Standing in three States!

This last road trip that Meg and I took was a series of moments where we asked ourselves "We are close so why not go?" I mean when you are on a road trip that covers six states and over 1000 miles what does it really matter if you add 20 miles here or 20 miles there. The plan started out as being to travel to St. John, Indiana and then from there we began adding stops.

For example there is a large Celtic Cross carved into a singe stone at the Blue Heron Winery in Cannelton, Indiana. But before we got there we traveled through the town of Dundee, Kentucky- home of the goat! Now you may think we stopped and noticed the town because of the strange slogan "home of the goat". But we didn't even notice that. We stopped because of this building:

Yeah, we drove past a giant abandoned school that looks like it should be on a list of haunted locations. I believe the school opened in 1931and served as the elementary and high school. I can't find when it closed but it does look to have been a while ago. It was when we were pulling out after taking this photo that we saw the sign saying Dundee was the home of the goat. The town got its start in the 1800s as mills opened up along the Rough River. Warren Hines was one of the mill owners and the town of Hines Mill got a post offie in 1846 but closed a little under thirty years later.  Then in 1898 the Dundee Post Office opened. The name change was due to the goat, well goat weather vane from Scotland. An article by Berry Craig in the Kentucky New Era October 26, 1992 explains the debt the town has to the Goat. The goat found its permanent home on top of the Masonic Lodge in 1902 and has been there ever since except for a short time when it was taken down to repair bullet holes caused by bored locals.

Also apparently there was a bank robbery as well in 1978. A 27 year old man eventually pled guilty to the robbery where he had stolen $15,000.





After crossing the Bob Cummings bridge we reached Cannelton, Indiana and the Blue Heron Winery. We pulled up to the Winery Tasting room and were greeted by Lynn Dauby, co-owner of the winery along with her husband Gary.  Lynn showed us around the main building and told us about their concerts during the summer and the cottage rentals.

Then we went inside the tasting room to try some of the wines. She asked what style we preferred and I answered a dry red wine. The first wine we tasted was my favorite it was the Twin Towers silver cap. The name is to honor Perry County's first National Historic Landmark, added to the registry in 1991. The Twin Towers are a striking feature on the large mill, one was a fire escape and the other stored water. Since it's closing the mill has been turned into a low income apartment complex.

The labels on the wine bottles match the names of the wines. On this label is a beautiful black and white picture of the old mill. My other favorite wine was a blueberry wine called Four Blue Stars in honor of their three children and son-in-law who serve in our military. I purchased a bottle of each for when we arrived home from the trip. Just a note the winery does not take credit cards so bring cash because you will want a bottle after tasting.

Lynn was also very happy to tell us about one of the most striking pieces of art on the winery property: a large hand carved Celtic Cross. The Celtic Cross with it's intricate designs has always been one of my favorites. This Cross was commissioned by Lynn and Gary and carved to perfection by self taught sculptor Gary Harris. Gary is a local artist who has created a number of other beautiful artworks including the doors seen in the photo above.   The Cross was carved by Gary in a 20'X22'X4 stone. At first it was going to be smaller but Gary asked if they could dig the stone out further. He worked faithfully six days a week no matter the weather for months. The detail work is beautiful and the lines were so smooth and straight.

Next on the list was a quick drive through the heart of Lafayette, Indiana to see a a statue of a family of farmers made of old farm equipment, mostly tractor parts. The sculpture was plainly visible on the corner of Main street and Fifth and a short distance away from some beautiful old buildings, I believe one was a court house or city hall.




Our next stop was the main reason for the trip as we visited St. John the Evangelist In St. John Indiana. More about my visit to the Church will be in a different blog that I will link here when it is completed.

