Asheville, Gatlinburg and Berea

We escaped the heat of the coast and headed to the mountains. After an overnight in Columbia, SC we arrived in cooler Asheville, NC. After a couple days there we went to the Escapees RV park in Tennessee where we gave Opus a good cleaning and also visited Gatlinburg. Next we spent a week in Berea, KY for the Hoard - Santek wedding, an earlier post.

We have been to Asheville a couple times and love the many local breweries that have made the city famous. Since our last visit, Sierra Nevada Brewing has built a huge brewery and gastropub. Sierra Nevada was the first "microbrew" I ever tasted on a trip to California in the early 90's, so this was not to be missed.

I say "microbrew" because, while it is still privately owned, it is now the 10th largest in the country. Here is the list of brews they had on tap the day we were there. 

The place is all shiny and new. We missed the tour as we did not get there until the early evening, as the food was our main goal. It did not disappoint.

All the bottling machines were shut down for the day, but you can see they are built to produce a lot of beer.

This was something interesting we came upon as we walked the streets of Asheville. William Porter, O. Henry, was born in Greensboro, NC. This plaque on the sidewalk has the props from my favorite O. Henry story, The Gift of the Magi. Read it to learn the significance of each item.

We heard on the news that the new Skybridge in Gatlinburg had opened, so we did a day trip to the mountains. These are before and after pictures of the chairlift that was destroyed by the 2016 fire and the new facility at the top. The flag was rescued from the fire.

The traffic to Gatlinburg was terrible, but nothing compared to the line to get to the top of the mountain.

Rebuilding after the fire included a new attraction, a 700 foot swinging bridge. It is the longest pedestrian bridge in North America.

In the middle there is a glass floor 150 feet above the ground. Neat, but nothing like the Grand Canyon Skywalk in Arizona. 

The view of the town and the Smoky Mountains from the top is great.

If you keep moving you do not even realize the bridge is swinging a bit. Stop and you can feel it, a bit unnerving.

The top is still a work in progress. Workers were replacing temporary wooden rails with iron rails the day we were there.

There are a couple of attractions here that take you to the top of the mountain. From the lines we saw, adding the bridge seems to have made the Skybridge the must see attraction.

As always, when in the Smoky Mountains you need to keep an eye out for bears. 

We made it. While it was neat, the massive crowds and traffic are not the kind of experience we like. From Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg it is like one huge amusement park.

After the wedding we had time to explore Berea. For its size, it has a large number of artisans and craftsmen. We checked out several of the shops. Most were selling locally made items. 

The painted hands are found all over town.

If you are looking for genuine, handmade items, Berea should be on your must see places list.

We had a great time in all three places and enjoyed somewhat cooler weather than we had along the coast. We are now in Ohio and will be back in WashPA in the middle of the month.

Hoard - Santek Wedding

We traveled to Berea, Kentucky to attend the wedding of my cousin's son Marty Santek to Abbie Hoard. The great thing about the way we travel is that we were able to arrive early and enjoy all the pre-wedding festivities. We got in on Wednesday and were invited to their home in Berea for a cook-out. It was a great evening getting caught up with family we had not seen in a while. I must be losing it as I failed to take any pictures.

The Santek family: Marty, Missy, Michael, Lily, Amanda, Abbie and Marty in front of the senior Santek's retirement gift to themselves, a 42 foot toy hauler. This was their first long trip and they had a great time as Michael, Amanda and baby Lily stayed with them.

On Thursday we drove to Lexington for dinner and more family time. Here are the MAMAs, Michael, Amanda, Marty, and Abbie. As I said when Mike and Amanda got married in 2017, these boys getting married is a special day for us as my mom and dad watched them from the time they were young babies, so we watched them grow up.

My cousins Missy and Dee Dee with their mom Elsie. It was a fun evening at a neat restaurant, Goodfellas.

On Friday we left Opus in Berea and went to Danville where we checked into a hotel for the weekend. We were invited to the rehearsal dinner, where I again failed to take any pictures. I made up for that at the party back at the hotel that evening. Here are Dee, Missy and my brother Rick.

As you can see a fun time was had by all. 

More happy partiers......

.....who partied hard late into the night.

Even Lily joined in the fun. Even with all the racket she went fast asleep.

The wedding was at the Bluegrass Wedding Barn on a hilltop outside of Danville.

The weather all week had been threatening, but Saturday was a beautiful day for the outdoor ceremony.

The proud parents and grandmother.

As if out of nowhere, the beautiful bride and her father appeared to the sounds of the Immigrant Song by Lead Zeppelin.

Marty and Abbie watch as their fathers tell stories about their children.

The exchanging of the vows.

The mothers gave them each a glass of colored sand......

 

....that they poured together as a symbol of their uniting.

I like this much better than the lighting of a common candle. I have seen candles blow out which cannot be a good sign. 

You may kiss the bride.

The new Mr. and Mrs. Martin Santek.

A Western Pennsylvania wedding tradition, the cookie table. This goes back to a time when newlyweds could not afford a cake so everyone in the family brought cookies. I sure like it better than any cake. Marty's aunt Dee baked over 500 cookies and other relatives made some too.

They still had the more traditional cake.

Aunt Elsie getting down on the dance floor.

Denise, Rick, Abbie, Marty, Nanc and Jim. 

The day ended with the newlyweds celebrating a beautiful Kentucky sunset.

Mr. and Mrs. Marty Santek, proud parents and grandparents with Lily.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Santek with baby Lilly.

The newest Mr. and Mrs. Marty Santek with a sparkling send off.

