Kentucky is For Real!

I went to Kentucky - to which I richly adore that state!  Hello - Libby loves Kentucky.  Duh!  It's my home away from home.  I happened to have four days off in a row, and just needed to get away.  So, called up my girl Holly, and left the next day.  Just after hitting up church for about an hour I then hopped the "L" to O'hare, and then bound a plane to Lexington, KY.  An hour later I was in Lexington.  Just like that - poof!

Holly and I haven't seen each other in almost three years.  You would have never even know because it was just like we had seen each other yesterday.  It's crazy how you can just pick up where you left off.  Love that feeling.  The first thing on the agenda was to go get me some grub.  She knew of just the right place - a little southern home cook'n, and an ice cold Ale8.  Doesn't take much to speak to this girls heart.  We ate some meatloaf, mac and cheese, creamed corn, squash, and butterscotch pie.  Oh it felt good to be home.

We didn't have much planned - basically just wanted to catch up.  I did want to go see some Beattyville, and take a trip down memory lane.  How did I ever serve my mission in that sad town?  That's what I kept wondering the whole time we drove through the slowly dying small town.  As we were there we wanted to go eat at our favorite spot, The Purple Cow.  But, sadly, it has been shut down.  Even more sadly enough we ended up at Dairy Queen - gag!  The only thing it had going for it was the Ale8 on tap.  Bleck!

After a dinner of champions what better way to work it off then by going on a hike at the Natural Bridge State Park.  It was, of course, humid as ever, and the sun was beginning to set.  We pull up to a parking lot with a few lonely cars.  The surrounding shops had already closed down, a sign that maybe we should not start a hike this late into the evening?  Well heck, it's Kentucky, what's going to happen here?  Most people don't even know this place (Kentucky) is a state.  Just like some people don't even know Utah is a state.  Like that one episode of Friends where Joey and Ross are naming states and Joey say's, "Utah?  You can't just make up a state."  Something like that - you get my drift.  Digressing here.  Basically nothing exciting happens in Kentucky.  Tonight was different, tonight on a darkened path things happened in Kentucky!  A few steps on to the trail we run into a lovely little couple heading back to their car (BEFORE THE SUN SETS - like smart people).  I, naturally, stop them and start talking to them.  They are friendly and chat it up with me.  They also forewarn us of the encounter they had about 100 feet up the trail with a rattle snake and dead copper head.  Oh LOVELY!  Thanks for the heads up.  By the way - I HATE SNAKES!!!  Holly and I decide to venture on.  We came all this way we are not turning back.  Besides I need to work off that nasty meal I just ate at Dairy Queen.  Snakes shmakes - we are hiking onward and upward.

We pass the 100 feet where the apparent snake sighting was, and feel pretty darn good with ourselves for pushing on even though we are most likely surrounded by snakes.  We put them, the snakes, out of our minds.  We have a sunset to catch.  Making it to the top of the natural bridge we look around at the vast Kentucky rolling hills of green, and bask in the beautiful sunset to the west.  As we are enjoying the different arraying colors of the sky it soon falls dark, and fast.  Two blonde's are out hiking in the thick Kentucky wilderness.  Don't worry, we had our cell phones.  Guess what both our smart little phones have...they have a flashlight.  Woot!  Woot!  So, these two blonde's start their hike back to the car.  Cell phones in hand shinning bright like a diamond (had that stupid song in my head all day) we start our quick hike down the trail.  Holly in the lead we are moving at a fast pace.  With about a quarter of a mile left Holly comes to a very abrupt stop throwing her arm out to stop me when I happen to see movement.  Holy SH.......Holy S*%#!!!  Yeah I swore a couple of times - seeing a huge copper head snake will make anyone yell out words that should never come out of any ones mouth!  I am in a pair of Chaco's - well duh, and start running BACK UP THE TRAIL!  Because I am in Chaco's I immediately think the snake will bite my open feet.  That is why I WAS RUNNING BACK UP THE TRAIL...  Holly remains (surprisingly) calm and yells, "if you are going to run why don't you run to the parking lot - away from the snake?"  Don't misunderstand my storytelling here - Holly was just as scared as me.  She just was a lot more calm - not that it takes much for people to remain more calm then me.  I come back down the trail closer to Holly and tell her that maybe we should throw a rock at it.  Clearly I was not thinking straight...then I tell her let's get a stick and poke it.  Again my mind was a mess.  Because of our hurried pace back to the car our hiking/lights had startled the snake and it had slithered off to the side of the trail allowing us to at least pass it on the opposite side.  Holly saw that there was enough room to get by and said we should just go - we have no other choice!  She takes off.  Well, I guess I better too???  We pass the snake and are on dead run for the parking lot.  Good thing the rest of the trail was downhill, as it helped in making a quick getaway.  We get to the car and both are shaking.  Did we really just encounter a copper head?  Did we really just see a snake?  Are we certain it just wasn't our minds playing tricks on us?  If you are still engaged in this rather dramatic story I will tell you that, we really did encounter a snake!  Now on it being a copper head...we are unsure, but the presence of that slithery serpent was quite apparent.  It took a few hours to shake that image off, but after some junk food (clearly we had worked up an appetite, and Dairy Queen was no longer lingering) and the final stupid Twilight movie we were surprisingly able to sleep good.

It was so great to just jet set to Kentucky and see my friends/family.  It was a much needed trip even if we didn't do anything too exciting.  Who says seeing a snake isn't exciting?  Kentucky is FO REAL!  Libby still loves Kentucky.  Always.