Spoffords Travel

Day 18 September 15, 2025 Shelley’s house to Olney Illinois 262 miles

The weather feels nice when we first went outside. The temperature went up quickly. By the end of the day the temperature was in the low 90s.

Not far from Shelley’s house we saw a deer. We later saw several roadkill deer. Those vultures need to get busy.

We drove along the Ohio River for most of the morning. We were really on the backroads. We decided some of them didn’t qualify for county roads. They were more like paved drunken donkey trails. It was late afternoon before we got more than 10 miles without a turn.

Lots of big manufacturing plants. Don’t know what they are manufacturing. The signage just didn’t give enough information.

At one spot there was a dam and locks on the river. The river seemed as wide on the other side of the dam.

We ate lunch at what seemed the smallest Dairy Queen ever. They had very little parking and very little seating. In fact we had to eat in the car. We talked with one man who was still very bitter about his mother and aunt selling his grandmother’s antique Chevrolet. The car was sold 20 years ago. It was supposed to have been his.

Some of the houses along the river and in the small towns near the river were really big and beautiful. Some were old and some were new.

We crossed the Ohio River into Indiana and from there left the river. Now the land has flattened out and the big fields are back.

The woodie has been running fine. It still has a very small coolant leak. However, it is still running at normal temperatures without needing more coolant. We have extra coolant along if the need arises.

Day 17 September 14, 2025 Shelley’s house 0 miles

Rob and Michael replaced the gas gauge on Shelley’s Model A. They spent a large part of the day trying to get it started. They never did. They said they tested everything. Well apparently not quite everything.

Everyone enjoyed having a relaxing day.

Day 16 September 13, 2025 Owensboro Kentucky to Shelley’s House 241 miles

The day is already hot when we walk out of the hotel. The skies are clear and there is not much breeze.

The terrain is what we have seen all week. Rolling hills covered with trees and open spaces with corn or soy beans.

A car pulled out right in front of us and Rob had to really slam on the brakes. Good thing he tightened them up recently. Don’t know if they didn’t see us or if they just weren’t paying attention.

We stopped at a small town to buy two foot long Subway sandwiches for supper. We figured that would be easy and fast.

The road Shelley lives on is very narrow. Parts of it have a canopy cover. Lots of twists and turns so you can’t see what is coming. Thankfully the road doesn’t have much traffic.

We arrived at the house about 5:30. We spent the rest of the day just catching up on everything.

Day 16 September 13, 2025 Owensboro Kentucky to Augusta Kentucky 241 miles

Stepped out the door into what felt like a blast furnace. It’s going to be a hot one today.

No sight seeing today. We are headed to daughter Shelley’s house near the small town of Augusta Kentucky. The drive has less farmland and more trees.

It’s a good thing Rob adjusted the brakes because a car pulled out right in front of us on a busy road. We were probably going about 50 mph at the time. Either they didn’t see us or they have no clue about Model A brakes.

The road where her house is located is very narrow only about 1.25 cars wide. It twists and turns and goes up and down. You just hope another car isn’t coming.

We arrived about 5:30 and spent the evening catching up.

Day 15 September 12, 2025 Owensboro 94 miles

Today is to be warmer than yesterday. The skies are mostly sunny. We didn’t wear our sweatshirts very long today.

Rob spent several minutes looking for the small emergency battery to use to start the car. The car battery is completely dead after yesterday’s event. Well that emergency device from Costco didn’t work. One of the other drivers went looking for helpers to push or tow the car. What he found was another driver with a bigger better jump start device. The car started on the second try. Rob let it run for several minutes before we departed.

The drive to Dream Riders was quite short. This facility helps people with special needs by using horses. They have been successful getting people to walk some and talk some. The horses are between 14 and 18 years of age. They have a nice indoor arena to ride in with some minor obstacles to maneuver around. We parked on a hill so that Rob could pop the clutch to start the car if necessary. Thankfully the car started right off.

Then we drove through the countryside for about an hour. Once again up and down hills of various sizes and around curves that can be gentle or sharp. Still lots of corn and soy beans but one field of a different kind of tobacco. Some of the houses have huge yards that must take all day to mow even with a riding lawn mower. The houses are quite a variety. Some are big and new. Some are small and old.

We arrived at the Bill Monroe Museum. Bill Monroe is considered the father of Bluegrass music. The building was full of items from his life. Connie took pictures of the important things in the museum which were two quilts. We picked up lunch tickets and a wrist band here. The wrist band is for the Bluegrass Festival which is next on the agenda.

The festival is held at Bill Monroe’s home place. They have a few food trucks plus other venders. Numerous groups will perform throughout the festival. We stood in line for nearly an hour to get our sandwich. It was really good with lots of meat. We got lucky and found a place to sit. The music was playing in the distance so the volume was okay.

The return trip was much the same. Narrow winding roads through farming country. We did have two people flag us down to a stop and ask what was going on. We made their day. Others must have known because they were sitting out in lawn chairs with snacks.

Tonight was the closing banquet which was much like the rest. They did not give awards for oldest driver, youngest driver or who drove the furthest. The room was freezing. One of the few times we were glad to get outside when it was over.

The bracket fix holding the alternator in place worked great. The car battery was back to a full charge by the end of the day. We do have a very small coolent leak. It is not real obvious where it is coming from so it probably won’t get fixed until it gets worse. The car is still running very cool for the current warm/hot weather.

Forgot to say yesterday that the odometer read 66666.

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.