Traveling in Covid USA…

Before leaving the Land Between the Lakes we took one more hike around Lake Hematite. It was such a nice hike we simply had to do it once again. The trail is scenic and most of it is shaded making it a good summer hike. With the marshland boardwalk it it has everything we desire in a woodland walk.

Well it certainly was nice relaxing for three days but it was time to press on. The next morning we packed up and hit the road for our next destination. It was an easy drive down the highway and even through Nashville it was uneventful.Two hundred and seventeen miles later we pulled into the Davy Crocket Campground in Crossville, TN, a nice little campground which we would only be at for one night.

Covid-19 sure has changed how we travel this year. Normally we would never go more than about 150 miles between stops and rarley would stay less than three days at a new location. However, now we are zooming by many places we would like to be exploring. With the one night stop in Crossville the next morning we drove 267 miles for a one night stop in Max Meadows, VA.

Our one night stop in Virginia at the Fort Chiswell RV Campground was so relaxing  we decided that instead of spending one night we would slow down and stay a few nights at our next site. We really dislike this one day hopping we have been doing with rather long drives in between.

After our next stop we will have only about 114 miles to our last stop for a while. We are certainly looking forward to kicking back and relaxing once we get there…

Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky…

After the scary ordeal of crossing those two skinny bridges we were both ‘happy to be at our next campground. Also we were glad we would stay for three days before charging on toward Virginia. We camped at the Canal Campground, another COE Park.

Since our campground is located just a few miles north of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, we drove down the scenic road to the land between the lakes and man, oh, man, everything was so very vibrant green and lush!

Driving around we found the remains of an old iron ore smelter that had a pull out to a historical marker with tidbits posted about the history. The iron ore smelter is adjacent to a road we then explored and discovered Hematite Lake. We noticed a 2.4 mile hike around the lake and although we didn’t do the hike the day we discovered it we made a plan to return the very next day to do it.

Hematite Lake is so named because of all the ore found around the lake and that is why the smelter was located nearby. The remnants of the smelting process yielded lots of variously colored pieces of hematite along the shoreline of the lake. We found pieces that were glossy black, purple and vibrant blue along our path.

But best of all was enjoying a nice hike in the lush woodlands around the lake. The lake at times was so still there were magnificent reflections of the clouds on the water. About halfway around the lake a 1/4 mile (practically new) boardwalk took us over the swampier parts of the lowlands where we saw many birds and frogs and turtles.

The most interesting sighting of the day was an American Woodcock. About the size of a robin these short legged stocky woodland birds are solitary and rarely seen so we were delighted to watch this one probing the ground for earthworms. Having forgotten my good camera we were unable to capture a photo of it so we only took our memories of it with us.

Our three day stay at Canal Campground was just what the doctor ordered. What a nice and relaxing place to spend some time. We both would like to return to this area someday for further exploration but it quickly became time to press on…

What a Horrifying Experience…

We were only in Missouri for one night and the next morning we continued on northeastward. Our route leaving Missouri into Illinois was crossing the Cairo Bridge on highway 62. What a mistake this was!

We crossed that bridge into Illinois which we soon realized no one driving a large RV or fifth wheel should ever drive across! I mean NEVER EVER!!! This cantilevered through truss bridge over the Mississippi River on U. S. Highway 60 / 62 between Birds Point, MO, and Cairo, IL is not meant for large rigs yet truckers cross it daily.

Each lane of the bridge is 10 feet wide but with the bridge trusses straight up from its edge it really leaves each lane with about 9 feet to work with. As we approached this white-knuckler bridge we prayed we see no Semi Trucks on the nearly mile long length. 

Well we had no such luck and as we approached the truck I squeezed as far right as I thought humanly possible and when we passed the truck I’d be surprised if one could  fit a thin dollar bill between our two mirrors. We are still shocked we didn’t lose a mirror on that bridge.

Now you think we would relax after crossing that bridge but noooooo… there is another bridge just like it crossing over the Ohio River leaving Illinois just a few miles after crossing the first one. The second was a clone of the first bridge but was even longer and the first half of it was under construction forcing us into a single lane!!!

Again we prayed to see no trucks but yet again we were denied our prayers. The first truck we passed we were again greatly relieved not to have hit mirrors with and then just before we were exiting the bridge another Semi-Truck was coming onto it it. There is a slight turn off the highway onto the bridge so when this truck came on its tail end was across the middle line in our lane.

I have absolutely no idea how we didn’t get side swiped only to surmise that we must have had our prayers answered after all. It took a good while after crossing these bridges before either of us could calm down. Be advised - DO NOT EVER CROSS THESE BRIDGES… I can’t even imagine what it would have been like if we didn’t have 10 years of RV driving experience behind us!

