Nicholas County post, I love the old barn advertisements.  I also love old signs painted on the sides of building as well.  There is a great old Ale-8 sign on one of the buildings "downtown" Salt Lick.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, we tried every way in the world to get lost.  I use the GPS on my phone and out in areas like that, service is spotty at best.  We  were looking for one of the old iron furnaces from the 1800's.  We drove past the entrance several times.  I thought we were looking for a road, it was more like a driveway.  But it was worth the driving around after we found it.  It is the remains of this HUGE iron furnace.  There was a sign there, that said they produced up to 4 tons of iron a day at the expense of 35 cords of wood.  They has to clear hundreds of acres of forest each year just to keep up.  Another plus to this visit was, I took a small trail up around the back of the furnace and a found a $5.00 bill laying on the ground.  It's always a good day when you find a little green.

We probably spent more time at the Iron Furnace than we should have, but it was such a neat place.  When we left, we took 211 back into Salt Lick, where we hopped back on U.S. 60 to make our way to Owingsville.  We stopped downtown to check out the courthouse and see the sites.  With a population of just under 1,500 Owingsville is a small town.  But what it lacks in size it makes of for in charm.  On one the corners across from the courthouse, the Owingsville Banking Company has an old fashion street clock.  Like the painted barns and building, I love the nostalgia that things like the clock impart.

As usual, our time was running short.  It was time to head towards home.  We had had another great day getting to know Kentucky.  We have already come to look forward to our next trip.  Unfortunately we won't be travelling the next weekend and have not made plans yet for the one following that.  But rest assured we will be hitting the road.

And for those of you keeping count Bath County is number 18.  That makes us 15% of the way through.  We have along way to go, so we'll see you on the road...

Rowan County

I hope everyone enjoyed mom's post on Fleming County.  She claims that has been her favorite so far.  I think it was the covered bridges.  It was all I could do to get her moving towards Rowan County.  Wouldn't you know it, we were about to visit another college.  Hopefully the boys will get the hint and start planning now!  I can't wait to tell you about our visit to Rowan County, but first we will cover a bit of history.

ROWAN COUNTY BACKGROUND

Rowan County was formed in 1865 from parts of Fleming and Morgan counties.  It was the 104th county created in Kentucky.  The county was named for John Rowan, who served the Commonwealth in both the U.S. House and the Senate.  Morehead serves as the county seat, which was formed in 1865 but was not incorporated until 1869.  Most of Rowan County is within the Daniel Boone National Forest and over 35% of the county is government owned.

Uniquely, Rowan County has a claim to fame regarding "My Old Kentucky Home".  As most loyal Kentuckians know, My Old Kentucky Home is located in Nelson County, some 125 miles from Rowan County.  However, Rowan County's namesake, John Rowan was the uncle of Stephen Foster, the author of the song My Old Kentucky Home.  John Rowan was the founder and establisher of the home that inspired Foster to write the classic.

In the early years, timber, stone and coal were the primary resources of the county.  However, the resources were quickly diminished.  As those commodities became less abundant, the primary industry moved to clay mining and brick making in the early 1900's.

Rowan County is also home to Morehead State University.  The school began as the Morehead Normal School in 1887 by Phoebe Button with donations from a former Confederate soldier. The school was taken over by the state in 1922 and finally after several name changes became Morehead State University in 1968.  Today, Morehead offers almost 80 degree programs through four different colleges.

The Kentucky Legislature threatened to dissolve the county in the late 1880's because of the Martin-Tolliver feud.  The feud was also known as the Rowan County War lasted three years and finally ended in June of 1887 after a bloody gun battle in Morehead.

OUR VISIT

Our visit to Rowan County with quick drive through the community of Farmers.  (By the way, Farmers was the first established community in the county.)  After that we headed on into Morehead.  We spent some time driving through town and seeing the sites.  We finally decided to stop at Morehead State University and take a look around.
 
Morehead is a nice campus nestled against the mountains.  We had spent quite a bit of time walking around the main part of campus when I mentioned Eagle Lake.  Mom and the boys could not believe there was a lake up the mountain.  So we jumped in the car and I took them up there.  It's one of the great places that is tucked away from everything else.  It's been the site of recreation for MSU students for years.  Roadkill even wanted to get out of the car to see that!