From there we crossed over the border in to Crete, Illinois to visit Evil Horse Brewing and get some dinner. The brewery is dog friendly and the restaurant next door, The Loft, delivers food. We got a couple of flights to try several beers and since it was Friday in Lent we both got the Shrimp Po' boy for dinner. I loved the set up and decor at Evil Horse. There was a rustic look with lots of reclaimed wood. The night we were there live music was playing in the corner and both singer and guitarist were very talented. We did get a growler and on the lid of the growler was a sticker that gave the name of the bartender who filled it. I thought that was a nice touch. From talking to the bartenders I could tell they knew and appreciated their beers but it says something to be willing to put your name on it. As we sat there a table nearby apparently took an interest because one gentleman came over and sat with us. He asked what brought us to town. I told him I was visiting seven Churches in seven States for Lent, kind of a pilgrimage. He responded by asking if I work . .. which was a little strange but ok. Happily I told him I work four tens so I have three days off a week to road trip. Afterwards I kind of wished I had come up with a better more sarcastic answer or something but what can you do?

Now originally this was the end of the trip. We would start driving back and sleep in the car before finishing the trip home. But it was cold, we were pretty far north, so I didn't think sleeping in the car would be a good idea. And Gypsy Rover and Domino were taking turns annoying each other and needed some space. So I looked for a hotel and found a LaQuinta for a mere $68 a night. Well I couldn't pass that deal up so we drove over there to rest for the night.

Domino lying in the middle of the seat so Gypsy can't lie down. Alternatively Gypsy standing over Domino to annoy her.

Apparently, and I don't exactly know where, there was a nearby cat convention. Almost every room on the first floor had a pet and most of the rooms were cats :-) The woman at the desk had a huge stack of pet policy forms just ready to hand out. I laughed and said the two dogs live with cats so they won't cause a scene. The room was small but still enough space for us and exactly what we needed. Gypsy Rover slept with me and Domino slept with Meghan so they got a break from each other. In the morning we fed the pups and then went and had breakfast in the lobby. Since we had stopped for the night and were now totally refreshed we decided to see some of the other locations I had originally cut from the trip.

The first stop was a giant "Last Supper" at a Megachurch in Munster, IN. Originally I was going to see it at night but we were too tired and it was better to sleep and see it the next day. The front of the Church had a giant cross worked into the facade. At the top in the "arms" of the Church was the large table with Christ and the Disciples seated at it. Directly below it was a statue of Christ holding the cross.

Now that had been all that I knew of but as we drove down the street we saw a few other interesting pieces of art. First, and you may not consider it art but I do, was a Pepsi plant that had two giant cylinders that looked like a mountain dew and a pepsi can. Next was a crazy multi-colored statue. I'm not sure what he was for but he certainly stood out. Then there was an amazing journalist sitting on typewriter keys outside the office building of the local newspaper, The Times.

We had passed a couple of statues on benches and Meg assumed it was a library but when we turned around we discovered it was the Pepsi plant and the statues were sharing sodas. Once again we took advantage to show off Gypsy's sit/down stay.

Next was one of the "well we are so close we might as well go" moments. Because we were super close to Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. Now if you have never seen a Great Lake I highly suggest you do. It is a Lake so large that it has waves like an ocean. I have seen both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario on a previous road trip but Meg had never seen a great lake. In this picture you can see Chicago.

Next we found three quick statues. An elephant and hippo sit randomly in front of a small building. Across the street a hobo holds balloons in front of a car repair shop.

Then we began driving across Indiana to reach a spot where we could stand in three different states... but on the way we had to make a stop because we were close by and why not? In Goshen, Indiana is a rest area along the highway that looks like a castle. Inside was Subway, McDonalds, and a pretty nice convenience store with an amazing selection of local craft beers and wines. You know I never really thought of Indiana when I thought of wine but now that I know they have a wine tour around the state I think I might have to try some more.



Next we arrived at Freemont, Indiana/Camden Township Michigan/Northwest Township Ohio and a spot where we could stand in all three states. A large stone marker erected by the Hillsdale County Historical Society stands off the road near a good spot to pull over. Then in the middle of the road is a square with an "M" that marks the spot.

