Wwoofing It: Rain, Rain Go Away

Hello All,

So it has been raining almost everyday here lately, but it has still been really hot. Usually in the 80's, but with a huge storm that blows in every day. It is very strange weather out here, and I am definitely not used to it. We usually just have enough time to go out and do some yard work, then a storm will come in and we cant go out and work for the rest of the day. It is supposed to rain for the rest of my time here, but I guess that will be okay, because it is so hot outside anyway. I am still planning on going into Louisville and Lexington this Friday, and if it rains a little bit that will still be okay. I am going line dancing in Lexington Friday night, so I am really excited about that.

Yesterday, Bobbett and I visited the Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto. It was about 2 hours away. When we got there, we parked and walked up for the tour. The tour is free, and there were a lot of people in our group. We started in the founder of the distillery, Mr. Samuels, home. It was a very nice home, and there were so many actual documents that were used during the original days of the distillery. Maker's Mark is different than all other bourbons because it is made with soft winter wheat instead of rye grain, so it is much softer to drink. (I guess, I wouldn't know because I don't drink, but thats what everyone says....) After we toured the home, we walked to the room where the wheat and grain is delivered, inspected and ground up. Then it is added to yeast in humongous vats, where it would sit for a few days. The yeast vats were enormous, and the room they were in was extremely hot and humid, and smelled really bad. It smelled like rotten beer or bread; like it had that yeast-like rotten smell. Everyone was allowed to dip their finger in the vat and taste the yeast mixture, but I didnt want to because it smelled so bad. And judging by everyone else's facial expressions, I assume it didn't taste good at all. After we left that room, we went to the barrel room where we got to see all the barrels of Maker's Mark that were in different stages of aging. The barrels sit in that room for 6 years before they are bottled and sold. The room we saw held about 600 barrels, while the other warehouse held over 1000 barrels of bourbon. That room was really cool, and we got to walk through the aisles of barrels. Some of the barrels had names on them, and that is because Maker's Mark has a program where the public can sign up to be an ambassador. If you sign up, you can have your name put in a registry, you will be assigned a batch of bourbon, and after 6 years, when it is ready, you can come back and purchase 2 bottles of that special blend of bourbon, and your name will be on the bottle. And you can dip the bottles yourself. It seems really cool if you like Maker's Mark and want to come back every 6 years to get it. After the barrel room, we got to go into the lounge in the gift shop where we were each handed a glass with a small sip of Maker's Mark, and Maker's 46 in it. I didnt want to taste them, so I just sat there. But everyone else got to taste the bourbon, and we all got truffles with the bourbon in them. I didnt want the truffle either, because it smelled like alcohol. But I did purchase a bottle of the grain that is used to make Maker's Mark, and I got to dip my own bottle in the red wax. It was so cool, and I would never drink the alcohol, so it was nice that they had an alternative to purchasing the alcohol. It was really fun dipping my bottle, and now I have an awsome souvenir from my trip. After the Maker's Mark tour, we drove over to the Shaker Village. We got to take tours of the original buildings that the Shaker's lived in and worked in. I also got to see the barn, tapestry room, worship halls, kitchen, and bedrooms. There were goats, horses, cows, and sheep too. The tour was really interesting, and I enjoyed the day very much.

After the Shaker Village, we drove over to the major city to eat dinner and get a few things from the store. Bobbett took me to Cracker Barrel and it was really good! I have never been to one before, and it was very crowded. I, of course, got a big breakfast plate of french toast with cherries on top, and a ton of sides. And I had sweet peach tea! It was really good, and everyone was really nice and friendly. Cracker Barrel is definitely a good place to eat in the South.

So that is about all that has happened so far. I have my next part of my trip planned. I am going to leave here next week, either Monday or Tuesday. Then I am going to drive to Georgia to go to an aquarium. It is the world's biggest in some aspect, so I am extremely excited to see it. Then I am going to drive back up to Nashville, where hopefully I can take a tour of Vanderbilt, and check out downtown Nashville. Then I am going to my new ranch. I might be interested in transferring to Vanderbilt if I end up liking Nashville, so I wanted to meet with someone and take a tour. It seems like a nice location and it is a great college. I am so excited to get to my new ranch and play with horses and ride them and take care of them! And I am so excited to learn all I can about them as well.

I will let you all (or y'all) know what my plans are, and update with pictures too! Miss you guys.

Love,
Sam