Green. Kentucky is about the greenest place I’ve ever been. They may call it “bluegrass”, but it sure looked green to me. And it wasn’t just the lawns that were green. Everything was green! Beautiful!

Friendly. I found Kentuckians to be every bit as friendly as Oklahomans. At least the ones I met were friendly, courteous, willing to help poor lost and confused cyclists find their way, sometimes going “above and beyond” to do so.

Hilly. Yes, Kentucky is hilly. After some consideration, I decided that if there was some way to iron out all the wrinkles, Kentucky would cover most of Tennessee and part of Ohio.

Horse farms, horse farms, horse farms. Around Lexington, they abound. They’re all beautiful; some are simply astounding. I didn’t see as many horses as I thought I might though. They seem to be kept in the barns quite a bit. Those barns are something to behold also. Many appear to be very expensive homes until you notice the stall doors.

Lasting Impressions:
Besides the things mentioned above, here are a few things I’ll never forget about Kentucky.

Berea College. A unique little college in a unique little town. No student has ever paid tuition to attend Berea College since it was founded in 1855, but every student must work in a college-provided job. What a concept!. Of course, students must be financially needy to qualify.

Boon Tavern Hotel. This hotel and restaurant are owned and operated by Berea College. It’s a charming old structure that exudes character both inside and out.

Shaker Village. I’m so glad we stayed the night in this unique place. It really gave us a much better chance to get the feel of the place and imagine how it must have looked when the Shakers were there (mid 19th century through early 20th century). The Shakers accomplished many remarkable achievements, not the least of which was the construction of the sturdy, functional buildings that are still standing there. While the architecture of most of the buildings is outwardly unremarkable, the engineering and structural features that were employed to build them are indeed quite remarkable. The brick and stone buildings used as dwellings for the sect will be standing 500 years from now if they continue to be cared for. They were totally neglected for nearly 50 years before being put on the historical register and restored, but they show few if any signs of decay.

Keeneland Race Track. It was quite impressive. I was amazed at all the stables. I wasn’t aware that the racing seasons are only April and October. Having Julie Figg along on the tour greatly enhanced our visit to Keeneland. You see, Julie worked there as a trainer for a number of years before becoming a nurse and moving to Oklahoma. Thanks, Julie, for being our “tour guide” at Keeneland.

The studs. No, not those guys in tight pants riding up those impossible hills at impossible speeds. I mean the breeding stallions at Three Chimneys. I never expected to see horses of the caliber that were in that one stud barn! Silver Charm, Point Given, Rahy, War Chant, Albert the Great, Wild Again. All of them champions, all of them beautiful. Pampered royalty, and rightly so; they’re each worth millions. They act as if the know it.

Tour Impressions:
Great people. As always, one of the highlights of a cycling tour is the other cyclists with whom one shares the experience. Grand Tour 2003 was no exception. I met a few new people and got better acquainted with those I already knew.

Great routes. Gary Cannon did a superb job of creating interesting routes that kept us off the major roads. OK, I and a few others modified the routes a little on some days (sometimes intentionally and sometimes not), but without a great route to start with, we’d have been at a complete loss.

Great weather. Kentucky had a very cool and wet spring. The weekend the tour started was the first weekend they’d had sunshine in 8 weeks (so the TV weatherman said). We were so fortunate to have dry weather for the whole tour! It rained only once at night, and the roads were completely dry by ride time the next day. Who could ask for more.

I could go on and on, but by now I think you get the picture: I thoroughly enjoyed OBS Grand Tour 2003. Kudos to Gary and Suzanne Cannon for another fine tour!