It, of course, is KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken. A piece of Colonel Sanders' original restaurant has been restored and attached to a modern KFC. The biggest display of Sanders memorabilia is in the area between the old and the new but there are other displays and reconstructions throughout the older section. In the third picture, an empty case can be seen on the right against the back wall. At least it appears to be empty. A placard inside says "Colonel Sanders' Suit & Cane" so it could be a reenactment of the well known children's story "The Colonel's New Clothes". There is a reconstructed kitchen and "model motel room". In the 1940s, when Sanders operated his restaurant, motel, and gas station here, it was common practice to examine a room before checking into a motel. (The practice is still fairly common and recommended where unfamiliar independent motels are concerned. It is something I did before signing anything on Thursday in Bryson City.) So Sanders built an exact copy of one of his rooms inside the restaurant but he didn't stop there. Knowing that it was usually Mom who approved or vetoed a family's lodging, he made the entrance to the women's restroom part of the model and a pay phone was placed in the model's closet as another means of getting travelers to take a look.

After checking out the displays, I ordered my breakfast ("Original Recipe", of course!) and took a seat at one of the wooden tables. I ate my coleslaw and mashed potatoes with a spork and licked my fingers in the room where a whole lot of finger licking is known to have occurred.

When I arrived at the park, I spoke with a fellow sitting in a Geo Tracker near the path to the mill. The day's weather made a good starting point but it wasn't long before I was asked if I had ever seen "The Kentuckian". I had to say no but soon learned that much of the 1955 film had been shot here and that it's star, Burt Lancaster, had run across the pond in front of us on some sort of net placed under the surface. More of the filming had taken place elsewhere in the park at a cluster of log buildings. The park's museum was one of them but, like the mill, it was closed for the winter. The Tracker pulled out as I headed toward the mill but it was back by the time I finished a slow exploration. My announcement that I was heading over to the museum area was met with "I'll go over and show you those buildings." In the museum parking lot I learned that my guide's name was Kenny and Kenny, despite his COPD, walked a ways along the fence to point out the buildings and tell of their movie roles. A favorite of his, and one he had mentioned back in the mill parking lot, was the little building that had been used as a jail in the movie. Bars that had been placed on windows over fifty years ago were still in place today. Kenny readily agreed to a picture and instantly put on a serious expression. That's rather misleading since Kenny is really a very friendly guy. Anyone who runs into him at the park is sure to benefit.

I stayed on US-25 into Lexington long enough to make sure the camel was still there then picked up I-75 and headed home. At the first rest area, I stopped to close the car. 70 degrees don't last long when the Kentucky sun goes down in November.