We tried to get up to the Morehead Astrophysical Observatory, bu the gate was closed and locked.  So we found our way back down the hill and decided to stop at Dairy Queen for a quick bite to eat on our way to Bath County.

Fleming County

After a quick trip through Nicholas County, we found ourselves in Fleming County on a sunny Monday, Labor Day, afternoon. I fell in love with this one and had to fight Dad to write this post (not so much really). Why did I fall in love with Fleming County? I'll tell you.......but of course, Dad says we have to have a little history lesson first.

FLEMING COUNTY BACKGROUND

Fleming County was formed in 1798 and was named for Colonel John Fleming. It was was twenty-sixth county formed in the Commonwealth. Flemingsburg has been the county seat since the county was formed.

The City of Flemingsburg was finally incorporated in 1812. At that time, like other surrounding areas, the area was known for its mineral springs. People from all over came to Fleming County for the medicinal spring water. People also game because of the amount of game that was native to the area. Hotels were busy and profitable, but once the game started to disappear, so did the hotel guests.

In 1865 the counties first oil well was dug. However, they didn't hit oil, but gas. Oil was later discovered nearby and helped stimulate the local ecomony for years. It also led to the construction of the first railway in the county.

Above all else, Fleming County's claim to fame came in 1998. In that year, the Kentucky General Assembly designated Fleming County as the "Covered Bridge Capital of Kentucky". At one time there were over 400 covered bridges in Kentucky, today there are only 13. Three of the thirteen are located in Fleming County. They are the Goddard White Bridge, the Grange City Bridge and Ringo's Mill Bridge.

A more solemn memorial stands in the Elizaville Cemetary. There, you will find a monument commemorating the raising of the American Flag at Iwo Jima by the Marines during World War II. Pfc Frank Sousley a native of Fleming County was one of the six Marines in the now infamous picture and statue of that event.

OUR VISIT

We were advised that on our trip to Fleming County, whenever that may be, we should head to the cemetery to check out a special monument. In such a small cemetery, this monument was immediately obvious. It marks the grave of one of the six marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. Turns out, PFC Franklin Sousley was from Fleming County! Wow! Just standing there, reading all the plaques and markers, I was overwhelmed with pride. Proud to be an American for sure and becoming increasingly proud to be a Kentuckian!

Driving on, we'd read that Fleming County was known for its covered bridges, so we decided to scout some out. First we found the Goddard White Bridge, the sight of which really takes you back in time. Looking on to the other side with the little country church in the background is reminiscent of The Little House on the Prairie. I found myself looking for Half-Pint and Pa to come down the steps of that church any minute. Then we found the Ringos Mill Bridge. This one reminded me more of the movie The Bridges of Madison County (sniff, sniff), sans Mr. Eastwood, but with all the rugged charm, nonetheless.

We took a quick drive through Flemingsburg, the county seat of Fleming County, and found the courthouse. This is something we try to do in most counties we visit. With this being a holiday weekend, there wasn't much activity on the streets and nothing caught our eye or brought us to a stop.

And this, kids, is why I fell in love with Fleming County. The bridges were something else. I truly wan't expecting to see anything special when we headed out that morning, but was I ever surprised. The one thing that I wished we'd paid more attention to was the barn quilts. You know, the little wooden squares that are hung over the doors and on the sides of so many barns on the hillsides of Kentucky. There is a leaflet on the barn quilts of Fleming County with each one pictured so you can check them off as you find them. I knew we didn't have the time on this given day, but this may be something to do on a future road-trip.

By the way, I have to give credit to dad for writing the background on Fleming County.

Historical Markers...

Those of you that live in and/or have travelled around Kentucky are familiar with the the bronze highway markers that seem to pop up everywhere.  What we have found on our journey so is, they are full of amazing facts and information about local history.  Of course for us trying to see all 120 counties in 12 short months there is no way we can see all of the markers. 

Having enjoyed reading all the ones we've seen, I started wondering if there was a website that lists them all.  And sure enough, there is.  It is maintained by the Kentucky Historical Society.  Follow this link to visit the page for yourself.  It lists all the markers in the state.  You can sort them by county, keyword or category.  Not only does it give you the title, but it also has all the information printed on the marker as well.

