Spoffords Travel

Day 14 September 11, 2025 Owensboro 165 miles

Today is partly cloudy with an expected high of 86. We have an earlier departure time and it is already hot and humid. The jacket won’t last long.

The drive today is much longer than previous days which is why the earlier departure time. We wound through the farmland for nearly an hour before arriving at Judge Joseph Holt’s Home. The home is a brick three story structure built in 1850 and enlarged in 1870. The building and furnishings seem in excellent condition. The furnishings were not his original ones but are period appropriate. Judge Holt held different posts under several presidents. He was the judge over the trial of the Lincoln assination conspirators.

The terrain throughout the day was rolling country roads. They went up, down and around. Some places really felt like a roller coaster. Many of the roads are really only 1.5 lanes wide so if you meet an oncoming vehicle one or both must drive on the grass shoulder. Then there is the problem of the potholes and sunken roadway. Some of it was worse than on the permfrost on the Alcan Highway. Oh yes can’t forget the railroad crossings. Some of those really rattle the car. Lost count of how many we crossed.

Another item of note is the number of small ponds scattered everywhere. Rob calls these mosquito hatcheries. Luckily we have not encountered a single mosquito.

We drove another hour to the Squire Boone Caverns. In addition to the caverns there are various other activities many done as they might have been done back when the Boone family lived here. Squire Boone was a younger brother of Daniel Boone. As we arrived they divided us into groups to spread everyone out. Great idea because some of the places were small. We ate lunch here too. Connie chose not to go in the caverns when they said to get out you need to climb a spiral staircase with 73 steps. Rob did go in and agreed that I would not have liked it.

After lunch we did go to the candle making shop. Connie dipped a small candle to see what it was like. We also listened to how they are made in mass. Even with all the tools the process is labor intensive. They make candles to sell all over.

We left after that in order to get back timely. The drive back took another couple of hours of the same kind of roads. The crops are still mainly corn and soy beans. We did see two small fields of tobacco and one tobacco barn with tobacco hanging in it. The one field looked pretty tough like it had been neglected. Not that long ago tobacco would have been a major crop.

We got back to town and stopped to fill with gas. When we prepared to leave the car wouldn’t start. Another Model A driver came right over to help. We went through the normal tests to determine the problem. It turned out to be a broken bolt that holds the alternator in place. That kept it from working and the battery died. Eventually the decision was made to tow the car and pop the clutch. The tow lasted about 10 feet and the car was running. We made it back to the hotel. After supper Rob spent about 2 hours coming up with a workable solution that would normally take about 15 minutes at home. Rob needs to add more bolts and nuts to the packing list.

Day 13 September 10, 2025 Owensboro 95 miles

Today the weather forecast said partly cloudy with a high of 84 and no rain. Looking out the window the skies are completely cloud covered and some rain is falling. It rained off and on a couple of more times. By afternoon the sun out and the temperature up. Partly cloudy must mean part of the day is cloudy and part is sunny.

Rob tried his temporary fix to the headlight problem. The fix was very temporary. The headlight flickered for only a few miles. We will avoid any night driving until we get home and find some replacement parts.

Our main destination was Santa Claus Indiana. We stopped at the Santa Claus Museum where we learned two incredible stories. We also saw all things Santa and a room full of model trains. Santa and Mrs Claus were also present.

The first story is how the town got its name. The original settlement was called Santa Fee. When they applied for a post office they were told a Santa Fe Indiana already existed. The town met to decide on a new name. While discussing options the wind blew the door open. A boy yelled Santa Claus is coming. And the town was named.

The second story is about Jim Yellig. He served in the Navy before and during WWI. His ship invited children on at Christmas. He played Santa. He was so impressed by how the kids reacted that he prayed “if I survive the war I will always be Santa. He survived and became Santa until shortly before he died at the age of 90.

On the property is the original post office, a church built in 1820 and a 22 foot statue of Santa done in concrete.

After lunch at the Santa Lodge with the largest pork chops we had seen it was an easy drive back to town. This allowed everyone to prepare for the freshman banquet tonight. Only a few needed to prepare. We did laundry.

The banquet was in an event center right on the river next to the big blue bridge over the Ohio River. They are replacing the flooring on the bridge so we couldn’t cross it. After dark the bridge lights up and changes colors. Really very pretty.

Day 12 September 9, 2025 Owensboro 123 miles

Today is supposed to be partly cloudy with a high of 81 and 85% humidity. That should be good touring weather.

We drove to sights in Indiana today. Coffee break was at a drive in move theater. They have seven screens and still show movies from May through the first part of October. Admission is $12 for 12 and up. It was a wonderful place to have coffee and donuts. The cars could easily be parked all facing the same direction.

