Thirsty in Shepherdsville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Hotel prices for Derby week here are obscene, so I try to save money for the company by staying out of town. The savings are substantial and I don't mind a 25-minute drive on Interstate 65, but sometimes life out in the country has its disadvantages.

After a stopover in Detroit, I arrived in Louisville Sunday night, picked up the rental car at the airport and headed south to Shepherdsville, about 25 miles away. The accents there are seriously rural, and there are plenty of wide-open spaces. I'm sure that 60 years ago it was quaint and lovely, but now it has every franchise operation in America spread on both sides on I-65. At 10 o'clock I had a snack at the local Wendy's (chicken wrap, milk) and decided to go buy a six-pack at the White Lightning convenience store. Unfortunately, I was inconvenienced.

Every night before bed I like to have a beer. Just one, but it's a need. This time, this aging creature of habit was denied. At the White Lightning there was a lock on the beer case, and a sign: By county law, no beer sales on Sunday. No! I asked if there was a bar around, and the woman at the register said, somewhat apologetically, "This county is dry on Sundays, hon. The nearest bar is about 12 miles up the road."

I was tired and didn't feel like driving, so I bit the bullet in Bullitt County. And you thought life on the road was such fun.