We had a great weekend at the wedding and wish the bride and groom the best of luck as they start a big new adventure. Next week they are moving from Berea to Las Vegas were Abbie got a job as an athletic trainer with Cirque du Soleil.  We think that is very exciting and sure hope we can pay them a visit.

Louisville Slugger and Ali

It was a short trip from Indy to Louisville where we toured the Louisville Slugger factory, the Muhammad Ali Center and did a bourbon tasting, so it was a full day.

The Hillerich and Bradsby Company has been making bats in Louisville since 1884. It started as a company that made stair railings, porch columns and butter churns. The first bats were sold under the name Falls City Slugger until 1894 when they patented the name Louisville Slugger. The 120 foot bat is a replica of Babe Ruth's bat. 

You have a chance to step up to the plate and swing the bat of your favorite player or team. I chose the bat model used by Pirate Jason Kendell. I think they need to update this exhibit since he played in Pittsburgh quite a few years ago.

The Bat Vault holds one of ever bat model they have made for Major League Baseball players. They do offer a vault tour, but only a limited number of tickets are available and it was very crowded the day we took the tour. 

The model bat used by Hank Aaron when he broke Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs. The display shows a note Aaron received threatening his life as he approached the record. Hammerin Hank finished his career with 755 homers.

Joltin Joe also used the Louisville Slugger bat when he set the record in 1941 of getting a hit in 56 games in a row. This record is one that many people feel will never be broken. 

A bat used by Babe Ruth in 1927 when he set the record of 60 home runs in a season. That season, Ruth put a notch around the logo for each homer he hit with each bat. This bat has 21 notches. That 60 homer record was broken in 1961 by Roger Maris who hit 61. 

Pirate Honus Wagner was the first player to officially endorse the Louisville Slugger when he signed a deal with the company in 1905.

Names of all the players who used the Louisville Slugger over the years are on a huge wall. These are a few Pirates we found on the wall. Most are from a long time ago, although we did find Josh Harrison who is a current player. The background is a ceiling "bat" mobile.

This display was about the discrimination faced by Black and Latino players getting into the majors. In 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first Black player and in 1949 Minnie Minoso became the first Latin player. Pirate Roberto Clemente came into the league in 1955 and played until 1972 when he died in a plane crash on a humanitarian mission. We are happy we got to see him play many time over the years.

They have a special exhibit for the rest of the year displaying three or four ball parks made out of Legos. This is the Brewers Miller Field.  There are also some pictures and sports figures  made with Legos. Very neat!

The main hall has statues of players through the years. At 3:00 each afternoon the staff comes out on the balcony and leads the crowd in the singing of, Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

John "Bud" Hillerich with the first bat they made in 1884 for Pete "Louisville Slugger" Browning who played for the major league Louisville Eclipse. Pete, who had been in a slump, got three hits in the first game with the new bat and the rest is history.  

No pictures are allowed during the tour. This display shows how they used to make bats one at a time on a lathe. Today they start with round billets that are all the same size and done in seconds on automated machines. Most of the bats are made from ash that is grown in woodlands on the Pennsylvania-New York border that is owned by the company. They do use other wood if a player wants a different kind. 

 I was able to get pictures through the window from outside. While much of the work is done by machines, we were surprised by how much is still done one bat at a time by hand. Each bat has the logo burned onto it one at a time. The bats hanging in the back are dipped by hand into the paint and varnish finish. After they are dry they are individually put in a plastic wrapper then into a shipping carton. 

If you have any interest in baseball at any level this tour needs to be on your to do list.

Just down the street from Louisville Slugger is the Muhammad Ali Center dedicated to the life of  the Louisville native. The center is guided by Ali's six principles; Confidence, Dedication, Giving, Respect, Spirituality and Conviction. On the fifth floor are exhibits that explore each principle and how they shaped Ali's life.

This exhibit is a walk through the struggles of the Civil Rights movement, Ali's conversion to Islam, his opposition to the Vietnam War and his refusal to be drafted because he was a conscientious objector.

Another section is all about his boxing career from the Olympics to Heavyweight Champion. You can spar in this ring, shadow box or watch each of his championship fights on demand.

Ali's gold medal he won in the 1960 Olympics. This is a replacement as the original was lost. When he came back to Louisville he wore the medal everywhere he went, but at some point it disappeared. Some say Ali threw it into the Ohio River because he was upset after being refused service in a segregated Louisville restaurant. Others say he either lost it or wore it out. In 1996 he was given this replacement metal.

Just a few of the many humanitarian awards Ali received over six decades of public service work around the world. 

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was given to Ali in 2005 by President Bush. The award honors not only his Olympic championship and being the only three time heavyweight champ, but also his commitment to equal justice and peace around the world.

This special, temporary exhibit honors those across many different sports and endeavors who have made a difference beyond their careers to, as the Clemente quote says, "make a difference in the world".

Don't miss the gallery with works by sports artist LeRoy Neiman. It features art that Neiman did during Ali's professional career including his most famous fights.  

Some other interesting works of art in the center. 

If you are in Louisville the Muhammad Ali Center is a very informative stop. It is not only an interesting look at the principles that led a great American through a difficult time in our history, for us it was a new look at what our country and its citizens were going through during our lifetime.

If we are in Kentucky and there is a place to do a bourbon tasting we aren't going to miss it. Evan Williams has a tour and tasting room downtown. We were to late for the tour, but did get to do a tasting and bought a bottle of single barrel.  This ended up being a very interesting day. 

We are still behind with the blog. We have since been to Nashville and are now in North Carolina near Lake Norman until the end of the month. Our next post will be our summary of ten years on the road.