Our Road Trips

8/15/15

8/9-14/15

We spent this morning figuring out our plan and making some reservations. We then took a drive and scoped out the dam that forms the lake we are on…been there since the 60s, controlling flooding and also making a beautiful lake for recreation, fishing & camping. Then we drove to Mammoth Cave, which included a short ferry ride across the Green River. We bought Barb a Lifetime Senior Pass & also tickets for 3 tours on Tuesday morning for the Cave. We headed back, taking the ferry again, and a different route around the other end of the lake. We got back in time to watch the end of a race on TV and BBQ some hot dogs & brats.

Monday morning, time to finally get to the Corvette plant & museum. After two failed attempts in 2013 & 14, this has become a priority. We are gone early for an 8:00 reservation for the Factory tour. We spent the next 90 mins. walking through and watching 2016 Corvettes being built. I am always fascinated by factories…the tools are so cool and the process so smooth, We also marvel at how they keep the assemblers sane, something I never ceased wondering how they did it in places like Red Wing Shoe. Doing the same repetition day after day…can’t imagine. I saw one gal that had the job of installing a small clearance light in the left rear wheel body flange…about noon of the 2^nd day, I’d be ready to go do something else…yikes! But we enjoyed the tour right up to the end…water test. 100s of spray nozzles making sure the thing is weather tight…details, details! It better be for $75-90k.

After the tour, we went across the street to the National Corvette Museum and spent the next 4 hours walking through and looking at all the Vets on display. The lobby had a catastrophic sinkhole open up just before we were planning to visit in early 2014, swallowing 8 iconic cars, 5 of which were recovered but too damaged to repair. 3 are going to be restored and 7 of the 8 are on display, the 8^th in the restoration process. It was heartbreaking to see some of these cars so destroyed, but nice they are displaying them all so folks can see how devastating this incident was. We were a little disappointed that more models weren’t represented, but we enjoyed the tour anyway…lots of cool cars.

Our ice machine had stopped working, again, and we had brought it along. We drove and found the Camping World store in Bowling Green and were able to swap our non-working one for a brand new one at no cost to us…still under warranty, nice. Love it when things work like that.

Then we drove to Lost River Cave and signed up for a boat tour. The tour was leaving in 30 mins. so we sat on the porch and waited. Then there was a walk to the boat of a little over 1/3 mile, and a 30 min boat tour through a cave with The Lost River flowing through. It was a pretty, dark ride. On the way back, we walked an extra ¼ mile to a butterfly habitat display…lots of butterflies. Then it was a ½ mile walk back to the car…hot walk too. We were glad to get back to the air conditioned car for the ride home. We found a KFC and bought some chicken for dinner and headed back, about a 40 min ride. We felt like we had a very productive day but were glad to be back at the camper…another day of lots of walking is up next, or so we thought.

Tuesday morning, we are up early for our day of touring Mammoth Cave. My right arm is hurting something fierce and by the time Barb drives us to the Cave, the pain has spread to my chest. I decide climbing down into a cave would not be the smartest decision I ever make, so I ask Barb to see if we can postpone our tour by a day, which they readily did for her. I locate the closest medical center by the GPS and we drove into Bowling Green and located The Medical Center of Bowling Green, and go to the emergency room and start the process of getting someone to check me out. They decide I should get some tests run so they check me in so I will be there for all of the tests planned. Over the course of the next 3 days, they run all kinds of tests, including a treadmill stress test, echo-cardiogram, die EKG, X-rays, MRI…and several more I am probably forgetting. The final thing procedure included a small camera into my heart through the wrist, which showed the positive blockage next to my heart to be clear. So after all of the tests on my heart & right arm, the worst thing is some Bursitis in my right shoulder that will be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs & ice. It was a long process, but a necessary one. Making sure there were no problems is a big load off both of our minds, and will allow us to carry on with our trip.

We checked out yesterday afternoon (Friday) and after a couple of stops, headed back to the camper. We were supposed to already have moved to Richmond, KY on Thursday morning, so our reservation had expired and a new tenant was scheduled to be on our site. Barbara had driven back out here and packed it up and the Camp Host had moved it for us to a non-reserved site. Thanks to both of our hosts for your assistance and understanding, we appreciate it a lot. So, we are no longer right on the water, but at the same park. We are leaving for our next stop, Nashville, TN, this afternoon.

I have to say this. Barbara was a real trooper through all of this. Her attitude was never down, and for that I am forever grateful. The nurses & doctors at The Medical Center of Bowling Green were very professional and sympathetic to our situation and their demeanor was exemplary. This could have been a real downer, but everybody’s ‘can do’ attitude made it far less stressful. Thank you to all involved, especially my nurses Shannon, Laurie & Marissa and the great assistants that made our stay almost enjoyable. We will forever be thankful for your great services rendered.

We missed seeing our friends the Jollys & the Cowboy Poets last night in Richmond, KY, but this was something that was both necessary and important. We are extremely happy for the good outcome, and feel it was very much worth the time spent. On with the show!! Stay tuned.