The rest of the weekend was great. The little lady and I stayed at the team hotel Friday night. Saturday morning, we had an early wake up call and made our way to the Kentucky Horse Park. I have never learned so much about a particular species of animal. Tons of history there. You can tell the entire state embraces these animals. Afterwards we drove to the stadium for game day. They have a great set up for football. They have tons of parking and a great stadium. I think it is a perfect size for Kentucky football. They knocked us off and secured a bowl bid, so the program is clearly making strides. Maintaining a solid football program at a basketball powerhouse can clearly be a challenge. Just ask John Bunting.
Following the game, we made our way to some of the beautiful country side and to the Equus Run Vineyard. The folks there were very nice, and we took part in a wine tasting with another couple from Louisville. You can tell they were thrilled to leave their kids at home and enjoy a day or so away. They gave some great advice, as we've heard from many other couples, which was to make sure we do fun things often. Even when we have kids. It sounds simple to type and say, but more difficult to do when routines set in. So the company was pleasant and the wine was pretty damn good. Good enough for us to bring 3 bottles home.
We had decided to remain in Kentucky that evening, so I had set us up a room at a bed & breakfast in Versailles, KY, the "Horse Capital of the World." We stayed at the Montgomery Inn, just off of the very small downtown. The house is pretty nice. The owners just purchased the place in September, so they were still settling in. I do not want to say the service was bad, because it was ok. It just wasn't tremendous. The snacks they provide were so so. I've seen where some places will have free champagne around 5pm. They didn't do that. The breakfast was odd. Eggs with spinach and some type of nut in them. Not really my cup of tea. They were friendly hosts, but I think they could certainly improve. They did give me a great recommendation for dinner, as we hit up the Holly Hill Inn. Classic old house turned restaurant. They don't have many choices, but they change the menu once a month and it is all very good. Doug would've been proud, as I polished off some venison.
Sunday, we made our way back to Nashville with some much better weather, as it had been raining on and off most of the weekend. It was a nice trip, and just great to get away for a bit. We had the dogs at "camp" all weekend, so it was nice to have a break from them too ... although, I think we both really missed them.
So my long road didn't take me to the University of Kentucky for my education, but I did enjoy a great weekend up there. And with my lovely fiancée, I'd say my road has been pretty damn good!
Time to get ready for the last home football game of the season, vs. Big Orange. Ugh. I hope we beat their butts, but I certainly don't want to deal with a mob scene on the field afterwards. Just pray for a blowout win by the Dores!