Bowling Green Baseball, Moonshine and a Sinkhole

The campground at Gun Creek was so nice we thought we would try our luck at another Army Corp of Engineer (ACE) campground. Tailwater Campground in Kentucky, is one of four ACE campgrounds around Barren River Lake. Once again we had a wonderful site. This time we were on a ledge overlooking the Barren River on the lower side of an earthen dam. I could sit outside the camper with a glass of ice tea and watch the fish as they swam below.

We were all set up on site 5 by mid-afternoon. We had plenty of time to relax and then get cleaned up before going to Bowling Green. We really like our Grand Design Imagine 22RBE. It’s small enough to tow easily and fits into most campgrounds. Yet, it’s big enough for grammi and I to move around comfortably. This spacious 176 square feet of space is working out perfectly for us. We have a queen bed, theater sofa recliner, lots of kitchen counter space, and best of all a large bathroom with walk-in shower. I have plenty of room to shower and get dressed. We don’t feel confined at all.

The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are currently in first place in their division in the Mid-West league. On this night they were playing the Beloit Snappers. We bought our tickets at the ballpark and took our seats behind home plate. The Snappers were in the visitors dugout but looking in the home team dugout we saw a team with “Bootleggers” embroidered across the front of their uniform shirts. “Hey! What’s going on?” I thought we were going to see the Hot Rods play.

Boy was I surprised and maybe a bit delighted to find we were here on a special promotion night celebrating Kentucky’s glorious history with bootleg moonshine. The Hot Shots were dressed in the Bootlegger uniforms, moonshine margaritas were being sold for two dollars and it was dollar beer night. You gotta love minor league baseball. The moonshine is supposedly the real thing, hopefully made from uncle Snuffy’s secret recipe. But this shine has “taxes paid” stamped on it making it all legal.

It was a high scoring game with both teams scoring runs early. If you like offense this was a good night for you. For me, it made the game last long. It took nearly three hours to get to the seventh inning. We had nearly an hours drive back to camp, so with the bootleggers behind 9-8 and the fans singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”, we made our way out to the parking lot. The narrow twisty-turning dark hilly roads combined with high beams from an impatient tailgater and a swarm of bugs splattering the windshield was quite stressful for this old grampa. I was never so happy to be back to the comforts of my little camper. But with that being said, it’s all part of the adventure and I’d do it again tomorrow. 

I got up early, made a cup of coffee and sat outside as the sun was piercing through the trees. A fisherman wading in the river whipping a tiny fly tied to the end of his line was trying to land it in just the right spot. It was a peaceful morning. My thoughts turned toward last night so I checked the final score of the game: Snappers 13 – Bootleggers 9. There was no late inning rally in this game.

We drove around the area and over the massive 146 foot high dam. We saw dozens of pickup trucks pulling fishing boats down to the boat ramp prompting grammi to wonder aloud if there might be a fishing tournament going on. We found a parking area with a path leading down to a sand beach with a sign posted “swim at you own risk”. I wondered if that’s not always the case. I searched for and found a geocache near the parking lot.

Today’s adventure is a trip to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. I enjoy car shows and the muscle cars of the fifties and sixties. But I’m not really a Corvette enthusiast. Not to the degree of those I saw wearing shirts and matching hats with the corvette emblem. Certainly not to the degree of those standing in line at the gift shop. Maybe it’s because I could never picture myself getting in one, or maybe…just maybe it’s because I’m a Ford guy. But since we are in Bowling Green and this is where the assembly plant is located and the museum is one of the top attractions here, I figured why not. Plus I am interested in the sinkhole.

You may remember the day, February 12, 2014. It made national news. The riveting video was seen around the world. In the wee hours of the morning, security cameras captured a sinkhole opening up in the floor of the Skydome building. Eight prized corvettes fell into the hole including the 1992 one millionth-built corvette. Since then, the corvettes have all been retrieved, the sinkhole has been filled and the floor has been repaired. The museum has capitalized on their misfortune and created a “Cave-In Exhibit” with all eight cars on display. Attendance continues to grow each year.

Tickets cost ten dollars per person. Their website says they house over eighty corvettes, although I did’t count them, I can attest there were a lot of them. Cars dating back to the original model in 1953 up to the current years model were on display. There were pace cars and race cars.

We learned some Corvette history too. The name Corvette comes from the WW2 British navy’s quick strike ships with the same name. Also, the original corvette emblem had an American flag crossed with a checkered flag. However this emblem was pulled from production after the legal team pointed out that the United States Flag Code states that the “flag may not be used for advertising purposes.”

The highlight was of course the “Cave-In Exhibit.” It was neat to see. Painted on the floor was a line indicating where the sinkhole was. There was videos showing how the cars were removed and how the floor was repaired. A glass manhole cover allows one to view to the bottom of the sinkhole some 30 feet down. Center stage is the eight cars recovered from the hole. Three of the cars have been restored but the other five are damaged beyond repair. They’re all on display.

I enjoyed this experience and I have a new appreciation for the Corvette. The tickets were reasonably priced and a good value. I would recommend this attraction not only to car enthusiast but to anyone looking to spend a couple of hours marveling at a world class sports car. Who knows, maybe someday I might climb in one and take it for a drive.

To finish the afternoon we went to Fountain Square Park in the downtown district of Bowling Green. We drove through the square last night when we were trying to find parking for the ballgame. It had a big night life with many restaurants and pubs. Tables were set out on the sidewalk and music overflowed onto the street. We took a walk around the square stopping in at some of the shops. Grammi bought something although I don’t know what it was. I just know I heard that cha-ching sound before we made it out the door.

No complaints though. Things are all good. We’re enjoying each day. It’s an adventure.