If you're interested in Kentucky History or the history of your local county, this site is a great place to begin you research.

Nicholas County

It's come to my attention that I'm not numbering our visits and some of you are having a hard time keeping up with the count.  So, going forward I will let you know what number we are on, with each new post.  That being said, Nicholas County is number 15.  Like every other trip on this journey, where we know we are going to see multiple counties, one or two have to have a shortened visit.  Like I've said numerous times already, time is our enemy.  On this trip, Nicholas County was the unlucky one.  Primarily because it is a neighbor of ours and it is so easy to go back there anytime.  I'll tell you all about our visit after a little background.

NICHOLAS COUNTY BACKGROUND

Nicholas County was formed in 1799 from Bourbon and Mason Counties.  I was the forty-second county formed in the Commonwealth.  The county was named after Colonel George Nicholas a Revolutionary War veteran and "Father of the Kentucky Constitution".   Nicholas County is located on the Northeast edge of the Bluegrass Region and the City of Carlisle has served as the county seat since 1816.  Prior to that it had been located in Lower Blue Lick and then moved to Ellisville in 1805 where there was a log courthouse.

The first settlement in Nicholas County was near Blue Lick Springs which is now in Robertson County.  The spring water from this area was world renown in the mid-1800's. I will discuss more about Blue Licks when we make a trip into Robertson County.

One of the notable attractions in Nicholas County, is the Clay Wildlife Management Area.  This is a 5,000 acre wildlife reserve that offer hunting, fishing and hiking and primitive camping all year round.  It is run by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department.  Another well known spot is Lake Carnico.  Carnico is a 150 acre lake that offers boating, fishing and an 18 hole golf course.  Finally, you can see Daniel Boone's last residence in Kentucky.  It is a small cabin at the intersection of U.S. 68 and Highway 36.

OUR VISIT

Like I said before our visit to Nicholas County was short, but we were able to see a couple of pretty neat things.  First of all, we headed out to Lake Carnico.  The boys had never been there and I have dozens of great memories of spending time there.  A good friend of mines family owns a cabin on the lake and I spent many a night there during my late teens and early twenties.  It's great place to fish, canoe or just hang out.  If you've never spent time at Carnico I highly recommend it. 

After we left Carnico, we headed into Carlisle.  I love the "town square" in Carlisle.  The streets are wide and everything faces the courthouse.  We spent quite a bit of time at the courthouse where we read all the historical markers that are on the grounds.  There is also an old weapon displayed at the courthouse as well.  Roadkill couldn't help himself and jumped right in the barrell and wanted his picture taken.

As we headed out of town, towards Fleming County, we saw something that seems to be dying away.  I remember as kid, everywhere you went "out in the coutry" the was a barn painted with an advertisement, like; "See Rock City", "Mail Pouch Tobacco", etc.  Although we still see them occaisionally, we saw one on Highway 32 that made us stop and take a picture.

Next stop Fleming County...

Campbell County

The visit to Campbell County was a no-brainer.  We make this every year on the same day.  The Sunday before Labor Day.  We love the City of Newport and always make the trek there to watch the WEBN Fireworks.  We have made this trip probably 15 of the last 20 years.  And as always it was a great trip.  And as much as I want to tell you about it, first we have to cover the history.

CAMPBELL COUNTY BACKGROUND

Campbell County is one of three counties lining the northern tip of Kentucky south of Cincinnati.  It was formed in December of 1794 from parts of Scott, Harrison and Mason counties.  The county's namesake is Colonel John Campbell a Revolutionary War hero.  One of the unique features I noticed about Campbell County during my research is the number of times the county seat has been moved.  It was originally in Wilmington then moved to Newport, then Visilia, back to Newport and finally ended up in Alexandria.  Along with moving the county seat, in 1883 the Kentucky Legislature created a special law that allowed Campbell County to form a courthouse district.  This change in the law allowed the county to conduct county business in Newport, in addition to its legal requirement to conduct business in Alexandria.  As far as I can tell this is the only place in Kentucky where this is done.

Campbell County is home to Northern Kentucky University.  NKU is located in Highland Heights just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati.  The school started as an extension of the University of Kentucky in 1943.  After merging with the Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 1971, the school finally became known as Northern Kentucky University in 1976.  In recent years NKU has spent close to $100 million in expansion and building projects.

