Why do you pull off the freeway on a long drive? To get gas, eat, or find a bathroom, right?
True, Buc-ee’s Convenience Store satisfies all of the above but you might want to check out the local scenery, tour a museum, or visit other non pitstop famous landmarks. Niagara Falls, for example…
As for me, I find myself stopping to look for cars and car stories. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a car museum, junk yard, or an abandoned old car. They lure me in like a catfish to a nightcrawler. Set the hook. 
I recently discovered a ‘69 GTO survivor while driving back from Knoxville, TN. And as I continued north on I-75, I found other interesting points of interest, including non-car related historic sites you might want to visit. Stop staring at the white lines and give your eyes a rest once in a while.
Approaching southern Kentucky, the route passes near the Daniel Boone National Forest. Boone was an expert hunter, tracker, and woodsman. His brand was the coonskin cap, which fortunately hasn’t come back into fashion yet. Daniel Boone’s exploits became legendary to the point where Hollywood created a TV series starring Fess Parker that ran until 1970.
I drove through gently rolling hills until I neared Lexington, which is known as the “Horse Capital of the World.” On a previous trip, I visited Keeneland to experience Kentucky horse racing at its finest.
Thousands of people, grilled food, and liquid refreshments. It’s difficult to describe the scope if you haven’t been to a major car racing event. It’s kind of like a sophisticated football tailgate party on steroids interrupted by a horse race every 20 minutes. Oh, and a lot of betting, guessing, and praying on horse races, too. No time for that. My mission was to get home by nightfall. Traffic picked up as I pointed my ride north again.
Then I spotted a white VW Beetle convertible for sale on the freeway access road. Why not take the exit, top off the tank, and take a lookie-loo at the bug? The car was parked in front of a truck leasing business’s entrance. Assuming it belonged to someone inside, I enquired within. Turned out the owner of the company was selling it, but he wasn’t in the office at the time. One of the employees thought it was priced at $15,000.
Returning outside for a closer look, it was clearly a car that had been restored to excellent condition. Not a car for me but perfect for the right person. You’ll start out with a solid body, paint, flawless interior, and a running motor. And if needed, it’s easy to find parts and repair it on your own. As a bonus, it’s impossible to get a speeding ticket in a car with only 48 hp! I continued on…
On the right-hand side of the road, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati, I saw a huge statue of Jesus. The original 62-foot-high statue was known as “Touchdown Jesus” to the Ohio State fans.
Sadly, on the evening of June 10, 2010, lightning struck the statue, and it burned down to its iron frame. I can assure you, the Wolverines had nothing to do with that tragic event!
The Solid Rock Baptist Church rebuilt it, and this is the photo I took on my drive by. It’s now known as “Big Butter Jesus,” made more famous by the hilarious Heywood Banks song of the same name.
For me, searching for cars is like a treasure hunt. You can explore online and get a similar adrenaline rush, but it’s not the same as finding one on your own. Like people that follow YouTube videos of animals in the wild, it’s always more impressive when you encounter one live and up close in its own element. Unless you’re unlucky enough to surprise a wild boar or angry grizzly bear in the bush. Then, your last wish might have been, “Jesus, I should have stayed home today.”
Fear Nada,
2BukChuk