Now we were kind of in Michigan but it felt like cheating to count it as visiting the state since it was just barely in the state and it was lunch time and we were hungry. So we looked up a brewery in Michigan and picked the closest one to our location that was dog friendly- Ramshackle Brewing in Jonesville, Michigan. On the way to Ramshackle, actually just a few blocks away, we stopped at a small local restaurant to pick up some food to eat at the brewery. The restaurant was Rosalie's Roadhouse. We ordered Tammy's Quesadilla as an appetizer and then Meg got Rosalita's Fajita and I got the Roadhouse Burger. I had an option of house made chips or fries. I chose fries which were good but if you ever stop in I highly highly recommend the house made chips! They only take cash so be ready for that.

The food was ready quickly and we brought it and the dogs over to Ramshackle Brewing. The brewery front was so narrow I actually passed it and had to circle the block. We found it on the second pass thanks to this sign out front. A sign of the times and the rising fear of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19. Inside the brewery had a few tables at the front by the window and then a bar that sat 8-10 people I think. It was definitely a small place. The walls were lined with artwork from a local artist and they were selling glasses with artwork from the same artist. Beside the bar they had a "buy it forward wall" the bartender told me to look and see if any applied to me because I could use it to get a drink. I looked but didn't really see anything but we did buy two and made one card for the next pair of twins who come in. 

Part of the reason why we chose Rosalie's was because it was 3/14 and we were looking for some place that would have pie on Pi Day. 

Meg got a piece of chocolate pie and I had a coconut pie and they were both delicious! After our lunch and splitting the flight we started on the 7 and a half hour drive home. So one cool thing that has resulted from all the road trips that I have taken is recognizing places I have been too. As we drove down 69 I remembered that we would pass the Nestle Quik Bunny by the Nestle plant, I recognized towns of names like Fort Wayne where there is an automated billboard that looks like sliced bread falling on to a plate, Hartford City where we had a paranormal investigation, and Corydon Indiana home of the Constitution Elm.

The pups fell asleep in the back seat for most of the ride home which was nice. I'd say they really seem to have bonded but Gypsy Rover started annoying Domino as soon as she woke up.  

Sadly this will be the last road trip I go on for a while as the Coronavirus has shut down a lot of the country and stopped unessential travel. I've already skipped a road trip to Arkansas and North Carolina. I also cancelled a road trip to the Florida Keys that we had been looking forward to for a long time. Hopefully as people heed warnings and testing continues this virus will be brought under control so that people can safely gather, travel, work, and just live their lives.

Referenced Road trips:
Paranormal Investigation in Hartford City
Previous Road trip in Indiana

Welcome to Jasper!

On a recent road trip, Where were they going without even knowing the way, we drove through Jasper Alabama it looked like a cute town and we decided we would come back. And I am glad we did!

Jasper is only a little over three hours away from Nashville which makes it a super easy drive, for the most part straight down I-65. We left in the late afternoon. And passed the welcome to Alabama center with the giant Saturn Rocket that was built in Huntsville, I thought about how that was a town I still need to get too.

Jasper is the county seat of Walker county and dates its founding back to the early 1800's when Lorenzo Dow, an eccentric traveling preacher, set up a trading post in the area. In 1815 the Musgrove family settled Jasper and Dr. Edward Gordon Musgrave became the first settler and first physician. In 1822 Dr. Musgrove donated the land that the town would eventually sit on and a log cabin was built to be the first court house, school, and church. The town was incorporated in 1887 and named after Revolutionary war hero William Jasper. He rose to fame after the Battle of Fort Sullivan (now called Fort Moultrie). During the battle on June 28, 1776 the fort's banner was shot and fell outside the fort. Jasper, a sergeant in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, saw the flag fall and realized the negative effect it was having on soldiers and so jumped from the fort and retrieved it. He then made a make-shift pole to fly it from. Jasper would go on to serve under Francis Marion "Swamp Fox" where Colonel Moultrie described his work as "to harass and perplex the enemy in that state." His roving commission was to take a small group and scour supplies and information. One story tells of a time when Jasper went to the British at Savannah claiming to be a deserter and was welcomed in. He stayed for several days and took note of the army size and positioning before returning to the American side with his information. Jasper was severely injured during the Battle of Savannah and died shortly after the battle but not before he carried the flag to safety. Lots of towns have been named in his honor and there is a statue of him in Savannah and South Carolina. An image of him also appeared on the 2016 quarter.

