Category Archives: Love My Life

Love My Life

Welcome to Kentucky

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Kentucky, home of unbridled spirit the sign says and birthplace to Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the US and famous for his Gettysburg Address.

Some 17 hours travelling time later we have made it to Kentucky. I can't help but think 'Justified' here seeing as I just finished watching all 5 series again, and wondering what's up in them hills!

Moonshine? Old whiskey runners and stills? Are the Bennett's running weed and are there really any bodies down mine shafts here? Just my over active imagination at play.

BUT there is coal in these parts and we are headed the next few days for Ponderosa Pines – Black Gold Shootout. Sitting right in back of what seems to still be a working coal mine.

It's gorgeous through Southern Kentucky up here to Manchester, it's winding roads, hills and an abundance of trees, and the weather is perfect. Well for today, next to no humidity and sitting around 79F/26C.

We found Ponderosa Pines and ventured in, coming out to a clearing, green grass, covered entertainment areas, a stage, a pond and then beyond the pond is the ranges. This looks like party Central and as 'Blackwater' said, “this is a party with a side match of a shoot!”

Too funny, this should be a ripper, looking forward to it. Pic's of the range tomorrow.

Cheers! Kat xo

 

Lynchburg, TN

Posted on by kathousekelli70

We arrived in Lynchburg at lunchtime, we are in Jack Daniels country. Moore County …….a dry county! No drinking where Jack lives!

We went to the Visitors Centre and grabbed some info and headed on up to the Jack Daniels Distillery and booked in for a “Tasting Tour”. This place is gorgeous in itself, sitting amongst trees and creeks.

A short walk back to the town square so we could grab lunch at The BBQ Caboose Cafe before walking back and viewing museum type displays before getting on the tour.

Whilst in the square we checked out the old Moore County Jail. Probably the last and most infamous dealings in the jail was the last Sheriff, Ronald Cunningam had to leave as attempts on his life were carried out as he was hot on the trail of runners of drugs and smuggled guns.

The men's jail cells are upstairs and later cells were added downstairs for women. In 1856 The Pauly Jail Building Co commenced and made jail cells and thought to get patents out on their designs. They still make components for detention centres now.

On to THE Tour. So much history and interesting facts about the Jack Daniels distillery and I hope I was listening attentatively.

We started with the learning of how they get the coal for the mellowing process. Enter the Rickyard, using Sugar Maple trees, they create these stacks and put them under the hoods. Spraying them down with Jack Daniels – because you don't want to use anything else that can distort the flavour or adds petroleum products etc. – the rick's are then burnt for 1 – 11/2 hrs to create charcoal.

Charcoal is used in the mellowing process and takes out acids and fusel oils allowing the whiskey to mellow and make it smooth. It even smells good in the charcoal bay! To get it even and ensure a precise filtration the charcoal goes through a grinder to get consistent 'pea gravel' size charcoal.

The building on the hill? 7 stories high and is one of 80 barrel houses. This building alone houses $13.5mil of whiskey. Local, state and federal taxes equate to approx $13 per gallon to get it out of the barrel. Australia ranks 5th biggest consumer of JD.

They have their own fire brigade in case of fire and have not lost any whiskey to fire yet!

Iron free, cold water from the spring to make whiskey. When Jack was 6 he move out of home and moved in with a neighbour who was a minister, preached on Sunday made whiskey through the week. Jack found Cave Springs running and all whiskey made from this water since 1866.

This is what ya call, Jack On The Rocks! Haa haa haa not my line but Josh the tour guide! And that IS the name of the statue.

The marble statue in the Visitor centre is correct in height but his shoes aren't correct he wore a size 4 men's shoe and it would have toppled over so they carved it with size 12's. The bronze statue foot is correct but height is 5'7″ 5″ taller than Jacks actual size but the sculptor liking Jack Daniel honoured him by making him taller.

The mash – A mixture of corn barley rye is brought in as whole grains, it's ground down on site and then mixed with cave water and yeast, set down for 5 days and then is run through the still to get the whiskey out.

