Louisville downtown was our destination for today despite the fact that I hate driving into cities because they have dreadful traffic, bizarre and arcane traffic rules inconsistent with those in other cities, an abundance of insane motorists and traffic-clogging construction. Louisville is no exception.
We headed south from our RV park in Clarksville in Indiana. There were many attempts to get us on I-65 which has a toll bridge crossing the Ohio River. It costs a bit over $2 if you are fortunate enough to have a transponder but costs twice as much if you pay by mail. There is no mechanism to pay in cash approaching the bridge. Since we don’t have a Louisville Bridge transponder, the local authorities will send a bill to my house which I will not receive since I am not there. I anticipate a warrant will follow. I hope I don’t go to jail for scheme to deprive the city of Louisville out of a $4 bridge toll.
We took an adjacent bridge today that does not have a toll. Instead, the local bridge authority is painting the iron components of the free bridge and they have winnowed the heavy traffic down to one lane each way. Traffic going north over the bridge is an absolute nightmare that snarls traffic all the way back into downtown Louisville.
Despite the traffic, Louisville has some magnificent building architecture of commercial, residential and municipal facilities. They have many statues of horses because L’ville is home to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Louisville Downs is an enormous complex, unlike the spartan Del Mar Racetrack near my home in San Diego. I think the Del Mar track and the entire adjacent Southern California Exposition fairgrounds would fit inside the buildings at Churchill Downs.
Intermingled with the fabulous homes and snazzy horse racing tracks are neighborhoods that look pretty nasty with lots of sullen folks sitting on their porches ogling the passing cars. We should not be amazed – cities are miserable places but the jobs there sure pay better than, say, West Virginia.
We got some pictures crossing the river and in the city today. Click the asterisk *