Labor Day weekend - Day 1169 (Year 4, Day 74)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

It wasn't a total wash-out, but the weekend didn't quite go the way we hoped.  We didn't have any definitive plans, but we did want to make the most of the time off.

Mitch was home on Friday as we were getting the remnants of Hurricane Harvey (which hit TX and LA very badly).  It was really just a dark, dreary rainy day.  My work load wasn't too heavy, so I was able to prepare for Shabbat in a less frenzied mood.

We went to services on Saturday and were invited back to the rabbi's house for lunch.  They always have cholent (a stew, usually made with potatoes and beans, occasionally meat, that's put into a slow cooker the day before so one can have a hot meal without cooking or reheating it) in shul after services - a time for all to schmooze.  I guess the amount of space at the rabbi's home is somewhat limited (he has room for 20 at his huge table, but at least 12 of those seats are for family, so he can't invite everyone back.  Guess he just kind of alternates -- new guests and visitors always get first crack).  We didn't get back home until 5:00 pm.

The weather was supposed to be beautiful the rest of the weekend.  As I mentioned earlier, we didn't have any plans set in stone, but we did want to go out and have some fun.  On Sunday morning, we decided that we would cross the river to Louisville Waterfront, which is a promenade along the Ohio River that stretches for about 5 miles.  There are numerous interesting sculptures and a few other points of interest in the park, not to mention a biking path (for our urb-es) and beautiful scenery.  At the other end of the park there's a huge outdoor area used for special events, and this weekend was "Worldfest" - a huge multi-cultural event, very much like the one we went to in Lexington, NC a few months ago.  We also still have open tickets for a few museums and Evan Williams in that area (just a few blocks from the waterfront).  So the plan would be to go to the area and be a little serendipitous.

Well - plans are made in bubbles.  Mitch knew his tire was getting low again, as he never fixed the valve stem which had a slow leak.  His plan was to get up early on Sunday morning and fix it while I did the laundry and accounting and we'd be ready to hit the road by 10-11ish.  Unfortunately, the fix didn't go so well and he landed up making things much worse until the tire was completely flat and the valve stem off.  The nearest tire place is only 2 miles away so he was willing to drive there very slowly (it was also the inner tire of the rear dually, which gives it more stability than a single tire).  Sadly, the place, although open, could not take him and said he needed to try again on Monday morning.  There was another place that was closed but offered on-site tech service, but we weren't willing to pay the rate of $125/hr for labor with a 2 hr minimum!  So that meant staying home all day.  Turns out the weather wasn't all that great (sun was in and out and it was a bit on the chilly side) so we took a walk around the campground and then just watched a lot of movies.  I confess I had a bit of a snit fit and started questioning this lifestyle again.  I mean, what's the point of traveling and being in all different places if you can't find the time or means to enjoy anything?  But I did get over it eventually, especially when I put my woes into perspective (like the hurricane and wildfire victims who have lost everything).

On Monday morning, Mitch limped over to the tire shop and by 10:30 am he was back home, all fixed up.  We were thinking of doing what we had planned for Sunday, however, in addition to Worldfest, there was another huge event going on at the Waterfront - Louisville fitness day, where thousands of folks register to either bike ride, walk, or paddle on the river.  I didn't want to begin to think about what the traffic would be like, not to mention finding a parking spot.  On an empty day, it was hard enough to find one (we take up 2 spots).  Good luck finding that with 2 events that draw thousands of people, on a holiday weekend!  The choice was to stay as far away from the city as possible.

Whenever we cross the bridge, we notice what appears to be another promenade along the IN side of the river.  I did a little research and found a place called VanDyke Park.  It's not so much of a park as it is a stone path that stretches about 1 mile along the river.  So we took our urb-es there for a ride and enjoyed the scenery and the outdoors for a few hours.  Here are some photos of our views (and the ducks & geese):

            

So, looking back at how we've spent Labor Day weekend on the road:  2014 shopping at Target in Panama City Beach, FL; 2015 shopping at Target in Asheville, NC; 2016 trip to South Dakota to visit Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and a few other things on the tour; 2017 - riding urb-es along the lake.