Stills run constant and run 35-40gal of whiskey a minute. There are 64 mash tanks 40,000 gal mash per tank. that produce 8000gal of whiskey from one tank every 5 days. Takes 5gal of mash to produce 1gal of whiskey!

Spent mash is around 28% protein and is sold off as by product for cattle growers in the region.

Charcoal mellowing, 75 vats of 10ft of charcoal makes JD Tennessee sipping whiskey. The smell is sensational!! All JD starts the same, it is the ageing in the barrels that changes it.

(Side note here only some areas can you take photos, and could only type this stuff out when not in those buildings, any spark from phones camera flashes etc because of fumes could ignite!)

Barrels are made from white oak. A good/experienced cooper can raise 250 barrels a day. Then they are toasted to caramelise the flavours that come out of the wood. Vanilla, caramel, oak all comes from the toasted charred insides of the barrels. Hence giving those oak and vanilla tones to the whiskey.

53 gallons of whiskey in each barrel and are stored in barrel houses. None are climate controlled it's controlled by Mother Nature, hot, the oak expands and soaks up the whiskey as the weather turns cold it releases the whiskey again. The expanding and contracting allows the scents from the barrels to infuse into the whiskey.

Barrels are used once and then tested to see if they still have traces of liquor in them if they do, they will be sold off to other whiskey makers for their ageing process. If they don't make the cut, they are sold down town in the square for use as furniture, pot plants etc. and they do have some sensational items made from the barrels!

The traditional black label is done with around 170-200 barrels of whiskey mixed in together.

Single Select however will be one barrel, and bottled purely from the 1 barrel approx 240 bottles!! Each barrel can taste different as well. There is a single barrel society and for around $9000 you can buy your own barrel, the gold barrel tack means they have bought more than one, when they have bought 7 they change the badge to a gold barrel with a red 7 on it.

The revenue office (opposite the bottling plant) housed 2 officers up until 1986, when the liquor industry was deregulated they were removed from site and it was made into a nurses station, since 1988 it is now the sampling room and the black JAck Daniels flag flies on the day someone is tasting their own purchased barrel.

It was bottled in a square bottle “a square deal” as it became known – getting a square deal on his whiskey as they were used to clear moonshine or whiskey. The 7 still unknown, lucky number, his height 5'2″, 7 lovely ladies he supposedly had.

Select barrels are used for single barrel select and are stored in the very top floor of the barrel house. 90% are rejected even after being selected to be a “select”. There are of course 7 taste selectors in the distillery.

Sensational!!

All bottling is done in Lynchburg, no bottling is done anywhere else. All here and then exported all over the country and indeed all over the world.

During prohibition time Lem Motlow and his wife owned and ran the hardware store on the square. When prohibition ended Tennessee remained a dry state. Lem, not happy with this ran for election in legislature and was elected to office and managed to get prohibition raised for the state and could therefore start producing Whiskey again.

Aren't we lucky Jack Daniels nephew continued the tradition and pushed for this? We would be without some sensational whiskey that's for sure!

This was an awesome experience, thoroughly enjoyed visiting Lynchburg.

Cheers and here's to Jack! Bottoms Up!

Kat xo

PS more pics will be posted on Facebook, but you get the drift if you are a Jack Daniels fan or just want to see how things were back in the day and how some places, company's and people refuse to give up traditions!!

http://www.jackdaniels.com

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynchburg,_Tennessee

 

 

On To Lynchburg

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Slept through the alarm this morning which puts us slightly behind but anyway, a glorious start to the day with sunshine and clear blue skies.

There are some very soggy looking crop paddocks this morning on the way out of Arkansas.

Heading into Memphis area, I thought we may have been in Egypt for a minute! (What is that pyramid building?) Welcome to Tennessee as we come onto the bridge. Normally we have come across the twin bridges down the Mississippi River as we've headed South, can you see them in the distance?

We're taking the 64 he says, despite being slower speeds, this is beautiful – green, green as far as the eye can see. Fields of corn and not sure, but may be cotton, it's wet enough for it. (Cotton or soybeans)

These towns are beautiful, very patriotic and church going communities through here. Bolivar, Adamsville, Crump and Savannah to name but a few, if we'd have had more time it would have been nice to stop in Savannah and check out the Tennessee River Museum and the Savannah River Trail. There were a couple of gorgeous old homes as we came in and a monument of canon balls that said US Grant Headquarters.

