In 2014, Ramona and I chose to celebrate the end of my first year of being cancer free by driving to Springfield Illinois to Visit President Lincolns home and then to Kentucky to visit places that Kentucky is best known for - Bourbon & Horses.
We began our journey in Minneapolis and while passing through Illinois, we stayed a night in Springfield to visit the home and museum of Abraham Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum traces the life of the 16th U.S. president. Lincoln's restored home is nearby.

We also visited the Lincoln Tomb at the Oak Ridge Cemetery. We entered into a rotunda that lead to hallways that brought us to the burial chamber.

After, we visited the home where Lincoln lived before becoming President. It was the only home he ever owned. The house has 12 rooms over 2 floors.

Later we visited the Dana-Thomas House which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Susan Dana had inherited a great fortune after the death of her husband who owned silver mine out west. The structure, itself, was designed by Wright in a style known as “Prairie House”. It has lots of horizontal lines, a hipped roof with wide eaves that hung over the edges. The interior was large and ornate with many grand furnishings.

After a good nights stay at a local hotel, we ventured off toward the State of Kentucky where we could visit Bourbon Distilleries and see why horses are such a big thing in that state.
We visited the famous Woodward Distillery where we toured their plant and sampled their bourbon and – of course – bought some bottles of their special Double Oak Bourbon, their finest and not available for sale in our state of Minnesota. It cost way too much and I would buy again any chance I get.

But – our trip was not all alcohol. We also visited ranches where racing horses are breaded, studded, retired, and where we could ride them ourselves. We also visited the International Museum of the Horse where we saw the historical evolution of the horse and learned about the different breeds of these fine animals.