Louisville 2014...II

During another visit to Louisville, I ventured out for more sightseeing in different areas. While driving along the Waterfront, I came across the landmarked Louisville Water Company Pumping Station, which was built in 1868. Water was then supplied to the city in 1870. The Heigold Facade was another interesting structure I ran across. It was a home built by German immigrant and stonecutter Christian Heigold in 1857. The Heigold House was one of only a few structures to survive the Great Flood of 1937 in an area called The Point. The facade of the house was saved from demolition by moving it to Thruston Park. In June of 2007, the facade was moved to its current location...the entrance of historic Frankfort Avenue. Back at the Waterfront, I again marveled over the Big Four Railroad Bridge Pedestrian and Bicycle Path. I love that bridge! It gives great views of downtown Louisville and the Ohio River, where I got a chance to see the MV Laura Tamble barge pushing cargo up the River. I then took a ride across the Clark Memorial Bridge to visit the old Colgate-Palmolive Factory in Clarksville, Indiana. The building has been converted to office spaces. The Clock which still works, and sits atop the building is the 4th largest in the world. Across the street is a vacant lot which was once the Indiana State Prison that opened in October 1847. Also in Clarksville, I saw a very colorful house which consisted of several businesses. It was a Salon, an Ice Creamery and a bike rental shop. The owner was nice and mentioned that he also lives in the house. After eating the best vanilla ice cream ever, I headed down the road to the Falls Of Ohio State Park. There, I got nice skyline photos of Louisville and actually visited the Falls Of Ohio Interpretive Center. It was great seeing a statue of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark shaking hands. It was at this spot in 1803 where they departed from Clarksville on their journey to the Pacific Ocean to explore the American West. In history books, this was known as "The Lewis and Clark Expedition". After that history lesson, it was back to the Clark Bridge and back to Louisville. As night began to roll in, I got a great photo of Mercer Tower downtown. I then walked a couple blocks over to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. I ended the night going back to Clarksville for that night photo of the skyline.

The next morning I went to Cave Hill Cemetery to look for and photograph the gravesite of Colonel Harland Sanders. He is better known simply as Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. After spending a little time there, I noticed that The Colonel's wife Claudia, was also buried there. While leaving, I came upon the Memorial of Unknown Union Soldiers. This was a very solemn photo opportunity, but I was proud to be able to capture it.

My last stop of the day was Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. I was just going there to get better photos than what I had gotten on my previous visit. But "Ask and you shall receive". To my surprise, I was given a brief tour of the Churchill Downs. I went to areas that were private, and are normally off-limits to the public. During my time there, I visited some of the private offices and suites and other "inside stuff" that I promised I wouldn't talk about or "show". I'll just say: "Wow"! Taking the elevator up to one of the top floors saw me looking at the race track from the Grandstands. I thought to myself, "So this is what being at the Kentucky Derby is all about, huh"? And this day also proved to be my lucky day, because there were quite a few jockeys training horses on the track that I was able to photograph. Heading back downstairs on the picnic grounds, I saw a cool statue of Aristides, who won the very first Kentucky Derby back in 1875. And on a proud note, Aristides was ridden by black jockey Oliver Lewis. There was also a statue of Pat Day, the winningest jockey in Derby history! From there, I walked through the actual tunnel that the jockeys walk through with their horses heading to the track. Once at the track, I looked around and was definitely awestruck! Looking up at the Twin Spires that signify Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby was a really cool moment! And not saying I would never photograph an actual Kentucky Derby in my lifetime, I have to admit that this experience is just as great. I was on the actual race track where the horses ride to victory! And I have to admit it, I did pick up some sand and pose for a photo with it. Right as I did that, a horse sprinted across the "finish line" right over my shoulder. My last walk-through was seeing the banners showing all of the triple crown winners, including the very first triple crown winner Sir Barton in 1919. As I head back to the car, I can honestly say that this was truly an experience I will never forget. It's probably in my top 5 of career milestones.