A bit of research tells me that Savannah was the site of the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War where US Grant commandeered the 'Cherry Mansion' for his headquarters during this battle. (Also known as 'Battle of Pittsburg Landing') ohhhh that means the first gorgeous house that I missed getting a pic of was Cherry Mansion.

On the eastern outskirts are large logging and quarry industries. This is a big place.

Near Waynesboro they are making some new road, call me crazy, but the site of Moxy's, excavators and a 'blast zone' sign still excites me a little, just a tiny bit.

That's it, done, a temporary moment of weakness, I love my life!

Pressing on we travelled through Lawrenceburg and Fayetteville.

 

Fayetteville, looks like another town steeped in history, established in 1810 and part of civil war history – in 1815 the County Courthouse was built and was used to house Union troops during the Civil War. Beautiful plantation style homes with well kept grounds through here.

We are only 15 miles from Lynchburg now and the Jack Daniels Distillery!

Cheers!

Kat xo

PS. The pyramid in Memphis? Is an arena, a 60% replica of the The Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. At 32 stories tall is the third largest pyramid in the world and is clad in stainless steel. So there you go!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_Arena

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah,_Tennessee

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayetteville,_Tennessee

 

 

Get The Heck INTO Dodge

Posted on by kathousekelli70

As the billboards display, it’s into Dodge, not outta Dodge.

After a good nights sleep in Colby we headed down the 83 to Garden City. Kansas has a lot of fertile farming land and it’s no wonder they call it Plainsmen country as it is just that – very very flat. Full of corn fields and feed lots, and then more corn fields and oil derricks.

On the outskirts of Garden City seems to be a large industrial hub and also a manufacturer for wind turbines. These things are huge when you see all the parts laying in a plant yard!

Onward we went heading east to Dodge City arriving around lunchtime.

Dodge City town burnt down twice in the 1880’s, front street as depicted now at The Boot Hill Museum (some buildings or facades were moved to the site, the rest was replicated in 1958) is a replica of what it looked like back then, however was originally about 2 blocks away.

Dodge City was dubbed The Wickedest Little City in the west. Now it seems to hold the history and the spirit but is a booming cattle industry/meat producing town amongst corn, wheat and other crops.

Other interesting facts to note, (there was so much information to take in on the Trolley Tour I couldn’t keep up!). Other than the famous and infamous cowboys, lawmen etc that travelled through and worked in Dodge City.

– Fort Dodge was established in 1865, originally a campground of sorts for wagons travelling the Santa Fe Trail.

– George Hoover established the first saloon in Dodge. A sod hut erected in 1872, he later became Mayor.

– First burial on Boot Hill was in 1872 (named Boot Hill because people were usually buried with their boots on) and the Alice Chambers, a dance hall girl reportedly to be the only woman to have been ‘planted’ on Boot Hill, however supposedly by natural causes.

– Dodge City was known as queen of the cowtowns until the Kansas quarantine law came into effect in 1885 when the longhorns carried a tick disease that infected local cattle.

– there were 2 front streets, the more ‘decorum’ North side where no firearms or dance halls were allowed (north of the tracks and on the side where the reproduction street is), and the South side which was the main business block of the 1880’s popular with buffalo hunters and cowboys, saloons, gunfights and ruckus! Separated during the times of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson trying to bring order to the city.

– The Long Branch Saloon was the most popular. Owned and operated by Beeson and Harris, later made famous by the television series ‘Gunsmoke’. Regular entertainment was given by the Dodge City Cowboy Band and was known for gambling and fine whiskey.

– between 1866 and 1872 it is said the population was around 1000 citizens that reportedly consumed enough alcohol to the equivalent of 150 miles/ year!!!

– it was also known during that time that only 13 people were Christians. Gospel Hill becoming know for it’s churches, the St Cornelius Episcopal church still has the original building from 1891 the stained glass windows are still original. The Presbyterian church that is there now is built on the original site, the gable being where the first church was and the bell in the courtyard is from the original Presbyterian Church.

