August 5, 2013 - Monday

We left the campground later this morning and started to head to our final destination before home, Lexington, Kentucky.

There has been a lot to see at each stop on our trip back, but not a whole lot along the way. Chris drove for about two hours. There was a sign that caught Chris' eye as we drove. It said something about an Appalachian museum in Tennessee. We decided to check it out. When I think of Appalachia, I think of whiskey stills. There was a lot more to these people than whiskey stills! The museum was extensive and set up like a little village rather than just a museum. Each building had a story as each one was taken from some place near the museum in the foothills or heart of the Appalachian Mountains. They were all log, some teeny tiny and some large. We also ventured through two museums full of materials from the heart of the mountains. There were countless banjos made out of items ranging from toilet bowls to bake pans. There were different crafts and practical items from these people and a section of items from the Nez Perce people. Overall, it was an interesting experience. These people were the pioneers of this area and many still live simply and in solitude. One man’s house was moved to the museum not too long ago. He never married and didn’t need much, so his house was about 10 x 10 and had a cot and woodstove with a small porch-he said he didn’t need any more than these few things and his gun. There was even a still made on-site by Popcorn Sutton, the famous whiskey maker.

After looking at the museum and grounds, we were hungry! There was a small restaurant inside the building which we decided to eat at. Your choices were meatloaf or roast beef with two sides and cornbread for 6.95-what a steal! We both had meatloaf and a lot of the veggie sides came straight from the garden outside the building. This was one of the best meals we had. Everything was homemade and it was one of the least expensive!

I drove the last hour or so to Lexington. Kentucky was beautiful and the campground was literally on the property of the Kentucky Horse Park; I was in heaven! Chris and I checked in and the man at the counter told us we had the best site in the campground. We had a 100ft by 100 ft. area all to ourselves. We were right next to the pool/laundry/bathroom area and across from the camp store. It felt like we had a private lot and there was green grass and trees! It was so peaceful we decided to have a fire, cook over it and enjoy the night air.