Out & About KY Style: Road Trip!

Road Trip!

Gary West is an author and News Journal columnist.

For more than twenty years I have been signing off my columns with the encouraging words of “get up, get out and get going!”

I’ve always tried to take my own advice, as my wife and I will occasionally hop in the car and motor someplace not too far away for lunch. And now that warmer weather is here, perhaps this can happen more frequently.

A few days ago, a friend of mine called me from E’town. “How about meeting us for lunch tomorrow in Danville?”

Our calendar was clear, the weather looked good and we had no excuse for why we couldn’t. Listen up. A lunch trip from Paducah would probably require an overnight, and so would one from Corbin. Maybe?

Danville is an interesting place. I’ve been there many times over the years while writing stories and travel books, so, even though it’s almost two and a half hours from Bowling Green, a lunch trip would work.

For me there is nothing like the back roads of Kentucky. No matter how many times I drive them, the beauty always makes me glad I live in this state.

I’m well aware of the much improved parkway system we have that has finally given Kentuckians a connectivity from one end of the state to the other. There are times, however, when I want to hit the roads less traveled… the backroads. And my trip to Danville for lunch was one of those days.

Leaving the parkway at Russell Springs and turning onto Hwy. 127 heading toward Danville, my attention is quickly drawn to how green everything looks. The small farms with their neatly manicured fence rows and waiting to bloom flower pots were a thing of pride for the families who lived there.

I can still remember rides around the countryside with my grandmother, not only telling me who lived there now, but who before them.  I appreciate her history lessons now more than ever. I wish I had told her back then. I still use one of her unforgettable sayings. “They sure do keep their place up nice,” she would say when passing a crisply painted farmhouse, with a nearby garden and freshly mowed pasture.

As we drove past familiar landmarks on 127 it’s, to my wife and me, what Kentucky is all about.

Now keep in mind a landmark to us doesn’t have to be historical, or something protruding eighty feet out of the ground.

For me a landmark is Coe’s Restaurant in Russell Springs. The best catfish any-where. And the slaw. Nevermind. But hold on, I’m not going to Coe’s today. We’re headed to Danville.

Hwy. 127 is famous for the “World’s Longest Yard Sale.” It comes out of Michigan, and winds up in Alabama. I’ve been on this road when it is going on and it is not for the faint of heart. The 690 miles it covers takes place in early August.

But on this day I can pretty much go at my own pace and enjoy the small church steeples peeking over the rolling hills and hundreds of small ponds, just waiting for the nearby cattle to wade in and cool off in a couple of months.

Something is missing. “Where is the kudzu I asked my wife?” It’s there she said. “See all of the brown stuff? It’s there, but hasn’t bloomed yet.”

Oh my. It is there, and it won’t be long before this invasive plant wakes up, looks around and begins to consume anything within 100 feet of it. Referred to as “The Vine That Ate The South,” kudzu in this part of Kentucky is everywhere. One of these days someone will figure out how to pot a sliver of it that will help keep the backyard squirrels at bay.

Over on my left is a mule farm. They are everywhere, near a pond but not in it. Further up the road a bit, travelers get to see the industry that this part of the state is known for.

Gates that keep things in or out are made here. Several companies with stacks and stacks and more stacks of metal gates and spools of wire are produced in the Liberty, Kentucky area. Surely they ship throughout the world.

As a traveler my landmarks are, more often than not, tied in to where to eat. Close to Liberty is another. Bread of Life Cafe offers a buffet or a menu to order from. One lady said, “Their rolls are as big as my hand and as soft as a pillow.”

Driving past, my car seemed to veer toward the parking lot, as we have been there several times. But I’ve got to keep my mind on Danville for lunch.

Liberty is in Casey County and has less than 2,000 people there, but if you didn’t know better you might think it’s much bigger, especially when suddenly the two lane Hwy. 127 explodes into a five lane thoroughfare for a couple of miles through town. It didn’t hurt that when Wallace Wilkinson was governor funds out of the blue were made available for this small taste of super highway for local travelers.

Finally Danville.

A go-to-place to eat for lunch is Bluegrass Pizza, downtown. More than pizza, of course, it’s a comfortable place to meet friends and relax. And that’s exactly what we did. Right down the street is absolutely one of the best tasting bakeries in all of Kentucky. Couldn’t leave Danville before a few sweet treats at Burke’s Bakery.

Downtown, by the way, is in the middle of a major streetscape renovation. Wider sidewalks, planters, benches and lighting are all a part of it.

Leaving Danville and driving over two hours made us realize that we had driven that distance, not necessarily for the food, but to see friends.

Think about this. We could have driven an hour on I-65 South to see them in E’town and eat. We’ll do that another time. But no, we drove to Danville.

The beauty and scenery of the rolling hills of Kentucky was time well spent.

There’s no excuse, get up, get out and get going! Gary P. West can be reached at westgarypdeb@gmail.com.