Blue Moon of Kentucky

July 9, 2012

Another lagniappe stop – Owensboro, KY – on our Ohio River cruise.  Owensboro is the home of bluegrass music.  Our tour this morning took us to the Botanical Gardens, which after a little rain, yesterday, had perked up a bit.  There was a visit to the Museum of Fine Art, where there was a stained glass exhibit, as well as many works of American, European and Asian art displayed. 

Bluegrass is the official State Music of Kentucky, and Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky shares with Stephen Foster’s “My Old Kentucky Home” the honorable distinction of being the office Kentucky State Songs.

Owensboro is the home of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, with was the third stop on our tour.  This museum was established to preserve the global history of bluegrass music.    The home of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, is located about 30 minutes away from Owensboro in Rosine, Kentucky.  We saw a new exhibit on his life and influence on bluegrass music.  It was interesting see so many posters and information from the Grand Ole Opry and from Nashville, our hometown.  There is even a Bluegrass Hall of Fame, similar to our Country Music Hall of Fame at the museum.  Some of the more notable names, beside Bill Monroe, include Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Ralph Stanley, Doc Watson, and so many others.

Our friends, Linda and Jim Tidwell are with us.  Because today was an unscheduled stop, we were unable to have guides with us.  So, Jim decided to be our guide.  Jim has done this in the past, and has led us through the “ancient road to Rome” with his fractured Bible stories.  Well, he did it again today, and told tales of Owensboro that, of course, no one had ever heard, especially the folks from this fair city. 

We returned to the boat for the Jazz Brunch and were entertained with a patriotic show this afternoon from the Wulff Brothers.  Now, it’s time for relaxing and just sitting on the Front Porch of America while the scenery leisurely passes us by as we travel to Brandenburg, Fort Knox and the George Patton World War II Museum tomorrow.

Bye, Bye Birdie!!

July 8, 2012

It’s Day 3 of our American Queen journey on the Ohio River.  Today’s stop is at Henderson, KY, a small, sleepy town on the Ohio.  It’s Sunday, so almost everything is closed.  However, we were able to go to the Audubon Home and Museum.  This is an incredible home located on beautifully landscaped grounds.

Things we learned today:

• Audubon would kill the birds he painted so he could pin them in the positions he wanted.
• Sometimes he would have to kill several birds because the buckshot would destroy their wings or body, and he wouldn’t have an anatomically correct bird specimen to paint.
• There were copper plates and some stone lithographic plates that were used to make prints and lithographs.
• One of the stones that the museum owns was, at first, not considered to be authentic by an auction house, but upon further investigation by the curator of the museum, he found it to definitely be original although it was broken and in two pieces.  The second stone that was whole is in a museum in Cincinnati, and was once thought to be the original.

Because everything else was closed today, our tour was short.  As we got back to the boat, we had some rain that cooled the 100 degree temperatures down into the 80s.  Humid, but much more bearable.

The captain of the boat, Greg Brown,  made an announcement that we would have a lagniappe (Cajun for “something extra”) stop tomorrow at Owensboro, KY. 

Cave-In-Rock, IL

Cave-In-Rock, IL

Saturday, July 7, 2012

We woke up this morning and were docked no more than 50 yards from the cave at Cave-in-Rock.  The cave is in the bluffs overlooking the Ohio River, and in the 1800s was  base for outlaws and pirates, particularly those intent on robbing keelboats, flatboats and steamboats of their valuables. 

The unusual geographic features of the cave also hosted its share of bandits and serial killers.  The cave itself is 55 feet wide and was created by wind and water eroding the stone and is now the centerpiece of Cave-In-Rock State Park.

But, in 1790, it was known as the operational base of counterfeiters Philip Alston and John Duff.  By 1797, it had become the haven for river pirates led by Samuel Mason who took the opportunity to expand the cave’s operations into the tavern business, a brothes and gambling den.