I had messaged a couple of breweries in Jasper to ask if they were dog friendly, if they served food, and if they sold growlers with their logo on it. Both answered yes to all three so I went with the one who answered first: Twisted Barley Brewing. We parked out front and went inside. The brewery was very welcoming and we were quickly greeted. We sat down down to get the dogs settled and look over the beer selection. They had a lot of different options so we narrowed down to nine choices. We ordered the pretzel and wings from their menu. The employees had also recommended Warehouse 319 which is a local restaurant that offers carry out. We also learned that it was "nineties night" in the entertainment district where we were and that multiple bars and restaurants were participating.

So I walked over to Warehouse 319 to order their burger which comes with white cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, onion, and a smoked bacon aioli to go. Inside the restaurant was open with a bar at the back center and seating in a horseshoe around it. The place was already packed and lots of people were dressed up for the nineties... or maybe some eighties looks going on too but it was all for fun. There was definitely some nineties punk going on and a lot of track suits. Sweat shirts were tied around wastes and flannel was everywhere.

I walked outside to explore the town plaza while my order was cooked. I discovered they have a strange collection of painted donkeys. I'm not sure how many but I found four.

 As I walked over I saw a shop called the Cigar Box and I went inside to see if they sold Nat Sherman Cigarettes. They didn't but they had a stack of cigar boxes in the corner and they were on sale for $5 each so I bought one. Across from Warehouse 319 the light-poles in the square had speakers on them playing classics like Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." They had a couple of Veterans' Memorials and a memorial to Law Enforcement Officers who had passed in the line of duty.

After picking up our food I went back to Twisted Barley for some great brews and burgers.

The beers were all very different and the most interesting one style wise to me was a vanilla white stout. As we sat there more and more people came in with their best 90s throwback costumes including someone on roller blades. I wish I had known about the themed night because I have a Guess Jeans shirt circa 1992.

After eating our burgers we broke into the delicious pretzel with creole mustard and honey mustard.



On the way out of town we passed an old armored vehicle- basically Jasper was full of surprises and we will be going back to this fun little town.

St. Augustine Florida

I have wanted to visit St. Augustine Florida for quite some time so when I decided I was going to repeat my Lenten resolution from last year (visiting seven Churches in seven states) it was only natural that St. Augustine Florida would be a good choice to start off this year. Actually writing about the Church will come in a later blog post and this one will focus on the road trip.

To begin with the drive is almost ten hours and Meg and my Mom were coming. Not only that but so was Gypsy Rover and my Mom's dog Domino who had just road tripped together the prior weekend as we visited Brent, Alabama. And because two dogs was so much fun we added my Uncle's dog, Bailey, who Meg and I were dog sitting.

We loaded the two pups we were responsible for into the car and drove to my Mom's condo with a plan to be on the road to Florida by 6am. The dogs and Meg sat in the back with double seat down so the dogs could easily spread out into the hatch back of our C-Max Hybrid. We started out on time but we were slowed by some snow as we drove towards Georgia and in to the mountains. I knew that St. Augustine, Florida the temps would be an amazing mid 60s range but I hadn't checked the entire route. We left Nashville at 30 degrees and ran in to the snow fairly quickly. I had been looking forward to driving into the spring from what had been some dismal cold weather. At one of the rest areas near Chattanooga I stopped to take a picture of a tulip pushed down by snow, basically how I feel about winter right now. 

The snow slowed us down enough that we had to change some of our plans for our first night in St. Augustine. Originally we were going to stop at the Church before Stations of the Cross at 6:00pm. However looking at our progress we weren't going to get there in time. So we changed our plans to go straight to our hotel and get checked in and then go visit a downtown brewery. 

Traveling with three dogs, two of which are around 40lbs, made finding a hotel difficult. Most will only allow one if any and usually they are preferred to be smaller. Using the website Bring Fido I was able to locate a reasonable hotel that allowed two dogs per room but I requested adjoining rooms if possible figuring I could open the doors between the rooms. The hotel also had a dog park but we did not use it.

