Nomad Life - Day 47

Woke up at about 0400 at one point (train noise) but was able to get back to sleep eventually - as a result, I didn't start teleworking until almost 0700.  I ended up skipping breakfast and working straight through until it was almost time to check out of my room at The St. Clair.  Overall, the boutique hotel provided a wonderful stay and I was actually sorry to leave!  After cleaning up and re-packing, I walked from my room (fourth floor in the hotel), down to St. Clair Street, over to the parking garage and up the stairs to Level 3.  Since I was parked in a reserved parking spot, I stayed there from about 0930 until 1215, participating in a series of meetings for work.  Realizing that I was only about a mile from the Buffalo Trace Distillery, I decided to drive down there (on US-421) as my lunch break was scheduled to begin.  As a result, I was parked in the lot for the distillery when the Microsoft Teams meeting ended.  Between 1230 and 1300, I managed to complete the tasting option in the gift shop (two floors, six different drinks) - a Traveler & ginger ale drink called a "Kentucky Mule", Buffalo Trace (90 proof), Colonel Tayler (100 proof), Stagg (126 proof), Sazerac Rye Whiskey and a mix of Buffalo Trace Bourbon Creme & Freddie's root beer.  Oh, and a chocolate from Rebecca Ruth Candy Company (local)!  Along the way, I learned about the history of the distillery, the methods for making different whiskeys and bourbons (prime ingredient is corn) and other drink pairings.  Everything was really good and I was reluctant to leave.  Fortunately, I got back outside after the last taste in time for my next meeting.  At first, I stayed in the parking lot at Buffalo Trace but the heat of the day (mid to high 80s) was pretty brutal.  Trying to get away from that discomfort, I drove through Frankfort (and out on US-60) towards the east.  Just past the Frankfort Cemetery, I turned down Glenns Creek Road and made my way to Capitol View Park - I parked under a huge tree and relaxed in the shade there.  When my meeting ended (1350), I started a walk through the park on paved, gravel and dirt trails.  This was about as close tot he Kentucky River as I was able to get during my entire visit to Frankfort - the trees in the park were nice and shady.  Meanwhile, I used my Merlin App again and identified a lot of birds.  It took a lot of walking (nearly 2.4 miles) but I eventually (after walking past countless ball fields of all kinds) found a place where I could actually view the Capitol building - I didn't find this vista nearly as nice as the one from the cemetery...  Plus, the dome was under construction and didn't provide any "ooh ahh" opportunities.  By 1445, I got back in my car and then headed out of town for good.  I used the East-West Connector bridge across the Kentucky River and followed that road until I reached US-127.  I got lunch at Bojangles (1455) and ate inside the restaurant.  At 1510, I left town on I-64 (towards the west) - the traffic conditions were OK (some speed demons and construction to handle, though) and I listened to audiobooks.  After arriving in Shelbyville, which was going to be my destination for the next few days, I made my way to the home of my friends (formerly from Lebanon, NH), Camille and Michael.  They were eagerly waiting for me (1540) and we had a nice time talking before they had a realtor meeting (they are building a home).  At that same time, I resumed teleworking and managed to finish up at about 1800.  When I came downstairs from my room, I found that Camille had prepared a delicious meal consisting of grilled chicken, roasted veggies and mac & cheese.  Michael joined us at the dinner table and we had a very nice conversation.  At about 1900, Michael asked if I wanted to take a drive into the historic section of Shelbyville and I agreed.  Arriving about in the center of town about 10 minutes later, we walked and window-shopped, all along the street, until we arrived at Michael's school (where he's a teacher).  Meanwhile, the sun started setting in a brilliant crimson sky to the west and the temperatures really began to drop.  Before getting back in the car, we stopped for scoops of ice cream at Serendipity Kandy Kitchen (1955).  The little shop looked like a fun place for a little girls' birthday party (lots of dolls and toys and confections) but also had some good food (bourbon themed) for grown-ups.  After returning to Camille and Michael's home (arrived at 2030), we worked on a puzzle and continued our wonderful conversations.  Michael went to bed at about 2100 but Camille and I talked for nearly another hour.  By then, I was very tired and said good night.  I did a little reading before settling down for the night but had the lights out by 2230.  Overall, another great day in "Bourbon Country"!