Kentucky - Day 23 - Frankfort

Taylorsville Lake State Park
Wednesday, 23 October 2019

today's route

I realized recently that the oil change I'm supposed to have every 5,000 miles should have been done 1,000 miles ago.  Now that I'm near a couple of decent-sized cities, I made getting that done a top priority.  The problem always is finding an oil change place with doors tall enough to take me, and I've learned to call first.

Because the person assured me their doors were 12' tall, I went trustingly to a Valvoline place in Frankfort.  Pulled in, only to have them stop me and say that the person had gotten it wrong and their doors were only 10' tall.  This RV is, apparently, 10½' tall.  It took 2 of them to figure out how I could get out of the very tiny space a customer drives into and how to get me turned around.  Not a great experience.  And still no oil change.  I'll have to try someplace in Lexington.

Discouraged, I drove into downtown Frankfort to see the state capitol.  The online directions brought me almost to the capitol's front door steps.  I'm used to other capitol buildings being set back from the road a little, often with wide lawns or at least wide courtyards or sidewalks.  And some are even guarded by some serious security.  Not Kentucky.

Kentucky State Capitol, built 1910

There are 2 drives around the building, and my directions took me first to the drive closest to the building - way too close to take a photo.  I waited to take mine until I was farther away.  It looks like there's a big green lawn, but the drive is right alongside the building. 

At this point I was very near the Governor's Mansion, but the dogs wanted to walk and I didn't want to stop at this point so I didn't get out myself to take my own photo.  This one I found online.  Pretty impressive, isn't it?  And even more so in person.  It does have a big front lawn.

Executive Mansion, built 1914

On the other side of the capitol is something that I think is unique: a floral clock.  This photo too is from online, but it's about what I saw.

Kentucky's Floral Clock, created 1964

The clock is actually functioning and is 34' across.  The minute hand is 20' long and weighs 530 pounds.  The whole clock, suspended over a pool and fountain, weighs 100 tons (because dirt is heavy).  Those really are plants growing in the clock face.  It's stunning to look at, and it's immediately across the drive closest to the capitol.

It's all very impressive and I'm glad I braved the traffic and road system to find it.

I drove out Capital Avenue, passing Rebecca Ruth's Candy Company, which claims to have created the original bourbon balls in 1936.  I didn't know that until I saw the sign as I passed - and just as well, probably, though they offer tours.

I drove past Kentucky State University, which seems much larger than it apparently is.  The internet says it has about 1,600 students.  It's a historically black university, founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons.  It became the state's second land grant college in 1890.  Maybe the whole school fronts on the street I was driving on, but I'd have said it was a much bigger school than 1,600.

A main street in town is called Versailles Road, and leads to the nearby town of Versailles.  Although here in Kentucky, it's pronounced ver-SALES.

I'd intended to go to the Kentucky History Museum but discovered that the only real parking available there is in a parking garage.  I didn't even bother to check because no parking garages anywhere take 10½' tall vehicles.  Too bad, though.  I'd have liked to learn more about the state.

But in another way it's probably just as well, because by then I was a lot tireder than I'd have expected.  I guess all that coughing the other day - some of which continues every day now and then - took more out of me than I'd expected.

I'd planned 2 different alternate routes back to the campground, and in the end took neither.  The one I took both coming and going from town wasn't even the one Google told me to take.  I'd had a good look at where they wanted me to go and knew it'd be miserable for my RV on those roads and took some that were a bit more mainstream.  It turned out to be a reasonable route, and because I was tired I took it back again.

On the way I passed 3 more distilleries: Wild Turkey, Four Roses, and Buffalo Trace.

I passed a goat farm with several of them playing in a yard (and was so entranced I missed my turn and had to find a place to turn around and go back).

I also saw a Red-tailed Hawk fly across the road and land in a tree - and would never have known that was the kind of hawk it was until I got a good flash of the tail when it landed on the tree branch.  Really pretty.

(internet photo)

What I saw of Frankfort I liked.  It's not very big - I think about 20,000 residents - and I'm guessing it'd be bigger if Lexington weren't so close - only about a half-hour's drive for normal drivers.  Frankfort's old and has a lot of history.  I guess I'd call it sort of cozy, for a capital city.  I'm glad I made the trip.