The Harpe Brothers were probably the most notable for killing the sole survivor of a pirate raid at Potts Springs.  The site of the atrocity later became Potts Inn which was known as “a human death trap for unsuspecting travelers” who would show up, spend the night and be robbed and then slaughtered.  The two brothers, known as Big Harpe and Little Harpe, were the first serial killers in the U.S.   There is a town a short way down the river from Cave-In-Rock called Harpe’s Head.  These two brothers were so notorious that when Big Harpe was killed, no one believed it until he was decapitated and his head was put on a pole in the nearest town, thus becoming Harpe’s Head. 

Walt Disney used the cave as inspiration for Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, and at Disney World on Tom Sawyer’s Island, riders of the Liberty Belle riverboat are treated to “Cut-Throat Corner” and “Wilson’s Cave Inn”.  MGM went so fare as to film a scene from its How the West Was Won at Cave-In-Rock itself.

The ship sailed at 1:00, and again, the temperatures are over 100, so sitting on the Front Porch is not an option.  We had another great lunch in the J.M. White dining room with outstanding sausage and chicken gumbo and shrimp and grits.  Tonight’s entertainment is a Mark Twain impersonator and we are having dinner with the CEO and the president of American Queen Steamboat Company.  This afternoon is for relaxing and reading in the cool, quiet of our stateroom.  More tomorrow from Henderson, KY

Oh, and to our son-in-law, Jim T., Charlie brought you a rock from Cave-In-Rock.

Steamboat's A'Comin!!

Friday, July 6, 2012 - Steamboatin’

Sleep, glorious sleep!!!  The air-conditioning system on the American Queen is superb.  For the first time ever, we have actually had to turn-up the temperature on the air-conditioning system in our cabin!!  The good news is that we both were able to sleep comfortably through the night.  With temperatures over 100 degrees, and at 10:00 last night in the 90s, we welcome all the coolness we can get.

This morning, we went down to the J. M. White Dining Room for breakfast.  You can either order ala carte from the menu or enjoy a wonderful buffet of great Southern delicacies including some of the most wonderful grits I’ve ever had.  There was everything from eggs, a waffle station, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit and wonderful pastries.  And, did I mention that the coffee all over the ship is Starbuck’s?

Today was a day for relaxing and enjoying the boat.  It was so hot outside that sitting on the Front Porch was like sitting in a sauna with the heat blowing on our faces.  Needless to say, we stayed in a lot.

This morning, we enjoyed a demonstration by a true riverboat gambler.  Bodeen “How Do You Do It”, was a fantastic card shark/magician, and had us all mystified with some of his tricks and prestidigitation.  We were sitting not five feet from him, and couldn’t figure out any of this tricks.

We attended a talk by the riverlorian and learned all about Cave-in-Rock, our first stop on this cruise.  More on that after we visit there.

I had a wonderful massage from Michelle, the masseuse onboard, and was completely relaxed when it was over.

Apparently we had a tailwind last night coming up the Mississippi to the Ohio, and because of this we had an additional port call in Paducah.  We were expecting to arrive in Paducah at 4:00 pm, but due to traffic on the Ohio, we were delayed in getting through the two locks before arriving at Paducah.  The words, “Steamboat’s A-Comin;”, came to life for us this afternoon as we arrived in Paducah.  The local people came down to the dock to see the boat as we were pulling in, and even as late as 9:00, they were driving through, taking pictures and just looking at the magnificence of this beautiful vessel.

We opted not to go ashore, and instead, stayed on the boat and attended a show by “Blend”, an acapella group that sings 50s and 60s music.  These four young men were wonderful singers and entertainers.  Dinner was at 7:45 and again, was excellent. 

                                                                                                            

This has truly been an exceptionally relaxing cruise for both of us. 

Cruising America's Waterways

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Charlie and I have been on more cruises than we can count – all of them either ocean-going cruises or river cruises in Europe.  Until today, we have never been on an honest-to-goodness steamboat in the United States.

Our journey began early on this morning, July 5^th, as we flew from Nashville to St. Louis to embark on the American Queen, a step back to the days when riverboats were the mode of transportation on the rivers of the U.S.  We arrived late-morning, and went straight to the Downtown St. Louis Hilton within walking distance of Cardinals’ stadium.  July 5^th happened to be the hottest day on record in St. Louis at 106 degrees, which was 3 degrees cooler than Nashville’s hottest day the previous Friday.