After checking in we drove to the Historic Downtown and parked a block or so away from the Church in a small lot with an attendant. The weather was perfect so we looked forward to stretching our legs and walking the dogs around town a little bit. I had checked in with a few local breweries to see if they were dog friendly and one was right next door to the Church which had seemed perfect when I thought that we were going to the Church the first night. However I have terrible luck as has been covered in a previous blog post so while they may have normally allowed a pup in, and definitely do in their other larger location, they were having a private event and could not allow in any dogs.  We didn't get to drink there but the place looked real nice and the staff was welcoming. They also recommended we try Dog Rose Brewing which was just a short walk away in the Lincolnville area of St. Augustine. 

As we walked around we passed several building that were part of Flagler College. The school is named for Henry Flagler (1830-1913). He was born in New York but as a young teen moved to Ohio to start working and by his mid twenties he was a partner in the store he worked in. Henry was a good business man and by 1861 he had already begun collecting a small fortune equaling $50,000. In 1867 Flagler joined with John D Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews to form Rockefeller, Andrews, and Flagler Oil which became Standard Oil Company, a company whose success Rockefeller credited to Flagler. In 1878 Mary Flagler, Henry's wife, became ill with tuberculosis and doctors recommended a trip to Florida. Mary sadly passed a way a few years later leaving Henry Flagler with a very poor opinion of St. Augustine. However after forming a new company aimed at developing Florida Flagler returned in 1883 with his second wife to Honeymoon with John Rockefeller. In 1885 Henry bought stake in the railroad business when he purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Halifax River Railroad as well as land in St. Augustine. On his plot of land he built the Ponce de Leon Hotel with an aim to provide 'modern' comforts while keeping in mind the historical architecture of the area; after all he wanted to celebrate the historical value of "America's oldest city." In 1968 the Ponce de Leon Hotel became the corner stone of Flagler college, a Liberal Arts college with over 30 majors.

Everywhere we turned it seemed like there was a historical marker or placard which makes sense for "America's oldest city" or more correctly the oldest continually inhabited European settlement. The city was founded and claimed in the name of Spain by Pedro Menendez de Aviles who named the city St. Augustine because his crew had first spotted land on August 28th, the feast day of St. Augustine. For two hundred years the city served as the capital of Spanish Florida until it became the capital of British East Florida, until it returned to Spain, and then finally the capital of the Florida territory when it was ceded to America in 1819 (Florida did not become a state until March 3, 1845). I hadn't really thought about all the history the city had witnessed.

Most of the buildings we passed were beautiful examples of Spanish Renaissance style. It was dark but we still stopped multiple times to enjoy different buildings and sights. When we reached Dog Rose I ordered a flight of their beers and a bag of dog treats for the pups. I also asked the bartender for any recommendations to eat in the area. She asked the time and then recommended the Bantam Chef, which closed in a little less than half an hour. The restaurant was in an adorable little house and proudly displayed on their menu their "Famous fish sandwich" so it only made sense to order that and I added a basket (fries and cole slaw). Now I'm not usually a big flounder fan but this was so good! You could tell how fresh the ingredients were and for the price I had soooo much fish on the sandwich!

On the way out we bought a growler filled with their Lincolnville Lager to take home and enjoy later.

Yelp review of Dogrose Brewing.
Yelp review of Bantam Chef.

 Then we drove back to the hotel to get some sleep before we returned to the historic area during the day to more properly explore. Our first stop was at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, the entire reason for the trip.

In college my junior year we had what was called the "Junior Project" in our second semester. Basically you picked someone (in my case a philosopher) and researched their works and analyzed their writings and then would spend an hour being questioned on it by at least three members of the faculty. Well the philosopher I had studied was St. Augustine. I will write more about the actual Church in the blog post when I discuss all seven trips. 

While my Mom and I were in the Church Meg had waited in the car with the dogs in the Church parking lot. When we came out  Meg joined us to walk around town a little bit.

