Tales From Leg 5

Well my faithful DoD, here is the final entry from my cross-country trek from Boise, ID to Moore, NC. I have survived a multi-state run from John Q. Law, a random hook-up, nefarious casino managers and a bitchy convenience store employee. All in all, I would say it was the Road Trip To End All Road Trips. My fifth and final leg was far less eventful than the rest of the trip, but I needed some slow-down time. I crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky at Louisville. I thought that I would drop by Churchill Downs and check it out. I've always had a fascination with horse racing, and since Churchill Downs is the Graceland of horse racing in the US, I stopped in for a visit. I highly recommend the Derby Museum. I had a blast. It was cool to look at all of the pictures of the jockeys they had there. It was like watching the Wizard of Oz. At least they were able to get a job. It must suck for other little people who aren't good enough to be a jockey. What sort of jobs can they get? I suppose they could work for Santa or Keebler or some shit, but Teena and Lamoni told me that my brother killed Santa when I was 5 and that's why I didn't get any Christmas presents that year (I have a sneaking suspicion that Lamoni lost his job, but he never wants to talk about it). You know, they say that horse racing is the sport of kings. How do you figure? How many kings do you know that ride race horses? I have never seen a story about how King Juan Carlos of Spain went head to head against King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden and King Phumiphon Adunyadet of Thailand for world domination. The only reason I can think of that they would call it the sport of kings is that horses are so friggin' expensive! Have you ever looked to see how much a horse costs on eBay? I don't know how much a horse costs, but a friggin' pair of chaps is $180! And where do you go to get Purina Horse Chow anyway? It's not at PetsMart, I can tell you that. And think of all of the poop! I bet that the litter box for a horse is like as big as a 20 gallon trash can! Here's some Kentucky Derby trivia for you:
The Kentucky Derby is also referred to as "The Run for the Roses", this is due to the fact that a garland of red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition is as a result of New York socialite E. Berry Wall presenting roses to ladies at a post-Derby party in 1883. But it was not until 1896 that any recorded account referred to roses being draped on the Derby winner. The governor of Kentucky awards the garland and the trophy.

• The Mint Julep is the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. It’s a cocktail made from water, sugar, mint, crushed ice, and whisky or bourbon. Served on a silver glass. Over 80,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.


• A horse named Aristides was the first winner of the what is now called the Kentucky Derby. He ran the race in 2:37.75 over a mile and a half course. The distance was changed to a mile and a quarter in 1896.


• The fastest Derby was in 1973, by Secretariat, who broke the two-minute mark and blazed the mile and a quarter in 1:59.4.


• The first national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place on May 3, 1952. In 1954, the purse exceeded $100,000 for the first time.


• Only three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby: Favored Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980 and Winning Colors in 1988. Fillies are female horses, stop scratching your head.


• Two jockeys, Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack, have each ridden five Kentucky Derby winners.

After taking in the sights at Churchill Downs, me and Mitch piled back into the EuroVan and continued east on I-64. I stopped for the night in Huntington, WV, home of Marshall University (We are!...Marshall!). The campus was pretty, but I was itching to get on to Moore so I didn't do much in the way of sightseeing...just a pic or two. I have to say, growing up and living in Idaho for many years, I became somewhat of a "mountain snob." For me, it was the Rockies or kiss my butt. But after driving from Huntington to Moore, I must admit that the Appalachian Mountains are breathtaking! The fall colors were stunning, and I could feel really relaxed in my new surroundings.

Once I arrived at AppState, I found wher I would be living and moved my belongings in. The dorm room is cramped (as you would expect), but the food doesn't suck. I did notice that there are quite a few more bugs here in the south than live in Idaho...by alot. I saw a roach fighting a mouse for a french fry in the cafeteria...the roach won but if you ask the mouse, she'll say it was a draw. I'm looking forward to school, but I'm a little bit lonely. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with my roomate Twyla's family. She's from Sanford, NC. Her dad is in prison for attempted murder (he didn't do it...another victim of the man), but her mother and her brother Cletus will be there. I'm just so stoked at the friendliness of the people. Who invites a one-legged dame to eat turkey? Twyla Harrison, that's who! Peace out!!