A few hours later we pulled into our next site at the KY Corps of Engineer Canal Campground in Grand Rivers, KY. We will be staying for three days and hopefully by the end of our stay we will forget about this horrifying experience…

NOTE: We are currently in the Shenandoah Valley near Woodstock Virginia until who knows when…

Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, VA…

Upon leaving Levi Jackson State Park we had another short travel day of about 55 miles with the goal of making it to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. We left at our usual 10:30 a.m. departure time for shorter travel days and drove over on US 25E. Just before arriving at the park we drove through the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. This is a large tunnel totally suitable for trucks and big rigs so there was nothing to worry about. I had turned my propane off before departing and sure enough there was a sign reminding RV’ers to turn off their LP gas preceding the pull-out lane for those who may have forgotten to turn their LP off.

A little over an hour after we had left we pulled into the park and found a spot in the B row that had 50 amp electricity. The Wilderness Road Campground has 160 sites and about 1/4 of them have electric.  None of the sites have water or sewer and none of them are reservable. They are all first come, first served but I had heard the campground is seldom if ever full and that was the case when we arrived.

After setting up and eating lunch we drove back through the tunnel over to the Visitors Center to pick up a trail brochure. Man the butterflies were super abundant on the Purple Coneflower! After watching the butterflies for a while we secured a map for our future hiking plans and then we drove up the winding road that led up to the Pinnacle Overlook. As we walked to the overlook we were reminded that we were walking from Kentucky into Virginia on the trail.

Along the trail to Pinnacle Overlook we found ourselves in some nice woods with some enormous boulders. At the overlook the panorama unveiled below was fabulous! We could see down to the historic town of Cumberland Gap, TN and across the mountains of three states: Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.. Wow, what a view!

The next day we drove over to the town of Cumberland Gap, TN and found the Iron Furnace parking lot. This was the trailhead to hike the Tri-State Peak. This is the mountain where Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky all come together like the four corners region out west. Tri-State Peak is also the mountain the Cumberland Gap Tunnel runs through.

The Cumberland Gap is a low spot in the Appalachian Mountains that provided hundreds of thousands of pioneers a path to travel through as they headed west. It was by far the easiest path through the mountains and as a result there are many remnants of forts built to protect the pass from enemies. 

The old Iron Furnace that is found at the beginning of the trail dates back to the the 1800’s. From the furnace the Tennessee Road Trail winds upward until it meets the Wilderness Road Trail which we followed. A steady climb up and we were at The Saddle of the Gap where we found a cool sign and I snapped a picture of Sharon with the sign.  This gap was where many settlers once passed in the hope of a having a better life out west. 

A little further along the trail we saw a monument marking the Daniel Boone Trail that we have hiked on before much further away. On up the slope we finally encountered the structure with monuments and plaques marking where each of the states meet: Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. After admiring our feat and stepping back and forth between the three states like children we walked a bit further up to the top of the mountain before heading back down.

It was about a three mile round trip hike back to the parking lot. We really enjoyed our stay at Cumberland Gap and for sure will stay here again when near this area. The campground was very nice with spacious concrete pads and picnic tables and had nice restroom/shower houses. Although we didn't see it, a young black bear traveled through one morning while we were there.  We learned this from the extremely nice camp hosts who came by to warn us not to leave any food out.  They showed us pictures of the bear and we had a nice chat about fulltiming as that is their future wish.  There are numerous trails in the Cumberland Gap area and  I would love to see it in the fall with the leaves changing!

Next we will drive a bit further east to get over to our next stop in Bristol Virginia…

Strolling Around Danville and Corbin KY…

A short distance away from where we are staying at Levi Jackson State Park is a neat little town called Corbin, KY. So what is Corbin’s claim to fame? Corbin is home to the location of the very first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. The Colonel Harlan Sanders himself started frying up his crispy chicken right here! We had to check out the Harland Sanders Café.  It actually started as a service station across the street from its present location.  The current location is really just another Kentucky Fried Chicken store but it has a museum attached to it depicting the Colonel's life and how he came to be famous. We chose not to eat there since we are no  really big fans of their chicken and also because we think their chicken is overpriced!

The downtown area of Corbin is a sleepy and laid back community fairly well revitalized. Although Corbin is located in the dry counties of Knox and Whitley the city held a local option election in 2012 which was successful.  So luckily we were able to find a recently opened tavern featuring many craft beers. We thought it was a brewery at first since it was named The Wrigley Taproom and Brewery. However, they make no beer on premises and usage of the word brewery in their name is for reasons unknown to us. It was however a lively spot and a good way to end our day in Corbin.

We also made the short drive over to Danville, KY for a visit. Danville is a decent sized town. We found it funny that their claim to fame is that they are the city of firsts. First to do this, first to do that… but we soon realized it was all dependent upon the fact that they were the first to do this or that west of the Alleghenies!  The city was founded in 1792 and it also claims to be the birthplace of bluegrass… although we have seen others claim that as well.

The quaint little downtown area is close to nearby Centre College. Centre College was founded in 1819 and is considered one of the few prestigious small liberal arts colleges in America. To keep in the theme of Danville they are ranked first in the nation for study abroad. The campus was larger than it at first appeared. It made for a nice stroll for us as we walked around town and all around the campus.