Next stop was an event center where we had a blue grass concert for over an hour and then had lunch. This meal was Italian in nature with lasagne, chicken Alfredo, vegetable pasta and salad. Then dessert was brownies or cookies like a flattened bottoms golf ball. All very good.

A nice drive took us through the farmland to the Evansville Wartime Museum. This is not a large museum but it is very well done. They even took a picture of the car in front of the museum with one of their planes. Connie got a new t-shirt. The museum is not normally open on this day. They staff came in just for us.

I learned today that the plants I thought might be peanuts are in fact soy beans. That makes far more sense. Wrong kind of soil for peanuts. Also learned Kentucky used to have the largest burley tobacco sales yard in the world. Now most of it is gone but Kentucky still produces 70% of the US production.

Drove a little further to an ice cream stop. This was just soft serve ice cream with chocolate, vanilla or swirled.

We both took naps in the cool hotel room before supper. (Retirement can be hard work.) Rob spent some time trying to fix the light bulb socket on the left headlight. He will try it out in the morning. Keep your fingers crossed.

Day 11 September 8, 2025 Owensboro 119 miles

The day was beautiful. The high was about 76 with a little breeze. The sun felt warm and the shade felt cool. This is the first day of the tour. We had a nice breakfast in the hotel. They had a lemon poppyseed scone that was really delicious. Rob ate Connie’s share. We asked the staff who made them for a recipe. Unfortunately the food supply service brings them. Most likely no way to get a recipe. Oh darn.

We start out at 9 am headed for the coffee and donut break. These are usually mid morning. This one was only 15 minutes later. We drove on some county roads through the farmland. Still lots of corn and whatever that other crop is. You know the one we think might be peanuts.

About 11:00 we arrived at the John James Audubon State Park. The grounds driving in are covered with trees. Parking lots are scattered all over the grounds. Those with handicap stickers could park up near the museum. The rest of the cars were to park further down the road. They do provide a shuttle bus thankfully. We rode that up to the sidewalk leading to the museum. It is a beautiful building built in a French style by the CCC and WPA. We entered the museum then watched a couple of videos about John James Audubon and how the museum came to be. Then we looked through the museum itself. His work is beautiful and its wonderful that it is being preserved.

We go a short distance to our lunch location. Lunch was chicken wraps, homemade potato chips and lettuce salad. It’s good that the crowd straggled in. They were not well set up for the number of folks in our group. The staff made adjustments and soon people were searching for places to sit and eat.

Then we drove through more of the area for about an hour to get to a farm market and ice cream. They had fresh vegetables, jams, sauces, pickled vegetables and fudge. Then on the side of the building they had ice cream. This was optional so the cost wasn’t included. Two scoops of ice cream was $4.99. We had a short wait but when we left the line was really long. As usual, timing is everything.

Another hour long drive to return to Owensboro. We stopped for gas and then at Harbor Freight. Harbor Freight is kind of like a fabric store, they are hard to pass. We were back to the hotel about 5:15.

Rob adjusted the brakes in the parking lot. He had lots of advisers.

Day 10 September 7, 2025 Clarksville Tennessee to Owensboro Kentucky 160 miles

We had to fill with gas this morning so that took a little longer, Then we were on our way to Owensboro Kentucky where the Glidden Antique Car Tour is based from this year.

We saw at least five Amish buggies all seeming to head the same direction. They must have been going to church. They were different styles. Some were small covered buggies. Some were bigger covered buggies and some were buckboards. Some had only slow moving vehicle signs and some had bright red tail lights. Someone in every vehicle waved at us.

The route takes us through farming country and small towns. We saw a couple of tobacco barns with tobacco leaves hanging to dry. We only saw one tobacco field. We saw numerous fields of what we have decided are peanuts.

The small towns have some beautiful older buildings. One was in a square in the middle of town. You had to drive around it.

We arrived at the host hotel about 11 am. We were too early to check in but we did register for the tour. Surprisingly we are car 19. That is the lowest number we have ever had. After a brief stop at the hospitality room we headed for the optional tour to Lincoln’s boyhood home in Indiana. This was about a 45 minute drive if you took the backroads as directed. The wind picked up for a while to the point that we had to both hold on to our hats. We are to visit the Lincoln Boyhood Memorial National Park. The park is in a heavily wooded area. The Visitor’s Center was closed for lunch when we arrived. The cabin and living farm are located about 1/2 mile down a trail from the Visitor’s Center. We waited for the center to open so we could watch the movie. That is when we learned you could drive to a location much closer. The movie told of Lincoln’s life while living in Indiana.

We drove up to the other parking lot and then walked to the site of Lincoln’s family home. The house is long gone but a replica of the foundation has been constructed. Sure was small. The “living” farm nearby doesn’t have anything living on it. The cabin there is built as Lincoln’s would have been. You could only look in a window. The inside was too dark to see much of anything. Overall opinion was this was a bust.