Right across the street was the Monumento a la Constitutión 1813, a simple column monument. The column was built in honor of the Spanish Parliament in Cádiz writing the first Spanish Constitution. There was a royal decree for all Spanish towns to name their main plaza La Plaza de la Constitución and to erect a monument in it's honor. As the capital of the Spanish Colony  the residents quickly created their monument. However on September 15, 1814 just one year after the monument was constructed word came that the new government had been overthrown by the monarchy and the monuments were to be torn down. Across the ocean from Spain and unwilling to undue their hard work the St. Augustine government did not tear down theirs and today it maybe the only unaltered monument still existing from that original decree. 

There was also a Civil Rights Memorial in honor of Andrew Young's walk in St. Augustine. On June 9th, 1964 with the nation deep in debate of Civil Rights and what that meant for all races Andrew Young lead a march that started in Lincolnville and planned to end at the Plaza. However an angry white mob waited in the plaza. Having been sent by Martin Luther King Mr. Young did not let them deter him and walked into the plaza. He was severely beaten but those with him stayed true to their belief of non-violence. That moment certainly played a large role in stopping the filibuster on the Civil Rights Act which was finally signed on July 2nd, 1964 by then President Lyndon Johnson.

Next we walked along the beautiful Matanzas River to the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the Continental US. It has protected the harbor since 1695 and was designed by Ignacio Daza. Construction of the fort began in 1672 after buccaneer Robert Searles attacked and destroyed St. Augustine and the original wooden fort in 1668. Throughout the city's history the fort changed hands and names multiple times. In 1924 the fort was declared a National Monument and in 1933 for the first time in 251 years it ceased to act as a military base. It has survived two sieges and use as a prison during the American Revolution. Three signers of the Declaration of Independence were held there: Thomas Heywood Jr, Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge.

We continued around the fort to the old city gates which once marked the entrance into St. Augustine.

We then began to make our way back to the car by walking thought the historic district. It was filled with beautiful architecture, historic markers, small stores, and restaurants. One neat sight was the oldest wooden school house in the USA.






When we got back to the car to start the long drive home I decided to stop at the coffee shop, The Kookaburra, a few doors down from the Basilica for a drink. Inside was small with just enough room for the counter and a small line. The counter by the way had Australian coins inlayed inside it which was super neat. I tried the honey badger (honey, cinnamon, and vanilla latte) and Meg had a Mocha Nut (chocolate and coconut) latte. One thing I liked was that as they were making the coffee they added some of the flavoring to the espresso and some of it was added to the milk so that as it frothed and heated the flavoring would blend. It certainly made for a nice drink. Also the lid had an opening in the center to allow the aroma of the coffee to escape and add to the drink experience.

We had two last sights in St. Augustine, a drive over the Bridge of Lions and the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The Lighthouse was built in the 1870s and is the oldest brick structure in St. Augustine. The bridge of lions got that name because of the two Carrara marble Medici lion statues modeled on the ones found in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy. The statues were made by Romanelli Studios in Florence and were gifts by Dr. Andrew Anderson who spent the latter part of his life donating works of art for public spaces.

We were going to stop by the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park but it was already getting later in the day and we really wanted to hit the park so we tabled that for a later visit.

The drive home was going super well filled with calling out yellow car and random conversations. Then my Mom asked us about stickers she had been seeing around Nashville with a 3, sun, and "A" on a light blue background. We discovered it was a highway in Florida and a line of beers at Grayton Beer Company. So we looked up where it was and realized it would add about three hours to the drive. And when you are already driving for the night why not add some more? Also it was Feb 29th, Leap Day, and what better way to use bonus hours on a day that doesn't even exist three out of four years than on a random road trip addition. So we detoured for dinner and a flight at Grayton beer company and we were not disappointed! We had the pretzel and spent grain bread with a honey butter, stout butter, and a sea salt and cracked pepper butter. I ordered the burger and for dessert we had a slice of key lime pie... not to mention a flight of beers. The 1890 founders ale and 30A rose were my favorites!

In total our road trip looked like this and was totally worth the long hours for all the great sites and history we saw, the delicious beers, and awesome conversation!