After checking in at the American Queen Steamboat Company’s desk, we had lunch and at 3:00 departed on the “Steamcoach” for the boat.  It’s been really difficult for me to call the vessel a boat because all other vessels we have sailed on have been called ships.  This boat was built in 1995 by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company.  There are 222 staterooms and suites on the boat, and she holds 436 passengers.  There is a crew of 172.

Here's some things that distinguish the American Queen from other cruises we've been on:

• She is the only authentic overnight paddlewheel steamboat in America
• The acclaimed cuisine of famed American chef, Regina Charbonneau from Vicksburg, MS
• She is the only steamboat with multiple specialty dining options, all at no additional charge.
• Complimentary specialty coffees, cappuccino, espresso, soft drinks and bottled water throughout the voyage
• Complimetary wine and beer at dinner
• Southern hospitality style service from a professionally trained all-American staff
• Casual attire throughout the cruise = no formal wear reuired
• Daily lectures by a Riverlorian, an onboard river historian
• Professional showboat-style entertainment and dancing nightly
• Calliope concerts and a opportunity for guests to play.
• Complimentary shore excursions
• All-inclusive packages that include an overnight stay in a select luxury hotel in the city in which the cruise originates, plus transfers to the boat

We opted not to take the pre-cruise hotel night, and boarded the boat the day we arrived in St. Louis.  At the hotel, we met the shore excursion manager, the maitre’d, the boat’s ambassador, and others, all who made us feel welcome and special. 

Our cabin was a Category B stateroom.  It was approximately 175 square feet.  The wallpaper, furniture, and other décor are all reminiscent of the 1800s, when paddlewheelers cruised these rivers.  The bathroom was black and white tiled, but surprisingly, had a full-size bathtub.  The sink was a pedestal sink, like those that I remember from my grandmother’s house when I was a child.  We enter our cabin from the promenade deck, rather than from a hallway.

We met our friends, Linda and Jim Tidwell, who are cruising with us after we got to our cabins and immediately went to the Front Porch of America at the bow of the boat where there we could have soft-served ice cream, coffee, soft drinks, hot dogs and popcorn!!  How American is that?  All of this is included in the cost of the cruise.  And, this is open 24 hours a day!!  Can’t sleep?  Just go down to the Front Porch, and sit in one of the rocking chairs or porch swings, and enjoy cruising down the river.

Dinner tonight was open seating and was a buffet that was wonderful!!  From now on, we will have assigned seating at one of two dinner times – 5:15 or 7:45.  We opted for the later seating and will have a table of eight.  Linda, Jim, Charlie and I will meet four new folks who will be cruising with us.

Because we have late seating, we are able to attend the earlier show each night.  Tonight’s performance was called “ Showboat Jubilee”, and four very talented singers entertained us with music from the musical, “Showboat”, from Stephen Foster, and taking us to present day ending with “Proud Mary”. 

Our cruise is scheduled to stop at Cave-in-Rock, IL, Henderson and Brandenburg, KY.  We will end in Louisville and will have travelled 586 miles on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

After dinner, we sat on the Front Porch and rocked ourselves almost to sleep.  We have a day of cruising the Mississippi and Ohio tomorrow and are scheduled to arrive Cave-in-Rock on Saturday morning. 

Reflections

At 1:00 pm on November 22, 1963, I was downstairs in the staff room for our school newspaper and yearbook working on one of the sections of the yearbook that we would publish that year.  It was fourth period and lunch was being served in the cafeteria.  As was the usual case, we had a small television in the staff room which we always turned to a new soap opera, Days of Our Lives, to see what was happening with Bill, Missy, and the Horton family.  However, on this particular day, our program was interrupted with the news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.  Shortly, as we stayed glued to the TV, we found out that he had died.

There are incidences in our lives that will remain indelible, and we can relive every detail over and over.  November 22, 1963, was one of those times.  So was September 11, 2001.

