Rain, Rain - Go AWAY!

July 14: A driving day. 

In driving rain. Seriously, vicious driving rain. Three states and three severe thunderstorms, to the point where we were driving down the highway at about 35 mph, with windshield wipers at max, and the safety flashers on. The wind was blowing us sideways and the thunder was shaking the truck. 

Soooooooo - Mammoth Cave was out. We got rained out. We left Batesville, MS at 7:30 a.m. and we got to Mammoth Cave close to 2 p.m. The last tours commence around 1:30 so that even though the storms were abating, we missed the chance to go into the caves. 

We weren't happy, but we were lucky that the rain came on a driving day, instead of a touring day. 

We skipped lunch to get to Mammoth, and having done that and realized that it was a no-go, we consoled ourselves with a recommendation from a friend: Red State BBQ. 

Seriously - it's a shack off the main highway in Lexington, KY and it's in front of a trailer park. I couldn't make it up. 

Red State is worth the wait! Delicious, and we got to sign the wall. The place is pretty low-slung, so The Kid actually got to sign the CEILING! Best. Baked beans. Ever. 

Ever. 

The Kid had a 3-meat blend, with coleslaw and baked beans. 

I had a Pulled Pork with coleslaw on it and mac & cheese. They had 3 kinds of sauce you could add - a spicy one that was kind of North Carolina style, a Memphis style and a mustard style. Of course, we dabbed a bit of each on separate bites to see which we preferred. The meat was tender and delicious - melt-in-mouth kind of meat. The baked beans were decadent. The coleslaw on the sandwich was just the right balance with carrots, red cabbage and a mayo-based dressing. 

The mac & cheese was - oddly enough - almost like my grandmother made. I was starving, but honestly it was just enough food. 

The hotel is ok. Well, honestly, meh...It's old. And huge, kind of like a capital "E" in shape with different wings. It's also a conference center, so there was a lot going on. I didn't hit the hot tub, because it was too far away. I will commend the desk staff for being incredibly friendly and gracious. 

I took a couple of walks up and down the halls to work out the kinks. I was a bit stiff from the nervousness I felt driving through the horrible weather. Should I have let The Kid drive? Probably. But I'm not sure he would have wanted to. 

Spent time recovering from our drive in; tomorrow is the Kentucky Horse Park. We're thinking about perhaps finding a Civil War cemetery before we head to Tuscola. The trip is winding down a bit, and that drive took a lot out of both of us.