#145 Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY 9-4 thru 9-8-09

Our stay at the Kentucky Horse Park was truly amazing. Because we really don’t know where we are going to be at any specific time, the three day holidays sneak up on us. So when I tried to make reservations most places were full. This park told me they were full, but when we stopped at the visitor center on the way into KY, the man there told us to just stop by and see if they had any cancellations. It is right off the highway we were traveling. So we took his advise and sure enough there is an overflow area that has electricity. No picnic tables or water hook-ups, but we were fine with that. So we stayed!

I’m sure glad we did. The grounds are beautiful. We took a drive on some of the roads in the park (about 12,000 acres). There is a museum of American Saddle bred Horses, a race course, a harness track and countless barns, exercise areas and beautiful fields, surrounded by white board fences.

I loved the weather vane on the top of one of the horse barns.

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All the horses above were practicing and/or warming up. In the forth picture I was amazed at the size of the hooves on that horse compared to the other horses. Different breed and probably different class.

This horse and rider are actually in competition and are getting judged. We sat in the car and watched for quite a while. Neither of us know much about the horse competitions, but it was fun to watch. Kirstin could give us much needed information about what we were seeing.

Next year the Horse Olympics are being held here at the Kentucky Horse Park. In order for that to happen they had to build an indoor horse arena and many more horse barns and stables. This will be the first time ever that the Horse Olympics have ever been held outside Europe. Can you imagine bringing horses across the ocean? Do they fly? Do Thoroughbred Horses fly first class? Maybe they own their own planes and hire pilots. Is there an Ark just for horses or a cruise ship? Hmmmm, maybe I’ll Google it.

It was a beautiful place, just as I had imagined a horse ranch should look like. I don’t think I saw any registered quarter horses, but then I probably wouldn’t know if I had seen one. Maybe they don’t do roping in KY. Is that just a western thing? Oh, well, I think I saw enough horses. Now it’s time to go on to Country Western Singing and head towards “The Grand Ole Opry” and Nashville, TN, with a stop at the Mammoth Cave National Park on the way.

#123 Lexington, MA – first shots of the Revolutionary War

We spent the best part of the day on Thursday doing domestic chores. Laundry and such, Ugh! But necessary. We also needed a day of rest, just to catch our breath. The Elks lodge at Lexington was a good place to stay for a couple of days. It is quiet, a big parking lot and close to the things we wanted to see. We drove into the old town of Lexington from the Elks, about 10 minutes away, and stopped at the Buckman Tavern. It was only going to be open for another half hour, so we bought tickets to see all three of the historic buildings used during the Revolutionary War and decided to return in the morning.

A Tavern during the time of the Revolution is actually an Inn. You can purchase a room, or bed to sleep in, meals are served and there is also a place to get a drink.

Buckman Tavern was also the place where the Minute Men met and gathered after hearing the news about the British were coming, from Paul Revere.

The next home we visited was the Hancock-Clarke Home where Samuel Adams and John Hancock were residing when Paul Revere warned them to leave. At the time no one knew whether the British would burn down the homes or capture the rebels. These two men were important leaders of the rebellion and needed to be safe.

When the British met resistance from the militia, they sent word to headquarters in Boston to send reinforcements. General Percy was sent to help and he took over the Munroe Tavern as his British Headquarters. One room was used as a temporary hospital for the wounded soldiers.

The British then retreated back to Boston. They had not expected to be met with resistance.

Below is the triangle where the fighting took place. The town of Lexington, MA has kept the area clear of houses and made it an historic park.

A minute man stands guard over the park. Very nice reminder of our colorful past and what men have given up to gain our freedom.