Day 28 - Sixty-Six: E2E & F2F at DennyGibson.com

Day 28: August 21, 2012
In Time for Glory Daze

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Here is last night's roost in the day light. I knew there were some old cabins in the Bowling Green area by virtue of roadie Chris Rowland reporting on a stay there a few years ago. When my own searches failed to turn them up, I contacted Chris and he sent me a direct link to a web page and from that I got a phone number. Part of my problem was that I was looking for "Bowling Green cabins" whereas the cabins are much closer to Cave City. A search for "Cave City cabins" found them right away. Although it didn't affect my web search, the name has been changed since Chris and his family stayed there. At that time, the business was known as Oakes Motel. When Ralph Skrovan and his wife Lina bought it a little more than a year ago, they changed the name to Rock Cabin Camping. Not only is that a little more accurate, since tent and RV campsites are part of the operation, it's also a nod to history. It's not certain that this was their original name but it is certain that the business was long known as Rock Cabin Court.

It is believed that the cabins were built in 1928. That makes them nearly a decade older than nearby Wigwam Village #2 (The oldest of the surviving Wigwam Villages.) and half a decade older than the short lived Wigwam Village #1. Although the dimensions and general appearance are still those of 80+ years ago, the cabins do have modern plumbing, AC, and TV; No phones, though. Wi-fi is available in and near the office but it doesn't reach all of the cabins. I stayed in Cabin #7 where those 1928 dimensions are quite apparent. #7 is one of the smallest. I enjoyed my stay and I especially enjoyed chatting with Ralph. The Skrovans are having fun. They are enthusiastic and have realistic plans for the grounds and the cabins. I hope I can check up on things next year on the way to or from somewhere.

Had I stayed at the Holbrook and Rialto Wigwam Villages (numbers 6 & 7) on this trip, I'd have certainly stayed at Wigwam Village #2 as well. Instead, I did drive-by photos of all three and even, for the sake of completeness, got a shot of the empty field where Wigwam Village #1 once stood.

Since I forgot to take any external pictures, I'm starting off with an only slightly fuzzy picture of the specials board at Mama Lou's BBQ. A key number on the board is the 637 in the lower right. That's the current cup count and the next picture shows a fraction of those 637 cups. Ralph, at the Rock Cabins, had recommended this place and he also recommended the baked potato. It's loaded with pulled pork and all the fixings. As you can see, I opted for a pulled pork sandwich and saved the potato for the next time. And I'm certain there will be a next time. This was good eating. That's owners Jerry & Wanda Lou in the last picture. They opened this place about two years ago and are not only great cooks but two of the friendliest people I've ever met. Wanda's momma had a pie shop in Clarksville, Indiana, that she called Momma Lou's. The name traveled well and fits perfectly.

I've driven by here numerous times without stopping but finally did so today. Sometimes, when I finally stop at a place I've skipped in the past, I'm upset with myself because of what I've been missing. At other times, I'm just happy to get it off the list. Excursion trains, often with holiday themes, operate from the Kentucky Railway Museum on weekends and are probably very enjoyable. As a museum, however, there's not much going on here. To be fair, train museums are tough. Hundreds of antique guns can fit into the space required for just one old mail car and the typical '57 Chevy can be made like new for a fraction of the cost of fully restoring a steam locomotive. I can appreciate the challenge but when the protective tarp becomes itself nothing but tatters, the challenge is clearly not being met.

I had thought of crossing the river at Louisville but traffic convinced me not to go downtown and I hopped on I-71 and stayed with it until turning north on US-421. A new bridge is being built at Madison, Indiana. There is a weight and length limit but the old bridge remains in use while the new one is being built beside it. The first picture offers a glimpse of the new as I cross on the old. The other pictures show an assembled span waiting to be hoisted into place and a better view of the on going construction. Plans call for the crossing to be closed for a total of only ten days for switching. A project website, including live cameras, is here.

At som epoint during the last few days, it began to look like Tuesday would most likely be the day I would reach Cincinnati. One of the few things I do on a semi-regular basis in play Buzztime Trivia with a group of friends on Tuesday nights. I last played on the night before my departure exactly four weeks ago. Around noon, once I was certain that today was the day of return, I started juggling my path and stops with an eye toward arriving at my normal time. I pretty much accomplished that and got back into my button pushing groove with Dave, Clyde, Rick, and Mary.

This photo was actually taken Wednesday but represents the final chapter in a story that played out over the last few days of the trip. It may have been theoretically possible for me to complete this trip before my next oil change was due but that was far from the case in practice. I first started looking for a place to get this done in Oklahoma and I found a place called Dave's Dip Stick. There were plenty of old gas stations with the "oil change" included in the services hand lettered on the walls. You've seen them: transmission rebuilds, used tires, window tinting, detailing, engine swaps, and oil changes. This wasn't one of those. It was a fairly classy looking place that basically did oil changes and maybe installed a set of wipers now and then. There were a couple of late model cars already in line when I pulled in. Before long, a fellow approached me to tell me that they did not service Subarus. He very politely explained that Subarus requires a crush washer to be replaced on each change and that, as a matter of policy, they didn't stock them and therefore did not service Subarus. I was really disappointed because I already had the "My car was just serviced by Dave's Dip Stick" Tweet composed in my head.

That was Saturday and nothing else turned up before I stopped for the night. I did some research that evening. Most places were closed on Sunday but I found a Jiffy Lube in Little Rock, Arkansas, that would be open. In the morning, I called them from the road and was assured that they could service the Subaru. When I arrived, two efficient seeming fellows went right to work. I asked about the crush washer and was told it would be replaced "if necessary". It wasn't the most reassuring answer but I'd only learned about the washer the day before so didn't object. Nor did I object, although I did decline, when it was suggested I needed an air filter. But I stayed near the door and did object when I heard the words "vice grips" come from under my car. The plug was already partially rounded I was told. And it was also too tight and the wrong color (Yeah, I did make up that color thing.) but they could get it loose with vice grips or maybe an easy-out. I declined that too and hit the road as soon as I was sure no oil had been spilled.

I gave up on getting the oil changed before getting home and called my dealer, where I get free oil changes, as soon as I knew when that would be. They could get me in at 8:00 the next morning. My buying experience at Subaru of Kings Island was good and so has been every service visit including this one. In less than forty-five minutes, the buggered plug was removed, the oil was changed, and the car washed (automatic, outside only). My bill was $5.82 for the replacement plug.

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