We returned to the hotel. Rob cleaned up the car before we leave for the opening banquet.

Our room faces the Ohio River. Surprising we got that view. While waiting two large barges loaded with coal passed by. Perhaps going to the power plant we saw on the way to the Lincoln Boyhood National Park.

We attended the opening banquet for our tour. This stop included a taste of bourbon. Rob tried a small taste. The meal was coleslaw, mac and cheese, green beans, baked beans, bbq chicken, bbq brisket, corn bread, and pie. There are about 150 cars in attendance which should mean at least 300 people.

The ride back to the hotel was a little interesting in the dark with only one headlight. The headlight bulb socket is not working properly. The problem has been identified as two worn out springs. Unfortunately the fix is not in our traveling spare parts inventory.

Day 9 September 6, 2025 Paducah Kentucky to Clarksville Tennessee 119 miles

It did rain overnight. Everything outside was wet. Good thing Rob put up the side curtains last night. The inside of the woodie was dry. Sometimes after a heavy rain the car has trouble starting. No problem starting today.

We have about a two hour drive to Dover Tennessee. That was the location of Fort Donelson which is considered by some to be the turning point of the Civil War. We arrived at the Visitor’s Center just as the ranger was leaving to give a talk at the National Cemetery located within the park. We followed him to the location. A few rain drops were falling so we went in one of the small buildings that contained information about the war, the cemetery and some of the people involved. He gave about a 20 minute talk about the war and the cemetery. Some of the graves are from other engagements but the majority are from the Union soldiers and sailors of the Civil War that died during the battle. The names are unknown because they were buried where they died and as soon as possible. A total of 670 with 512 unknown men are interned here.

We returned to the Visitor’s Center and watched a video that helped explain what had happened here. We got a map with the various sights marked and off we went. When we got to the river an employee of the National Park talked to us about the battle that had occurred here. The Union forces came up the river in their iron clad boats. The Confederate soldiers however had some big canons lining the banks of the river. The canons did some serious damage to the boats. The next day General Grant and his forces surrounded the fort from the land side. The Confederate soldiers however did a surprise attack and forced the Union soldiers back. Then the Confederate army made a huge mistake and returned to the fort. This allowed the Union to regroup and surround the fort eventually forcing a complete surrender. The Union victory gave the Union control of the rivers allowing easy access to the south. Turns out the park employee was a maintenance man who just happened to love history.

We had a nice picnic lunch in the park.

We also visited the Dover Hotel where the surrender documents were signed. Another video was supposed to be here but it wasn’t working.

Then we drove on to Clarksville Tennessee where we will spend the night.

Day 8 September 5, 2025 Paducah Kentucky 17 miles

Our first stop of the day was at the huge fabric store Hancock’s of Paducah. No idea how many bolts are in the store. There were just a few nuts in the store today. The building is the size of a large grocery store. Another similar size building is next door that must contain shipping and receiving. They had at least 10 people selecting and cutting fabric for their online orders. Even with all that they are about 5 days behind. Rob stayed outside and tried to work on the car. Too many people kept coming up to talk about the car. One gentleman was very interested because he has his father’s model A pickup that he hopes to learn how to start and drive soon.

Then we went to the National Quilt Museum. Today’s displays included quilts by the ladies from Gees Bend Alabama and modern quilts. Neither of us is impressed by any of these quilts. The modern quilts are unique patterns with lots of quilting. The Gees Bend quilts are made with no pattern and large pieces. The colors are not attractive and the work is not very good. They have been well received nationally. The miniature quilts are incredible. They are less than 15” square with hundreds to thousands of pieces. Most of theses quilts have won awards in major shows. Connie did buy a t-shirt with a print of one of the quilts that was on display. The back of that one was as interesting as the front.

We went to lunch at a fast food restaurant called Just Hamburgers. What a busy place. They really don’t have any seating and the line is several people long most of the time. Rob ordered the daily special which was a double cheeseburger. Connie ordered a grilled tenderloin. Turns out that is a grilled chicken breast on a hamburger bun. A real shock to the taste buds when they are expecting beef. The place is obviously popular with the locals.

After lunch we went to the Lloyd Tilghman House and Museum. This was a Civil War museum from the Confederates point of view. One of the guides had a great grandfather who fought and was severely wounded. The displays are nice and the volunteers were very informative. Several small groups from the river boat cruise docked in town were also there. They had been at the quilt museum as well.

We discussed where and what to do tomorrow as we have one more day before getting to Owensboro. We decided on Dover Tennessee for some additional Civil War history. Then off to the grocery store and gas station before settling in for the night.

Rob installed the side curtains on the woodie because of forecasted rain. The left headlight is not operational. The broken part is of course one that we did not bring along. Any night driving will be extremely limited for the rest of the trip. That is unless we use the lights on our cell phones.