I've just finished seeing the movie and reading The Help.  Aibileen, one of the characters in this book, wrote down her prayers rather than saying them.  She found this a comfort, and as the story progresses, she writes down things that happened in her life in Mississippi in the 60s.  When I was a teenager, I kept a diary, but I have gotten away from writing down my thoughts since I've been an adult.  Writing this blog has become my outlet for expressing myself.  And, today, like Aibileen, I feel that I need to write about 9/11.

I was sitting at my desk in our home office about 7:45 am CDT that particular morning with Good Morning America broadcasting on the TV.  Becoming engrossed as I seem to do when I'm on the computer, I had completely blocked out the white noise that it was blaring.  A little before 8:00, the phone rang, and it was my daughter.  "Mom" she said, "A plane has hit the World Trade Center in New York".  I grabbed the remote, spun my chair around, and turned up the volume.  We talked for a few minutes, and I heard Diane Sawyer say something to the effect that it seemed to be a small engine aircraft that had hit the building. 

I immediately called one of my best friends who makes two or three trips to New York every year to tell her.  We both love New York City, and I knew she'd want to know. While we were on the phone, the second aircraft hit the second tower.  Then, I called Charlie, my husband, to let him know what was going on.  He was at his doctor's office getting the results of his physical the previous week.  Another one of the things that is etched in my brain is that this was the day we found out Charlie is diabetic.  He was unaware of anything going on at the time, and told his doctor what had happened.

I called our office to tell the staff to turn on the TV there and keep a watch on what was going on.  I quickly took a shower and turned the TV on in our bedroom so I could hear what was going on.  I saw the live broadcast from Florida as President Bush was informed on the situation, and I don't think I'll ever forget the stunned look on his face.  Then, the Pentagon was hit.  Then, the plane was downed in Pennsylvania.  Was it never going to end?  Were we at war, and just didn't know it? 

As I was driving to the office listening to NPR, I heard the announcement that all planes were being downed at the nearest airport.  Our office at the time was located in a landing pattern for the airport in Nashville.  By the time I got there, planes were already lining up in the flight pattern to come in.  About thirty minutes after I got to the office, I walked outside, and as far as I could see, planes were coming overhead about every 30-45 seconds to land.  Then, it was deathly quiet.

I saw the towers as they fell that day on TV.  I can't imagine what it was like to be in New York during this time.

My brother was supposed to be in New York City on business on 9/11.  He would have been in the Marriott World Trade Center that got hit when the towers fell had his travel plans not been changed.  My cousin, her daughter and son-in-law, and her nephew all live in the Washington D.C./Virginia area.  Her daughter usually had appointments at the Pentagon on Tuesday, but had a change in plans and didn't go that day.  Charlie's doctor's son-in-law was heading to the World Trade Center for an appointment just as the first plane hit. Fortunately, he never made it there.

All day that day, I was on an open chat room with other travel agencies across the U.S.  One of my friends who owns a travel agency just outside New York City had two brothers and a cousin who were all firefighters that they could not find.  Finally, almost thirty-six hours after the towers fell, they were able to connect and none were hurt. 

We are in the business of selling fun, but on this day and for weeks and months to follow, the travel business suffered.  Our first priority was helping those who needed it to get back home safely.  All I knew to do at that time was send out an e-blast with every airline, hotel chain, rental car company, cruise line, and tour operator's toll-free phone numbers.  We offered to assist anyone who needed it and told our subscribers to  forward this information on to those who did.  I wasn't looking for business; we wanted to help and this was the only way we knew that we could.

We had been booked to speak at a conference two weeks after 9/11.  I had to completely ditch the presentation we were going to make and write a new one addressing change in our industry since that tragic day.  While we were getting dressed the morning of our presentation, we had CNN on in our room.  There was a crawl on the screen that made more sense to me than anything I had heard or read during all of this - Al-Queda is to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity.  WOW!  Just like that, my eyes were opened to the fact that a small extremist faction of the Islamic religion who believes in the same God that I do, had caused this mayhem.  I could identify.  Yes, I'm a Christian.  No, I'm not a radical who uses my Christianity to promote extremist beliefs like the KKK in the name of Christianity.  Yet, the fears that all Muslims were Al-Queda were out there. 

