Bluegrass, Bourbon, and Barbecue Region:  Day 4 in Kentucky
I slipped outside under a clear, blue Kentucky sky to take my walk serenaded by a mockingbird perched in the blooming Rose of Sharon.  The air was in the high sixties and a light breeze ruffled the leaves on the trees and the stalks of wildflowers, Queen Anne's Lace and blue, blue chicory, along the road.

After a full breakfast, we walked down to the barnyard to see the animals.  The two roosters were both strutting about among the two dozen chickens, but the older one made it quite clear to the younger who was boss of the barnyard!  The four alpacas were sleek as could be and walked around quite elegantly!

We plotted our course and took off.  Our first stop was at Cloverport. We got today's first clear view of the Ohio River at this a quaint little river town. A little father on we stopped by Hawesville where we went by the county museum located in the old depot.  Unfortunately, the museum only opens on Sunday afternoon at 2.  We could not see the Ohio River here because the town is protected by a levee.  We then headed on west to Owensboro.

Owensboro has the largest sassafras tree in the whole world.  We put the address into the navigational device and found it.  We had hoped to get out and visit it, but there was no parking around it.  There was also no sign, but it stood out.   It had to have been at least six feet thick.  We managed to get the pictures of it without endangering too many lives!

 



  
 Our museum stop was the International Bluegrass Museum which had a good exhibit on the early years of the music largely centered on Bill Monroe as well as housing the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.  The young man working there was a good resource person who helpfully printed off directions of our next destination:  Old Hickory Bar-B-Q.







Owensboro, a good sized little city, is famous for their barbecue.  We had researched the posting of all the restaurants and thought that Old Hickory would be best because it appeared to be the favorite of locals. That is usually a good clue.
Old Hickory was a mile or so beyond the large sassafras tree.  When we drove into the parking lot, our first view was of the huge pile of beautiful hickory wood, nicely split and piled under a shelter.  Opening the door, we could smell the smoke and delicous barbeque.

In 1918, this restaurant was started by Charles "Pappy" Foreman, a blacksmith who started barbecuing mutton which is still the distinctive meat for the area, on a pit near where the restaurant stands today.  Six generations later, the family is still barbecuing.  Their success has built on never cutting corners and always using hickory wood.
We decided to share a combination plate of mutton, beef brisket, and pork ribs.  Our waitress Janie was helpful and cheerfully pleasant.  The service was good; the food excellent.  I have never tasted a better rib than the one I had. It was fall off the bone tender and full of good, lean, smoke flavored meat.  The brisket was as good as any I have eaten in Texas.  The only thing that would have made it any better would have been a little mint jelly to have with the very tender, smoky mutton.

After lunch, we headed to Henderson, passing beautiful fields of soy beans and corn and one field of blooming sunflowers.  In Henderson we did more genealogical research.  The research librarian who helped us found two of the marriage certificates for my grandfather Hendrick.  He was married, bless his heart, four times.  We also found some interesting tidbits about my great-grandfather Chandler.

We finished our adventures of the day by visiting the grave of my great grandmother and great grandfather Chandler in Corydon, Kentucky before we headed back to Henderson and our Holiday Inn Express.