Unlucky in Kentucky?

Greetings from the Central Time Zone! Today Allison finished up her training with the National Park Service and we headed to Cave City, Kentucky. The scenery in Tennessee and here in Kentucky is absolutely breathtaking, with tall green mountains, rolling grasses, and faded old barns and houses. I haven't taken many pictures, but here are a few drive-by stalker photos.

"Allardt, Home of the Giant Pumpkins"

I wish this picture wasn't blurry!

There seem to be some slight differences between Tennessee and Kentucky, both in the landscape and in the locals. Most of the people I've interacted with in Tennessee have been pretty friendly. Like when I went into the general store (yes, the general store) of Wartburg to buy ice, the gentlemen in the store told me they didn't have ice and twenty minutes later I knew the entire history of the general store and had shared a bit about my own explorations of the area. 

Kentucky, on the other hand...

After arriving in Cave City, Allison and I freshened up and went to the local Mexican restaurant. As we walked into the restaurant, which was loud and crowded, I could feel several people turning from their meals to stare at us as if we were aliens. We asked to sit outside because it seemed a bit quieter, and as we were led to our table, one of the men nearby made an extremely rude remark to/about Allison. She went over and responded to him, then sat down at our table. One of the man's friends actually came over and apologized for the remark, but the other man glowered at us the entire time before he left. That man made us so paranoid that we came up with a safety plan in case anything happened in the parking lot. We had barely been in town an hour before being accosted with hate speech. I barely remember what my food tasted like.

This was one of those experiences that still makes my stomach twist. It's not the first time something like this has happened and unfortunately it won't be the last. But I honestly don't understand how anyone could think it's acceptable to say hateful remarks to another person, especially someone they know nothing about. As a result of this incident, tomorrow we will only be leaving the car to visit Mammoth Cave and after that it will be drive-through fast food and well-populated gas stations until we get back home. 

Now we're back at the hotel, enjoying the comforts of electricity and wireless internet. I'm looking forward to seeing Mammoth Cave tomorrow but I am not looking forward to the twelve hour drive back home. And after sleeping for six nights on the ground in a tent, this nice comfortable bed is calling my name...