The travel business has changed radically since 9/11.  Security has heightened at airports.  Security to board and disembark cruise ships is now as tight as it is at airports.  Security to enter Titans stadium to just watch a football game has been heightened.  Even five years after 9/11, when we took my then five-year-old granddaughter to DisneyWorld, security had been put into place, and my purse was checked before we could enter the park.

We live in a different world now.  My grandchildren will never know the innocence we knew as children.  Security will always be a part of their lives.  So, as I write and reflect on that fateful day, I feel a cleansing of sorts.  Sometimes, it's just good to reflect on things that have impacted our lives.

Travel Speak

We've all used text speak (txt spk) in messages that we've tweeted or in emails we've sent. It's an abbreviated way of talking in 140 characters or less.  In the travel industry, we've used codes and "travel speak" for years.  What we consider commonplace in our day-to-day operations, our clients look at us confused and dazed when we use some of our terms.  So, let me give you some of our basics.

The airline reservation systems computer language was orginally written in 6-bit ALC (airline code).  As travel agents, we had to know long and complicated entries to even access availability.  One of the limitations of 6-bit code was there were only 64 character that could be used.  Because of this, three letter city codes were given to airports around the world.  Some of these were easy to remember - FLL for Fort Lauderdale, MIA for Miami, SFO for San Francisco, SEA for Seattle.  But, what about BNA, MSY, TYS, LGA, JFK, DCA, ORD, MDW, CDG, LHR, or FCO???  These are the city codes for Nashville, New Orleans, Knoxville, New York La Guardia, New York Kennedy, Washington Reagan, Chicago O'Hare, Chicago Midway, Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow, Rome.  We had to go to airline reservation schools for a week at a time, and learn these city codes as well as a myriad of other codes in order to make or access reservations.

Now, anyone can book an airline or hotel room on-line by point and click.  However, before you jump into this, there are some travel speak terms you need to know. 

Air Travel
Non-stop Flights - Just as this implies, you get on a plane in one city and without stopping anywhere, you get off at your destination.

Direct Flights - These originate in your home city, land at some point without your getting off the plane, deplane some passengers, pick up additional ones, and eventually get you to your destination.  Think train travel only less time in getting where you want to go.  You stay on your originating plane and don't get off until you reach where you are going.

Connecting Flights - You are planning a trip from Nashville to Los Angeles.  You originate in your home city, for instance BNA (Nashville), get off the plane in LAS (Las Vegas), go to a different gate and board another plane for LAX (Los Angeles).

Hotels Rooms
Single/Double/Triple/Quad - This denotes the occupancy of the room - 1 person, 2 people, 3 people or 4 people in the same room.  Some hotels charge one rate regardless the number of people you have in the room.  A room that would sell for $210 per night would equate to single occupancy ($210 per person per night), double occupancy ($105 per person per night), triple occupancy ($70 per person per night), and quad occupancy ($42 per person per night).  Cruise lines also use the same formula for single and double occupancy cabins.  On cruises you pay not by the night, but for the duration of the cruise.

Twin Rooms - These are rooms that have two twin beds in them and can only accommodate two people.  It's unusual to find these in the U.S.  They are more common in Europe and other parts of the world.

Double/Double Rooms - These rooms have two double or queen-size beds in them.  They can accommodate up to four people.

Cruises
Bow or Forward - This is the "pointy end" of the ship.  As "forward" implies, it is the front of the ship.

Stern or Aft - Obviously if "forward" is the front of the ship, then "aft" or the stern must mean the back of the ship.

Port and Starboard - These terms denote which side of the ship you are on if you are facing forward.  Easy way to remember - port and left have four letters in them.  If the port side is the left side of the ship, then the starboard side is the right side.

Boat/Ship - Another easy way to distinguish the difference - there are lifeboats on ships.  There are no lifeships on boats.  So if your vessel has lifeboats, she is a ship.  And, a word of caution, don't talk with a crew member on a ship and refer to the vessel as a boat. 

There are hundreds of other terms that we use daily in the travel industry.  So, before you jump off the deep end and try to be your own travel agent, consult one of us who can understand "travel speak".  Just remember - without a travel agent, you're on your own.