My Time in Bluegrass Country

A few weeks ago I traveled to Kentucky for work. My company puts on events that raise money for cancer, such as walks, runs, and bike rides. I traveled for the latter.

The Ride to Conquer Cancer in Kentucky is a bike ride from Louisville to Lexington and back, about 150 miles total, over two days. Participants who sign up raise funds to be used to fight cancer and it is an incredibly inspirational event. The courageous individuals test their strength and perseverance in the name of finding a cure for cancer.

I was there to help in any way that I could. That translated to me putting up and taking down signage for the route, cleaning up trash, and making sure that the riders’ bikes were parked for the night and checked out to the right riders the next morning. Hard work, but well worth it.

Because I am from California I did have trouble getting enough sleep. When I got to Kentucky I lost three hours. So our 4:45 a.m. wake up calls were like 1:45 a.m. wake up calls for my body’s internal clock. Somehow I kept ticking though and actually handled the lack of sleep pretty well.

I was lucky to have assignments that allowed me to see the beautiful homes and ranches in Kentucky. Everywhere you look there are rolling, bluegrass fields. Horses weren’t as plentiful as I had imagined, but there were certainly equestrian sightings.

The Ride was a success and I am grateful that I was able to experience it in person.

After the event was over, a co-worker and I took advantage of being in a new state and explored the city. I was surprised how small downtown Louisville is. That may be because I am from LA which is so spread apart. You can’t really walk anywhere in LA! It was nice that we were able to walk everywhere we needed to go and figure out the city pretty easily. It was also a nice change of pace to be around such nice people!

Due to a luggage replacement need by my co-worker we ended up traveling outside of downtown Louisville. This required a buss ride—my first public buss ride ever—which wasn’t as scary as I had imagined. We ended up at the Highlands, a neighborhood that has a bohemian vibe and cute shops. Then it was back downtown. I headed over to an old cathedral that has some stunning architecture.

Next it was my biggest sightseeing thrill of the trip, the Louisville Slugger Museum! I love baseball (go Angels!) and have played softball for about 20 years, and still do. In fact, I have my first bat, a Louisville Slugger, under my bed should anyone try to break into my apartment! =)

The tour consisted of a behind-the-scenes look at bat making in action. Did you know that a wooden bat is made in 30 seconds? Pretty cool! Of course at the end of the tour I had to purchase an engraved mini Louisville Slugger with my name engraved on it.

We ended our time in Louisville with a trip to see Col. Sanders a

nd grab a Starbucks before boarding our plane. A plane which was also occupied by Laura Bush, one of her daughters, and a few secret servicemen.

Overall, a great little getaway!

P.S. If you ever go to Louisville and need a hotel to stay in, I recommend Galt House. It is a huge, beautiful hotel located downtown right next to the Ohio River. From my room I could see Indiana across the river…even though I didn’t actually get to visit Indiana.

Photos courtesy of: The Ride to Conquer Cancer and my camera