There are numerous cities and small town located in Campbell County.  However, none are as infamous as Newport.  It used to be said "before there was Las Vegas, there was Newport".  Newport used to be home to upscale casinos on Monmouth Street.  When investigations and charges of racketeering forced the casinos out, peep shows and strip clubs took over.  But revitalization efforts in the 1980's and 90's helped create a family friendly atmosphere.  In May of 1999 the $40 million Newport Aquarium and Newport on the Levee entertainment complex was opened.  Today it is a hot spot for kids and adults alike.

Campbell County and the community of Southgate were thrust on the worlds stage on Memorial Day weekend  1977.  The famous Beverly Hills Supper Club caught fire and burned to the ground that night.  The Club was a notorious nightclub and illegal gambling house since the 1930's.  It is believed that close to 3,000 patrons and 182 employees were inside the club on the night of the fire.  Before the night was over, 165 person were killed and over 200 were injured.   The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire is the 3rd deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history.  This tragedy changed building code enforcement nationwide.  It was also the first disaster case tried as a class action.

OUR VISIT

Our visit to Campbell County started as a drive north on US 27 out of Pendleton County.  As we were driving, looking at the map, I noticed the Campbell County Lake not far off of the highway, so we decided to check it out.  We had never even heard of the place and didn't know what to expect.  It turns out that there is all kinds of road construction in the area and I gave the GPS fits trying to get to where we wanted to be.  But we finally made it.  The lake is owned by the Campbell County Fiscal Court and the area serves as a recreation center for numerous activities, including fishing, soccer, golf and frisbee golf.  The facilities were very, very nice.  It makes me wish we had something like that here at home.  As you can tell by the picture, Roadkill loved the place.

After we left the lake, we decided we should stop at NKU.  We have seen so many other colleges and universities we thought we should see this one too.  That stop was one of the best decisions we've made since we started this adventure.  None of us had ever been the NKU campus before and expected it to be similar to all the others.  We were wrong!  It is a clean, beautiful, modern campus.  Being a holiday weekend there were not many people around, so we had the place to ourselves.  As you can see, we made some new friends.  Then, when it was time to leave the boys didn't want to go.  That has not happened much on the 120.

We got back in the car and jumped back on US 27.  Our final destination was Newport.  As we were driving along, I saw the Highway Marker for the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire.  I slammed on the brakes, did a u-turn and headed back to see it.  I was 7 years old when the fire happened and I remember the stories on the news and the attention that it drew.  I never really knew where it was, so I was interested in seeing for myself.  Today though, the driveway is gated and is grown over with weeds and bushes, but I got a picture of the marker and now know where it happened.

It had been a long day and we had not eaten lunch yet.  Everyone was starving!  The good news for me is, I can't hardly go to Newport and not eat at the Hofbrauhaus.  It is one of my favorite restaurants ever.  Surprisingly the wait wasn't too long, to be the afternoon of Riverfest.  The downside was it cost $20 to park.  Hofbrauhaus is such a fun place.  Everyone has a good time and the German food and music are top notch.  We sat there and enjoyed the food and atmosphere for almost an hour and a half.

Once we decided to leave, we headed over to Newport on the Levee.  A lot of the businesses had started to close in preparation of the night's festivities.  So, since we had a good parking spot (and had paid $20 for it) we headed back to the car and people watched until it was time for the fireworks.  With about thirty minutes to go we got out and headed toward the river.  After being run off by the police from our first spot we decided to grab a spot on the wall on Saratoga Street.  Launch time was 9:05.  We had a great view plus we were able to make a quick exit when it was over and beat the rush.  Like I mentioned earlier, the fireworks this year were the best I had ever seen.  They had over 7,000 shells and shot a third of those in the last 3 minutes.  The total show lasted a little over half an hour.  This trip is one of the highlights of our year, year in and year out.

When the show was over, we jumped back on US 27 and headed towards home.  Since Monday was a holiday, we were going to take advantage and try to see at least 4 more.  Stay tuned and we'll fill you in on Nicholas, Fleming, Rowan and Bath counties.

See you on the road...