– The Mueller-Schmidt house is original and listed as a historic landmark today and you can take tours through it.

– The Santa Fe Depot once a famed Harvey Hotel was one of the finest depots. The building at the end of the depot is the original Harvey girls dormitory.

– The first Marshall for Dodge was in 1875. The famous Wyatt Earp was an assistant Marshall or Deputy in 1877 and had a quite way of enforcing law. Bat Masterson also embodied the colourful tales of the Wild West. He was one of the first citizens buffalo hunting with his brother and a friend. Bat’s brother Ed was a Marshall which was a short tenure when he was shot by a cowboy in a saloon as he attempted an arrest.

– Butter & Egg Rd was originally used as a street for farmers to bring butter and eggs into town to be sold. The county here wanted to change it for 911 upgrade purposes to Laryette but the community got together and protested keeping the name of the road as it’s original. It sits out in amongst the feedlot heartland.

– There are huge feedlots here with up to 1.3million cows capability. 85% cow hides are used for leather goods like shoes and car upholstery. Nothing is wasted, even the manure is used for fertiliser on other crops.

– Dodge City is one of the richest wheat and cattle industries in the world.

– When Francisco Vasquez de Coronado came through on his quest for gold in 1541 when he gave up looking for the City of Gold they left the horses here which in part is how the Indians became proficient horsemen and they became the ride for cowboys to navigate the plains.

– 3 years of intense buffalo hinting nearly eliminated the buffalo by the end of the late 1870’s. Prior to the hunting a buffalo herd could be a mile long and one and a half miles in width.

– at Fort Dodge, the Custom House original building was the original commanding officers quarters. The wooden building housed military men.

– The museum library is situated in the original store house.

– The quarters for the men, two stone barracks and one of Adobe. All now sits inside the Military Kansas Veterans and is a state soldiers home, like a retirement home.

– 1500 trucks a day service business in Dodge, for meat processing and other major manufacturers.

– There are two major meat processing plants in Dodge, employing around 2 thousand people each. The Winter Livestock lots is the biggest privately owned and runs auctions every Wednesday.

Phew! A history bombardment, fabulous! Hot day too, 106F/41C. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

We decided to move on at around 4.40pm and not do the wax museum. Tonight we spend in Pratt, KS, homeward bound to Edmond, OK tomorrow.

See you on the trail again next week as we head to Kentucky! Yee haa!

Kat xo

http://www.visitdodgecity.org/index.aspx?NID=157

http://www.boothill.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th July, Independence Day 2014

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Here we are Independence Day in the United States, July 4th.

Now despite my being Australian, I like to think I have an affinity with America due to the fact that today is also my birthday and the second I have spent in the States.

I decided we needed to have patriotic outfits for the Colorado State Championship shoot given it would be over the July 4th weekend and of course Jack was up for it!

So here we are in our costume for today.

Today was first day of Main Match, having shot side matches and Wild Bunch yesterday including the very interesting side match – Annie Oakley – where you shoot the rifle over your shoulder lining your sights up using a hand held mirror, closest to target wins. Was not easy but a lot of fun!

Our Posse for the weekend consists of Aspen Filly, Aspen Wrangler, Blazen Vaquero, Dog Man, Dynamite Mary, Hurricane Camille, Hyman Old Cowhand, Jackaroo, Kathouse Kelli, Smokewagon Bill, Sonora Blaze, WB Earp, Sadie Marcus, San Juan, Trego Kid, Tahachapi Hornn, Union Jack. A great bunch of people, everyone’s working, shooting good and having fun.

Most people were wearing red or patriotic Stars and Stripes in any form or combination of red, white and blue! Was great to see!

Aspen Filly and Aspen Wrangler.

And myself with Turquoise Queen.

So one day down, second day main match tomorrow followed by a dinner at the Full Moon Saloon and side match awards tomorrow evening. Shoot out and awards on Sunday.

Stay tuned!!

Kat xo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit The Road Jack!

