The Kentucky Derby

(Craig/Karin) We left for our next destination: North Bend, Ohio. It is right on the state line of Indiana and Ohio, about 20 miles west of Cincinnati. We decided to stay for a week here.

We drove into Newport, Kentucky to look for any remnants of the Wiedemann Brewery that was once the main employer in this small town. Karin's great, great grandfather opened the brewery in the later 1800's. It was sold in the 80's, yet the beer was still brewed under the Wiedemann name for awhile. We found out that the brewery was torn down completely by 1990. The Wiedemann mansion is all that is left, and it sits on a hilltop, overlooking Newport with a beautiful view of Cincinnati. Unfortunately, nobody was there to see if we could get a tour. It is now used for dinner parties and weddings. We will attach some pics to this blog.

Craig went online and found out that the Kentucky Derby was going to run on Saturday. The Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill downs, located in Louisville, Kentucky, about 2 hours south of us. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Only general admission tickets were left, but what the heck! Karin could already taste that Mint Julep :)

After shopping for a hat for Karin, we went to the derby. General admission tickets get you to the infield. It was a very rainy day. Total attendance is usually around 150,000 people.....half of those in the infield! We staked out our spot along the first turn rail. We made friends with some neighbors from Louisiana. They helped us set up our tarp, tying it to the fence for cover. Being in the infield was crazy! Party town!! Mud everywhere.....college kids doing the port-o-potty races and mud wrestling.... it was quite a site! We had a blast, no matter how wet we got.

Then, the sun broke out minutes before the Derby, the 11th race. Calvin Borel and Super Saver ran as one in a smooth glide over the slop and mud. Calvin guided Super Saver from 7th place in a gutsy rail-hugging pace to stunning victory. Calvin greeted roaring fans with a three-fingered wave. It was his third Debry win out of the last 4 Derby's. Never before has anyone accomplished such a feat! But Calvin delayed receiving his vale of roses until after the 12th race. He had to ride in the 12th race.

We had alot of rain in the last couple of days. We heard about the flooding to the south of us in Tennessee. The Ohio river is not far from our campsite. It flooded a bit, but we were not close enough for it to reach us.

We contacted our employer in West Virginia and asked if it were ok to arrive a few days early so that we could get to know the area. She was happy to hear from us and said yes to our early arrival. We will be there Friday, the 7th of May.