It felt like February 1st would never get here. But finally, this past Wednesday, at 4:30 AM, I took off for my adventure - USA Road Trip Part II! My first destination was a 1:30 tour at the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA. I left so early because you never know what kind of traffic you'll run into in that horrible state of Connecticut. And of course, I didn't really even hit too much. It was smooth sailing from the Tappan Zee Bridge and I arrived almost 2 hours ahead of schedule. So, I went and had some lunch at a local sports bar in Pottsville called Maroons. It was like heaven to see a whole draft beer area devoted only to Yuengling products! The tour itself was great. I did it two years ago and I have to say, hands down, this is the best brewery tour you'll get. Over an hour long, you get to go in and out of the whole belly (and underbelly) of the business. And at the end, two free samples!
After the 3 hour stop in Pottsville, it was time to press on. My next destination was Lexington, KY but I knew I wouldn't make it there in one day. Instead, I just really wanted to get to West Virginia. After almost 700 miles clocked and over 12 hours of driving, I finally pulled into a hotel in Fairmont, WV for the night. It was a long day, that's for sure. Didn't anticipate having to drive through Maryland, but the way Serena (my GPS lady) brought me, I ended up going up and down the mountains of northern Maryland for what seemed like forever! Never again.
I've got to say that Lexington was a nice surprise. Put a few hours on the road and got to Woodford Reserve distillery in Versailles, KY for the 1:00 tour. I'm not a fan of bourbon, but I'm always interested in seeing how different alcohols are made. There was only 6 people in the tour which made things a little bit more intimate. Good tour, and actually, not a bad bourbon!
From there, I took a tour of the Alltech Brewing Company. They make a great beer called Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. It's hard to find in Mass. but Wines & More usually has it. No one else showed up so I had my own private tour! Good stuff and got to try a beer that's not on the market yet because they're still tweaking with the recipe.
That night in Lexington was a blast. The Irish pub Lynagh's was recommended to me by the tour guide at the brewery because they have a good selection of beer. I just figured I'd go in for a burger and a couple brews. Well, next thing you know it's almost 1 AM and I'm just leaving! I met this nice local couple who introduced me to almost every local in the bar - including one of the owners who gave me a free t-shirt. It ended up being trivia night so we entered (and lost). So much fun! I love when random things like that happen. This is also another reason I love traveling alone. If I had been with someone else, who knows if a conversation would have initiated between someone else. So thanks Charlotte and Tim for a great night!
Yesterday was a little struggle to get up. 2 days of driving, not a lot of sleep and a night out on the town took a toll on me. But I had to get going. First, I did a tour of the Four Roses distillery where I was the only person on the tour. I could get used to this private tours! Ended up in Pigeon Forge, TN just in time for sunset where I settled into a hotel for 2 nights under $100. Not bad! Of course I found myself at the Smoky Mountain Brewery where I enjoyed some good brews, shooting the shit with the bartender, Josh.
Today I had all these plans of getting up early and doing a trail on the Smoky Mountains. Naturally, I slept later then expected. But that's because I thought it was still dark out. Yes, of course, it was raining. Just my luck. I took a drive up the mountain but you couldn't see anything because of the rain and fog. But then once I crossed over to Gatlinburg - the sun was trying to come out and the temperature was at almost 60. I decided to do the Rainbow Falls Trail. It was 5.2 miles round-trip and let me tell you, it was torture. Lots of rocks, boulders, mud. And I was by myself, so no one to talk to. Even the descent down was hard. But the waterfall was nice to look at. My legs are killing me right now! If I can move tomorrow, it'll be a miracle. After the hike, I went and stuffed my face at the Brewery again. I can only imagine what I looked like devouring those BBQ ribs. Hot mess.
So, that's been my trip so far. Not really an exciting read, but I know a few people wanted updates, so there ya have it!
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