Exploring Kentucky’s Bourbon Rickhouses

Here is a rickhouse passage. A rickhouse, also known as a rackhouse or warehouse, is a specially constructed building used to store and age bourbon or other distilled spirits, typically with barrels stacked on wooden structures called “ricks”.  Rickhouses are designed to provide a controlled environment for the aging process of whiskey, which is crucialContinue reading “Exploring Kentucky’s Bourbon Rickhouses”

Inside the Rickhouse: Where Kentucky Bourbon Grows in Flavor

Storage in the rickhouse. This is where the barrels are aged for around 10 years. During this time the barrels are regularly inspected so they can be sorted by the way the bourbon is aging. A typical rickhouse, or warehouse for aging whiskey barrels, can hold anywhere from 18,000 to 55,000 barrels in these veryContinue reading “Inside the Rickhouse: Where Kentucky Bourbon Grows in Flavor”

Exploring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

I am not a Bourbon drinker but had to “do the” Kentucky Burbon Trail recently. I visited three distilleries and stopped by Churchill Downs on the way home. I was in Kentucky after all. Taking the tours, I was able to get interesting photos of the mash vats and rickhouses where they age the bourbon.Continue reading “Exploring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail”

Eagle Watching in Clarksvill, Missouri

Eagle wathching in Missouri, along the Mississippi River, is an annual event in January. People from the St. Louis area go to Alton, IL, Grafton, IL and Clarksvill, MO to watch the Eagles dive for fish and otherwise scout the river. The Mississippi is a migratory flyway as the eagles migrate between North America andContinue reading “Eagle Watching in Clarksvill, Missouri”

Pelicans at Clarksville Lock & Dam

Apparently Clarksville, MO is the place to go to see Eagles during their migration down south. There is a lock and dam there where fish seem to lke to hang out. Driving up from St. Louis I found lots of Pelicans and a few eagles.s. Here is a guy just coming in for a lndingContinue reading “Pelicans at Clarksville Lock & Dam”

Resting Elk

An Elk relaxig near the road passing through Lone Elk Park. The park houses Elk, Bison (see previous post), and Deer. Recent heavy snowfall has been cleared and the wildlife is hanging out near the roads allowing you to up close and personal wth them. Click on the photo for more information. Click here forContinue reading “Resting Elk”

Bison in Lone Elk Park

Elk, Bison, and Deer are the highlights of Lone Elk Park in St. Louis County, MO. This is a “drive through” park where, if the animals are hanging out near one of the roads, you can get a close-up experience with them.  Lone Elk Park is a county park in the U.S. state of Missouri consisting of 546 acresContinue reading “Bison in Lone Elk Park”

History and Beauty of Forest Park’s Pagoda

Sunrise in Forest Park. Every fall the trees surrounding the Pagoda in front of the Park’s outdoor Municipal Opera turn a bright red providing a stunning backdrop in front of the bandstand. Located on a small island within Pagoda Lake, the original wooden bandstand that existed at this site was built for the grand openingContinue reading “History and Beauty of Forest Park’s Pagoda”

Saint Louis

Watching over Art Hill, Saint Louis keeps an eye on his realm of Forest Park and the City of St. Louis.  At his coronation as king of France, Louis IX bound himself by oath to behave as God’s anointed, as the father of his people and feudal lord of the King of Peace. Other kingsContinue reading “Saint Louis”