KY

Patti’s Settlement
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Land Between the Lakes
(View Map)

The little town of Grand Rivers has 350 residents and a giant establishment called Patti’s Settlement that takes up half the town. 

Patti’s Settlement is the singular destination here at the headwaters of the vast recreation area known as Land Between the Lakes. LBL, as it’s called, is a large island situated between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Both these waterways were created by damming two rivers, and a canal at Grand Rivers connects the two lakes. 

I’m sure everyone is familiar with Antiques Roadshow, the popular PBS show. Here in Kentucky we have our own version called Kentucky Collectibles. It’s aired on our local public channel, KET. We bought tickets for the show, gathered up our queerest old-timey items, and headed out to Paducah, on the far western edge of Kentucky, to join the appraisal show.

It’s a time honored tradition – the Derby Party. So we went to the track to celebrate. But not at Churchill Downs and not in Louisville. 

Lebanon & Springfield, Kentucky

Nothin’ better than a lazy Sunday drive. Especially in the Spring with sun shining on new grass and redbuds in the bloom. 

Last weekend I toured the Kentuckiana Cluster of Dog Shows held at the big fairgrounds in Louisville. There amid hundreds of dogs and owners I got an education on a different kind of sport. Like any other serious hobby, the Dog Show world has its own language, specialized equipment, and complicated protocols.

Hodgenville Kentucky 

It’s pronounced Haw-Gen-Ville. Population 3,200 and the seat of LaRue County. (view map)

Originally the town was called Hodgen’s Mill, after an early settlement. Locals still add the S to the name, and for a hundred years so did the US post office. So you’ll often hear folks say Hodgensville, regardless of the official spelling.

Gethsemane, Kentucky

My train of thought always gets sidelined in January. This time of year, while the RV waits out the winter, I have plenty of time to ponder peculiar things. Such was the case as I walked the tracks in Gethsemane.

poin·telle
poinˈtel/
Pointelle; noun: 1. fabric with small holes; 2. pointless art

Raywick, Kentucky
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The tiny town of Raywick, Kentucky has a big reputation for being badass. There’s been a bunch of midnight shootouts at the local tavern and the area cradles a sizable enclave of illegal pot farmers. Raywick’s notorious characters were chronicled in the novel Cornbread Mafia.

RVIA
(Recreational Vehicle Industry Association)
Louisville, Kentucky

The RV industry has exploded with choices, and aren’t we lucky! There’s hundreds of RV models offered these days: tiny and huge, fancy and bare boned, in-between and over the top. All kinds of crazy classes and subclasses like travel trailers, fifth wheels, van conversions, Class A, B, and C motorhomes. It’s a veritable buffet of wheels and fiberglass.