Downtown Owensboro

Dee's Diner- Owensboro, KY

Some friends recently told me about Dee's Diner in Owensboro.  Have you been there?

They said that their pancakes were huge.  Really huge.  They said that I had to see them.

Check out the photo of the pancake!  it was hanging off of the plate.  I ate maybe a fifth of it.  Seriously, several people could have made a meal out of that!

Oh, check out the pictures of the other breakfasts some friends ordered. 

I like the decorations at Dee's too!  Everything is about Owensboro.  They have photos from old postcards, sports teams, etc pictured on the walls!  Forget the chain restaurants on the other side of town.  This place is independent and proud of it's town!

Old Hickory- Owensboro, KY

http://www.oldhickorybbqky.com/

I wanted to take a moment to mention Old Hickory BBQ in Owensboro!

I know of MANY restaurants all over the place that have burgoo on the menu.  This is, in my opinion, about the only place that gets it right.

Outside of Owensboro, Talbott Tavern has good burgoo, but it is the ONLY place outside of the area where I would suggest ordering it.

I went with a buddy to a BBQ place in Lexington some time ago.  I ordered burgoo, and... well, it wasn't burgoo.

I usually get a mutton sandwich and burgoo from Old Hickory when I go home.  it might be my all time favorite meal anywhere.  Then again, I grew up on it.

A friend from out of town went with us to Old Hickory recently.  I tried to get them to have burgoo and mutton too.  They refused.

They opted for chicken strips.  To Old Hickory's credit, my friend did say that they have GREAT chicken strips.

Don't get the chicken strips if you go though.  Get the burgoo and mutton!

Bison at Land Between the Lakes

Here are a few photos I have taken at land Between the Lakes over the last few years.

There is the one trail where they will literally walk up to your vehicle.  We have had to wait for them to casually move out of our way a few times.

I remember going here in the 5th grade and seeing them for the first time.

And they are still awesome.

Rock City Match Book Covers

I picked these up on ebay recently.  In addition to postcards, I have started picking up old match book covers.  I think they look great, and they are VERY cheap and still easy to find.

These were listed as being from the 1940s.  Obviously giving out matches to promote a park area seems like a very bad idea now.

I love the tiny pictures on them!

Random Photos of Chattanooga, TN

Rock City- Georgia

http://seerockcity.com/

I really don't have a lot to say about Rock City that hasn't been said before. 

This was my first trip though and I personally love this place!  in fact, we are talking about another trip to Chattanooga soon, and we all agreed that this is on the list to do again.

Unfortunately, we were there on a very rainy and foggy day.  I really want to time my next trip out for a clear one.

If you are a manic road tripper, you know this is one of those must see attractions.

I did buy a book on the history of the place (I will get a review up soon).  There were a couple of other things we saw/experienced here that I will discuss further soon- so I will be talking more about Rock City soon.  For now, check out my pictures!

Ruby Falls- Chattanooga, TN.

We finally had a chance to visit the legendary Ruby Falls in Chattanooga!

I was very excited to make this trip because of all of the hype.  Everyone knows about the place.

I did get confused on Lookout Mountain.  You keep zigzagging states while you are there!  AND, there is a lot to do on the Mountain.

We went in to the Cavern Castle visitor center and bought our tickets.  The line at this time was not long.

People were coming in by the car loads, and they were moving people along.  We were able to get on an elevator to take us down to the Falls.  Because of the crowds, they do pack the elevator tight and they do herd you along.

Still, it is fun and it is a must see for all road trippers at some point.

They did do the souvenir photo.  I usually decline this but we went ahead and let them take our photo early on and we did buy it later.

I hate how some tourist attractions try to take your photo in front of a green screen, then edit something in, and try to sell that to you as a souvenir photo later.  I can photoshop myself in to a photo on my home PC.

I really liked the photo at Ruby Falls.  They actually take it in the cave and they do use some fun and colorful lighting making for a nice photo.  In my opinion, they do have a very nice souvenir photo.

The passage ways leading to the Falls are actually much more spacious than in other show caves.  They obviously went to a lot of trouble at some point cutting out these walkways.

Getting to the actual water fall was a bit of a hike.  The tour guide did make a couple of stops on the way to point out certain formations, and to watch a video on the history of the place.

It was very exciting seeing the water falls!  They change to the color of the lights shining on it which is very unnatural, but it is also very nice.

The lights are timed though, and each group is only able to get in and see the Falls for 5 or 6 minutes, then it is back to the elevators.

After the tour, you are taken by elevator to an upper level of the visitor center.  They do have a very nice observation area there.  It was very foggy and rainy on our day there, but it still offered a great view.
On the way out, we noticed that the lines to get in were much longer!  Getting there early was a good idea!

Our tour guide mentioned that the cave we saw and Ruby Falls are above the old Lookout Mountain Caverns.  For safety reasons, the old cave is no longer accessible.  I don't know about you, but knowing that you can't get to the old cave makes me really want to see it!