Posted on by kathousekelli70

After cleaning the car last night and Jack doing final internal touches while I did laundry we are heading through Santa Fe and stopping in Taos (pronounced touse – thanks Melody!).

Views of a very dry looking New Mexico.

Through Santa Fe and Espanola just outside of Taos and landscape is changing again. It's a little greener and the gorge looks spectacular! Called Horseshoe Bend ?? We didn't go out to Rio Grande gorge and the bridge though.

In Taos, we had a nice lunch at the Gorge Bar & Grill out on the deck overlooking the plaza and then walked some of the many, many shops before heading out to check out the Taos Pueblo.

What an interesting place that is, the current church, which we thought looked a bit new gets taken care of each season like the rest of the traditional adobe buildings and the church has been there since 1850!

The original site for the San Geronimo Church was where the cemetery is and was built around 1619. It was rebuilt a couple of times after conquests and revolts in 1680 and 1706 and then after the 1847 overthrow when Governor Charles Bent was slewn by natives it was reconstructed on the site where it is today.

The Taos Pueblo is a world heritage listed site known as the first living world heritage. In the confines of the original walls they still maintain age old traditions, no electricity and no running water, drawing water from the Red Willow Creek that breaks up the North and South.

Tonight we are in Walsenburg and will head onwards to Fort Collins tomorrow.

Night!

Kat xo

 

Tales of End of Trail

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Founders Ranch, Edgewood, NM, where games are won and lost in the world of cowboy action shooting. The 33rd Annual End Of Trail 2014 World Championships have been held under a clear blue New Mexico sky, hot and dry conditions with plenty of the usual fine powdery dust.

(That's why I'm sitting in the laundromat now – trying to get dirt and dust out of white petticoats!)

 

This year we were on Posse 22 – Apostle Charlie, Bordello Baz, Doc Rankin, Downunder Undertaker, Ex Sighted, Jackaroo, Kathouse Kelli, Johnny Behan, Max Montana, Pious Player, Shanley Shooter, Tejon Buckaroo, The Bandit, US Grant, Whiplash Whitey and the lovely Singin' Sue stayed to do scoring for us!

A few new faces, a few from Australia with us and a few we already knew. Fun, fun, fun!

Three days of fun at that! Thursday through Saturday were the main match days where I finished clean!!! Jack was clean……….with a P. Dang!

It was an interesting match, targets were up close and speedy, and THAT's what made it interesting for the faster shooters! The top 16 shoot out was again, as always, fun to watch (Savage Sam from Aus and Ruby Redsmoke and White Lightning Jack from NZ in it) watching the Wild Bunch shoot out as well which R C Shot from Aus was in. (Alvira Sullivan Earp was too but didn't shoot)

Scores were done, rank points added up to see who'd be the best in the world. Congratulations to all 539 shooters who attended EOT, and 127 clean shooters this year, I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Jack finished 12th in Senior category and 108th overall, I finished 4th in Lady Wrangler category and 145th overall.

There were 23 Australians and 8 New Zealanders this year which was pretty cool, with half or just over half placing in the top 10 of their category and receiving a buckle. A very credible 2nd place to Savage Sam in the Cowboy Category and 3rd place to Alvira Sullivan Earp in Ladies Senior category and to Ruby Redsmoke 1st and World Champion in Ladies B-Western!

Top honours this year and your 2014 World Champions (I thought I was T-Bone Dooley and Ringo Fire announcing then!lol!) are Men's – Cobra Cat and Ladies – Sasskicker, who I might just add is only 16 years old!

Besides all the fun with the shooting Friday evening was the saloon night “Daggers and Derringers”. Five of us contested the saloon girl/soiled dove competition with Diamond Blaze taking first and a derringer, the rest of us received a Damascus blade dagger!

Saturday night was the party night and yes I did manage to be able to dance in an 1887 bustle dress with reasonable ease from boot-scooting to two-step. BUT the best part of all is seeing everyone dressed in their finest and seeing all who go in the Best Dressed Costume contest. This year I won 1st place Best Dressed Lady! Yes! I finally got it right with my 1887 walking dress for day on the streets of Tombstone!

 

Cheers!

Kat xo