Barrels, Cars, and Tanks

We moved from Bowling Green to Camp Carlson, the Army MWR facility at Ft. Knox. We spent a couple of weeks there. We had originally planned to take in the Kentucky Derby. However, we decided against that as the cost was far more than either of us cared to spend on a sport that we don't really follow. 

So, we ventured over to Lebanon, KY, home to the Kentucky Cooperage. They make the barrels for most of the distilleries in the United States, and even the world. The tour is about 45 minutes in length. We don't recommend the tour in the heat of summer. When they're charring the barrels, that heat is intense. But, what a show! Each distiller specifies the amount of charring they want. We weren't allowed to take photos of the process, but it is one of the more memorable tours to see. You see a barrel being raised from the first staves, to the charring, to the final banding. 

Kentucky Cooperage (International Stave Company)

It seems that just about every town has a car museum of some sort. Swope's Cars of YesterYear in Elizabethtown (great name!) is a free museum run by the Swope Dealerships. Mr. Swope wanted to give back to the community and this is one way he chose to do it. 

Overview of museum

Elizabeth's favorite - you choose your car by color, right?

Harold's favorite - the artistry of the car

At Ft. Knox, we were able to tour the Patton Museum of Leadership. The museum was closed because of covid the last time we were in the area. We liked how they incorporated leadership traits throughout the museum. Though not as many tanks as Harold expected, the museum is worthy of a stop, especially since there is no admission charge. 

Movie props 

Patton's field "RV" office

Tanks!

Where Are We Going Next?