Day 18: St Louis, Missouri to Louisville, Kentucky via Santa Claus #fiveexplore #roadtripusa2020

Day 18 – August 3rd

Like yesterday we instantly drove into a new state, over the Mississippi river and into Illinois. The initial couple of hours were mostly sedate. We passed through towns such as Grayville, accurately reflecting the storm sodden skies above us. The only shaft of light was experimenting with local flavours of potato chips and candy at gas stations. 'Hot BBQ Rib Scratchings' was my salty carb of choice today.

As we continued to Indiana, we mirrored our journey of two weeks earlier, this time on the southern end of these states. The scenery improved and the local forests created a watchable backdrop. We passed a couple of local car accidents where multitudes of sheriff’s cars oversaw the rescue of vehicles from ditches.

On a whim Sarah suggested we turn right into the town of Santa Claus. Yes Santa Claus. Apparently, this town used to be called Santa Fe, until they had to change when another town in the state had the same name. There is a Santa Museum, Santa Toys shop and a Santa Christmas Shop. Interestingly, the town also has an attraction called Holiday World (originally Santa Claus Land) which claims to be the first theme park in the world. It was built in 1946 and certainly pre-dates Disney. However, COVID had placed a wall of silence on the park. The rollercoasters sadly stood still, so instead I watched my family shop for Christmas decorations. Joy.

Eventually we escaped with $100 of plastic and were back on our way. Our destination today was Louisville, Kentucky. This city sits on the Ohio river and is the home of Muhammad Ali and the Kentucky Derby. I also learnt that 95% of the world’s bourbon is made in Kentucky.

We stayed at the famous Galt House Hotel. Our room overlooked the Ohio river and the sunset was spectacular. We went downstairs to try some local delicacies including fried clams, calamari, and ribs. I also completed a flight of whiskies and finished with a couple of local bourbons. As I stumbled to my hotel room, I imagined how inspired I would be to grow up in the hometown of Cassius Clay and bourbon whiskey.

We were now on Eastern Standard Time and could almost touch home. Three more days.

In addition to this daily blog, you can check out our Instagram feed for more photos and short posts documenting our 2020 road trip @fiveexplore