Day At The Lakes KY & On To Memphis, TN

Day At The Lakes & On To Memphis

Saturday 11/4/2006

 

Darren and putts'ed away the morning with breakfast and discussion and then headed out to explore the National Park that occupies the land between Lake Barkley and Lake Kentucky.  We chose a hike around one of the smaller lakes and wondered at the validity of the stories that Indians could walk through a forest in the Fall, without making a sound.   We were anything but quiet as we hiked through a forest floor covered in autumn leaves. 

 

We stopped at a creek.  The water was clean with a gentle current.   As we looked down into the foot or so of water, the clarity of each leaf that layered the creek bed was astounding. As we both took the opportunity to photograph the moment, we found some turquoise colored stones and wondered about their origin.   The clarity of the water, shadows and cloudy sky made for photos that will twist and distort reality.

 

Across the lake we saw a Great Blue Heron fish and then ascend to the sky with a few of their blood curtailing squawks – have you ever heard them in the quiet of an evening?   It can scare the stuff right out of you.  We saw several piles of scat and tied to determine the owner's species, and a fish carcous with the toughest scales I've ever seen or felt.  

 

It was hard to leave the park and equally hard to say good-by.  Darren and I share a love of nature and being outdoors and always enjoy our time together.

 

As Darren headed back East, I decided to move farther south so that I could spend more time in AR in the Ozark Mountains and at the Hot Spring/Mineral Baths.   I intended to stop before, but ended up finding a hotel in Memphis.  It was after 9pm, I was tired and didn't want to have to find another hotel should they not accept pets….so I just kind of…well…I simply did not mention I had a pet.  

 

Another wonderful day.

Crossing KY: Sadieville to Land Between The Lakes (Lakes Barkley and Kentucky)

Crossing KY:

Sadieville to Land Between The Lakes (Lakes Barkley and Kentucky)  

Friday, 11/3/06

 

I couldn't leave Sadieville without a tour by one of the Town Councilmen!  Claude showed me around his hood:   including the sanitation plant that he manages!  It was fun.  It's a very small and very hilly town.  

 

I took another scenic By-way between Sadieville and the Blue Grass Parkway.  Small towns, some I just stopped and marveled at their beauty.    Old stone buildings, man blowing leaves, kids crossing on their way to school, horse ranch, black fences, black barn with fire engine red roof, another with royal blue roof, more stone fences, road looking like a ribbon winding through the countryside-green grass on both sides, rolling mounds, no forests, no starbucks.

 

I drove through Bourbon County – which is dry and was informed that the Kentucky bourbon distilleries are in Christen County

 

We followed the Blue Grass Parkway all day.  Another clear, blue cloudless day.   It looks warm out, but when I step out at a rest stop- hat, gloves and jacket are required.  There seems to be quite an array of "Bisquet World" , (small breakfast only establishments) in this area, so I stopped for lunch – another less than $5 lunch.   Food is v much less than in the DC area and petrol is going down as I move farther into the South.

 

My friend Darren decided to join the road trip adventure for a day and offered to meet me at "Land between the lakes" in South Western KY.   He drove the 6 hours from NC and I drove about the same from Sadieville.  We kept in touch throughout the day with a plan to meet at the lake.

 

After scraping frost off my windshield this morning and having the bottles of water in the car freeze, I thought it best to find indoor lodging for tonight.   The nice places I'd selected off the internet did not allow dogs, so it was a bit of a scramble to find a place that would.  After a series of calls, I found a place that was open (the first hurtle this time of year) and accepted dogs.   I gave them my credit card number and hoped for the best.  As it turns out, it's a great place, right on Lake KY.    Full moon, cute cabin full kitchen.  Gabby and I walked for about an hour and then Darren showed up with steaks and broccoli for dinner.   We talked the night away catching up on each of our news and life events.

From the WV Mountains to the Blue Grass of KY

From the WV Mountains to the Blue Grass of KY

Thursday, 11/2/06

Fayetteville, WV to Sadieville, KY

I awoke to a parking lot full of pickups, men in camouflage "apparel" and an oozing sky. It had rained all night (how? You might ask, did I know that? Well Gabby needed to go out in the middle of the night).

When I looked out the window I thought I saw a fog as thick as a San Francisco morning, but when I put a finger on the window, I discovered it was only condensation on the and that the sky was still drizzling.

With a free breakfast offered, I thought I best not pass it up, so decided to investigate. Emm, not bad, fruit salad (yes from a jar), oatmeal, warm hard boiled eggs, bagels, dry cereal, the usual. What was unusual in my book we the friendliness of the patrons; a group of 6, my guess would be all in their 70's. They all said good morning in turn as the women talked about why they were there, who they were visiting and how the parking lot sure filled up the previous night. They were obviously having a good time. The last of the group to arrive talked about the cute dog outside – of course I had to speak up and own the cute dog. She recognized Gabby as a Ausie – I smiled.

My first stop was the visitors' center for the New River Gorge Bridge. Amazing how it spans the gorge at the tops of the mountains. It is tall. And for the statisticians in the reading audience: its 360 feet taller than the Washington Monument. And for the visuals: That equals one Washington Monument, plus 2 Statue of Liberty stacked on top of each other, plus 20 more feet…..got it? TALL and very impressive.

After consulting the map, the most scenic way looked like taking state route 60 North, along the river to Charleston. What a gem of a road. No big bridges to span between hill and dale. The road wound up and down 8% grade hills with 20MPH turns –going was slow and very enjoyable. We pulled off several times to just look at the gorge, the river, and the beauty of the morning. At one point fog was rising between the ridges with the sun pouring through – pure inspiration!

There were tourist spots along the road, but it looked like the tourists took their trade to resorts along the newer, faster roads many years prior and all that was left was the impression that in its day, these resorts were a big draw.

I passed what we used to call a "Company Town". Lumber mill, with cookie cutter houses all lined up and looking very alike. The milled "owned" the town and most likely the inhabitants too.

Charleston is nestled along the banks of the river and fills the valley between the mountains. The centerpiece of the city shins brightly; the state capital, encrusted in gold leaf (that's what it looked like), reminded me of the temples in Thailand where you could purchase a tiny bit of gold leaf to place on the Buddha image. It was a clear sunny day and the state capitol was the brightest thing around.

Leaving Charleston I saw lots of industry – all along the river, and I questioned discharge into the river….I thought the exit for Nitro was a strange name for a town, and then when I passed the exit and saw 3 huge nuclear power silos, it seemed even stranger!

The hills of WV gave way to rolling mounds of KY. The autumn leaves of gold and auburn were striking against the brilliant green grassy fields. I lifted my sunglasses to check for true color – yes, it really is that green. The best of the day was on scenic Byway State 460, which served as a beltway around Lexington. Narrow 2-lane road, miles of stone fences, equestrian centers, white fences, horses, some mansions and others where the fence was more impressive than the house. I was reminded how enjoying such a moment of beauty produces such calm and peace in my heart.

I pulled into Sadieville, a town of about 300, just before sunset. Claude and Sandy have a great home with lots of land including a stream. Gabby and I stretched our legs, ran around and enjoyed the beauty of KY. Thanks so much to Claude and Sandy for your great hospitality. It was a wonderful evening – just hanging out and catching up (Claude retired from Peace Corps about 2 years ago).