For dessert we had bacon ice cream

We started off Day Two of our Looovuhl adventure with a stop in to see if the Colonel was home. We found him in a huge white house with columns and lovely landscaping. The Colonel was hanging out in the parlor which had been made into a museum of sorts. The rest of the house was labeled “KFC Support Center” which seemed a downplayed euphemism for Corporate Headquarters.

The Colonel's museum was a hoot. Old commercials, old branded Handi-Wipe packets, photos with celebrities, the original scale for measuring 11 secret herbs and spices, and the story of an industrious young boy who started taking care of his family after his father’s death and who always wanted to make his momma proud. There was also a life-sized wax figure of Colonel Sanders holding a tantalizing bucket of waxy fried chicken. He was on a motion sensor so he greeted us a number of times, each warm and hospitable-like.

Then it was off to an historic downtown restaurant which invented and made famous a local delicacy: the Hot Brown. Rob and I each ordered one; we really should have split it. It was a cheesy bubbling mess of buttered toast, sliced turkey, and tomatoes, topped with bacon slices. It was delicious and prompted at least a month delay on my next cholesterol test.

Next stop was the Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat Museum & Factory. So fun!! We entered the factory and were greeted by that wonderful smell of wood – specifically white ash and maple – being turned into sawdust. The tour took us past all sorts of old machines (the logo-burning brander and the MLB-approved staining are all still hand done) and highly technically advanced machines (professional players have VERY specific requirements for their customized bats so the personalized bats are now precisely lathed by computer). With the World Series underway, the factory was also busy making commemorative bats for each of the players. We got to hold Cliff Lee's bat (of the Texas Rangers) and Tim Linecum's from the San Francisco Giants. So very very sad we were not allowed to take pictures. However, later, while wearing white gloves and under the watchful eye of a museum employee, Rob got to hold Mickey Mantle's bat...and photos were allowed.

A brief stroll along the Ohio River took us to our next touristy destination: the Muhammad Ali Center. I didn't know much about boxing nor of Mr. Ali, other than he authored some crazy poetry and used to be named Cassius Clay. Oh, and his buffed daughter was on “Dancing with the Stars” a few seasons ago. So, I wasn't sure what to expect from his center. We were there for about 2 hours until it closed. We missed seeing the gift shop and Ali's Rolls Royce. Honestly, if we had read every single plaque and watched every single video, we would be mailing our Christmas cards from Louisville.

About two-thirds of the way through the dark, funky, lots-of-sensory-input museum, we decided to take a break to watch a full replay of one of Ali's most famous fights – the 1974 bout against George Foreman when Ali was trying to regain his title after it was stripped due to his faith-based refusal to serve in the military. Having never watched any boxing matches other than ones starring Rocky Balboa, I was surprised to find myself fascinated. Ali was an old, experienced guy of 32; George was a frenetic young pup of 25 used to ending matches in less than 2 rounds. The '74 fight lasted 8 rounds, with Ali standing and George lying on the mat. But Round 5 was what enthralled me.

Round 5 was an amazing display of the power of experience vs. the naivety of youth. Throughout the round, Ali just took jab after jab from George. Ali guarded his face while George socked his kidney and liver. Ali hung out against the ropes while George exhausted himself throwing wild punch after wild punch. Then, with about 30 seconds left, Ali exploded with astutely conserved energy. Ali's gloves came down and revealed a face knowing he had his cocky young opponent right where he wanted him. When the bell rang, George was bewildered and beat up and no longer confident that his youth was an advantage. It made me think of that classic scene in Fried Green Tomatoes when some snotty young pipsqueaks justify trying to steal Kathy Bates’ parking spot with “Face it, lady, we’re younger and faster!” and Kathy Bates replies, after rear-ending their car six times, “Face it girls, I’m older and I have more insurance.” Experience can be a beautiful thing. And yes, later Rob explained to me that Ali’s fight strategy against Foreman was the origins of the phrase “rope-a-dope.” Go figure!

I liked the Ali Center but I have to admit, I thought Colonel Sanders' bucket-sized museum was better executed. Walking out of the Colonel's parlor – which was grand yet smaller than our barn – I really felt I had a better sense of Harland Sanders than I did of Muhammad Ali after navigating 4 floors of boxing memorabilia and social and religious commentary. It felt like the curators of the Ali Center had not bothered to edit what was important to Ali's story and what was tangential. I didn't see Ali's kitchen sink...but it might have been in the basement with the Rolls.