We also stopped in at a Bass Pro Shop where I bought a pink camo pj top

With credit going to some web research and a well-placed ad on “Gotolouisville.com” our last morning in Louisville took us underground where we spent mega bucks to learn the difference between a mega cave and a mega cavern. I'll save you the expense, even with a AAA discount. A cave is natural with only one entrance; a cavern is man-made and has more than one entrance. You may now spend your morning doing as we should have: enjoying a huge southern breakfast of grits and lard and such.

The Mega Cavern is 100 acres under southwestern Louisville and was originally mined for limestone. Then it was to be the fallout shelter for 55,000 extra special people...including Colonel Sanders...during the Cold War. Now it is a huge storage facility housing things like massive amounts of road salt, POD storage containers, Wild Turkey, pre-made holiday chocolates, amusement park rides, RVs, boats, original copies of movies...all sorts of things that either take up a lot of room or need a constant temperature or are just a hassle to store above ground. The interesting part of the tour could have been covered in about 15 minutes. Instead, for about an hour, we rode around in the dark looking at intentionally spooky Halloween decorations and unintentionally creepy mannequins dressed by someone who forgot to bring a flashlight. We tipped our young tour guide mostly because he ate a live worm to demonstrate how useful they can be if one is stuck in the wilderness...like a cavern. “Know what a live worm tastes like?” our guide asked. “Job security.” Har har.

For our final pre-airport stop on our Louisville tour, we went over to Indiana to see the Falls on the Ohio. Much like the Columbia River, there used to be an impressive set of water falls on the Ohio River that long disappeared on purpose to make river navigation easier. Dam them! It was also here that Meriwether Lewis met up with William Clark to start their journey out west. Some claim the real starting point was St. Louis since that was where the two explorers gathered all their people and provisions and officially set off. But, understandably, the Kentuckianans are proud of their role in the expedition and view history through their own provincial glasses.

And for our last meal before heading back to salads and chia seeds? Lunch at a regional burger chain called Steak 'n' Shake. All I can say is, butter on a cheeseburger, where have you been all my life? Wow! Two months out now on my next cholesterol test.

This was the first time we have ever gone on a trip “just cuz.” Not a lot of planning, not a long-held dream, not a place people typically think to visit on vacation. And now that we've done it, we vow to do it again. Often. What a blast!! El Paso? Minneapolis? Little Rock? Milwaukee? Virginia Beach? Hard to say where free tickets will take us next. I love my different but way better life!