We left Chicago with Lexington, Kentucky in mind as our final destination. All that stood in our way was the great State of Indiana. We ducked off the highway for some bagels in Lafayette, home to Purdue University. It was beautiful country and a far cry from our first impressions of the state having passed through the very depressed Gary, Indiana.
At a rest stop, we found a flyer for Traderspoint Creamery - an organic and grass-fed dairy and meat farm in Zionsville. We had nothing else going on. So, we decided it was well worth a visit. We poked around the farm, determining that - although much smaller - an organic farm looks and smells very much like a non-organic farm. We headed to their “Dairy Bar”. CP got a small bowl of organic strawberry ice cream that put the organic ice cream in Jackson, Wyoming to shame both in taste and portion size. SM got a chocolate shake (chocolate milk with chocolate ice cream). SM - I have never had a shake that tasted so good. It was an amazing balance of deep chocolate flavor and a smooth, full creamy texture. Writing this, I want some more! We left the farm quite satisfied with the stop. Oh yah, we took some milk, yogurt, cheese and honey with us too. All organic and all to fill our bellies along the remainder of the trip.
We arrived in Lexington, Kentucky around 4:30 pm. There were no local RV parks so we booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express. We hadn’t stayed in a hotel for several weeks. So, we took the opportunity to workout in their gym and swim in the pool. Based on a recommendation from the hotel concierge, we biked downtown for dinner. Note to self - don’t bike to a nice restaurant in Kentucky when the temp is in the mid 90s and so is the humidity. We were soaked through.
We would venture a guess and say that Lexington is not a hot-bed of culinary activity. A big HOWEVER... we were quite surprised with DeSha’s. Most likely, it would have been a place in Boston that we would have peeked at the menu and walked right by. But what a great meal! CP initially ordered the scallops, but they were out. She labored for another 5 minutes scouring the very small menu trying to settle on something sounding even remotely appetizing to her or maybe wishing something else would magically appear in print. She finally ordered the fried chicken. CP - it was the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. It was an incredible plate - two huge boneless breasts, a mound of mashed potatoes, and veg. Once I tasted the chicken, I didn’t take one more bite of potatoes or veg so I could save the space on my palate and in my stomach for all the chicken I could eat. SM - I tried a bite or two as well. My oh my. I ordered the grilled salmon with corn risotto which was a great take. But if I could turn back time, we would have had two plates of fried chicken in front of us.
After dinner, we walked around town. It seemed so quiet, which we assumed was because it was a college town (University of Kentucky) and it was summer break. We’d asked our server at DeSha’s for a recommendation on a place to hear some live music. He pointed us to the “Cheapside Bar”. We turned the corner and saw what must have been 75% of the city’s population at a park next to the bar. Turns out we had just walked into the tail end of the towns “Thursdays at the park”, a food and music festival that they have each week in the summer. We were bummed to have missed it.
We made our way through the town and ended up at Mellow Mushroom - a hippie-infused/inspired pizzeria and bar with over 100 different types of beer. It was the first time in six weeks that we had seen a bottle of Boston’s own Harpoon Beer. SM snagged one and we both got a little sad knowing that we were getting closer to the end of our trip. We grabbed our bikes and headed back to the hotel, locking them on the back of the RV and calling it a night.
In the morning SM woke up and headed out for some coffee. SM - The routine before getting into Mel and hitting the road is to do a once over to make sure everything is disconnected (water and electric) and that all is secure (bikes). I had a weird suspicion when I was walking towards the RV. I went to the back and saw my bike dangling from the rack. Someone had tried to steal our bikes!!! They had cut the rubber straps that tied down my bike but were thwarted by a small bike lock and thin wire chain. Lexington, Kentucky - a den of thieves....
Our next stop was Berea, KY, a quaint artisan town about 40 miles south of Lexington. This would not have been on the list of towns to visit if it hadn’t been the birthplace of SM’s brother-in-law, Rob. We drove down, unsure of what to expect. The first thing we saw was “College Square”, the home of Berea College. Berea is a “work college” which provides low-income students the opportunity to go to college for free. Each student is given a 4 year full-tuition scholarship. In exchange, they work a minimum of 10 hours each week on campus. Another interesting fact about Berea College - It was the first coeducational and racially integrated college in the southern US. Pretty neat! We did a drive-by of Rob’s childhood home and continued on to the visitor’s center in old downtown. We were told that there were close to 20 working artist studios in the area. We poked around and went into some of the traditional craft studios. There were weavers, glass blowers, wood and metal workers, and potters. We headed up to the College Square and checked out the Berea College Student Craft Store. If you ever have the chance and enjoy handmade crafts in a quiet town, check out Berea. It’s a super cool town. We are so glad that we went.
We hit the road. West Virginia was calling!
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