On the way back to our park we stopped at a roadside farm market and scored some fresh tomatoes and fruit. Tomorrow it’s off to another spot on the Daniel Boone’s Trace… Cumberland Gap National Historic Park…

Levi Jackson State Park and Cumberland Falls…

After spending a few days in the Renfro Valley we moved a little further south to Levi Jackson State Park. We spent a few days at this state park since it was close to Cumberland Falls and. Cumberland Falls was on my list of top attractions in the state of Kentucky for us to see.

We pulled into Levi Jackson State Park and found our site for the weekend in what was to be a very crowded park. It is not an overly big rig friendly park but does have some sites in its “B” loop that are perfect for big rigs. Our pull through site  further down was on an arch and had a moderate slope from back to front. The result was that the front of our RV was completely off the ground. I am not a big fan of putting any of my tires airborne but here we had no choice. At least it  was only for a few days so I wasn’t too concerned.

The park itself has some trails along what is known as Boone's Trace where  Daniel Boone, an American pioneer, marked a trail for other pioneers to follow west into America’s heartland during the spring of 1775. To have the opportunity to walk on such a historic trail was also on our to do list. The trails themselves were not overly exciting but the historical significance of them  did not go unforgotten. It was fun walking along the trails thinking back to all the pioneers that must have made this trek and endured many a hardship as a result. The trail also led to a Mountain Life Museum within the park which we did hike to but found it to be closed on that Sunday.

Another day we drove over to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. I would be remiss not to point out that all of Kentucky’s State Parks are free to enter. Having no fee for entrance ensures that the state’s people will all be able to visit their wonders. Quite a novel thought which we feel many other states should consider.

There are 17 miles of hiking trails that wind through this park to scenic areas but the main attraction here is Cumberland Falls. Often referred to as the Niagara of the South these falls flow over a sandstone substrate that is slowly giving way to the erosive forces of the nature. Cumberland Falls are 68 feet high and 125 feet wide and were blowing full force due to all the rains this area has received over the past 20 days.

As we walked down below the falls we could see the effect of power of the water as the base of the stairway at the bottom of the trail was in shambles as high water and powerful forces completely destroyed  its lower portion. Huge logs (once trees) were strewn about the lower reaches of the waterfall. We could really feel the force of mother nature’s fury…

A Visit to Barea, KY and a Hike to Anglin Falls…

We left Lexington, KY and drove only a short distance south to Renfro Valley RV Park. This is a Passport America Park and allows stays from Sunday to Wednesday for $17.50 per night. They put the Passport America members in their more remote Creekside Park but for the price it can't be beat. We have 50 amp,full hookups and cable. Staying here for three nights easily paid for our Passport America membership. Because of the value we feel every full timer should consider membership to this organization.

Renfro Valley RV Park is part of the larger Renfro Valley Entertainment Center in Renfro Valley, KY. It is the self proclaimed "Kentucky Country Music Capital!" The shows are Thursdays thru Saturdays so we Passport America folks can enjoy some inexpensive camping during the off days.

Just down the road from Renfro Valley is the small town of Barea, KY. We drove over to Barea to enjoy a stroll around the town. There are some nice historic buildings and a small but very interesting college called Barea College. We parked near the visitor’s center and first explored Berea’s art district. The friendly ladies at the visitors center told us the town hosts a large number artisans and musicians. While we were there a small class had gathered where citizens were learning how to play the dulcimer.

After a bit we headed over to the Berea College which interestingly is the only college I  have ever heard of offering free tuition! It is home to a student crafts program that preserves traditional  Appalachian arts. Founded in 1855 as  the first interracial and coeducational college in the South they offer each student the equivalent of a full-tuition scholarship worth $20,900, or $83,600 for four years! In exchange students are required to work at least 10 hours per week at campus and service jobs. Wow, 10 hours per week of work for free tuition! I sure wish I knew about this place when I was in college.

We also wanted to do a short hike in the John B.Stephenson Memorial Forest State Nature Preserve to find the elusive Anglin Falls.  Since the area recently had a good rain we hoped to catch this waterfall in its full glory. The directions to it are tricky so we were fortunate that the Barea visitors center had a detailed map for us to take along. Even with the map it was tricky and in fact when we turned on the last dirt road (nearly a jeep trail) it appeared as if we were driving to someone's property.  We were relieved to see a trailhead sign a short way down the road along with a small gravel parking lot.

The hike was only a mile in and a mile out with some elevation gain going in. The vegetation in this wooded gorge was lush and thick. The mostly uneven trail meandered along the creek fed by the waterfall. Rated as moderate to strenuous we found nothing strenuous on this hike. Once near the falls we were in for a treat! This 75 foot waterfall (especially after a rain) showers water from high above as the trail ends directly at its base. We really enjoyed this short but very scenic hike…