Casually consuming coffee and posting pictures to Facebook. That’s why I hike. To achieve that since of “been there, done that (what’s next!).” I sip my coffee from a WKU mug, usually in flannel pajamas and a two day beard. This is why I hike. So I can reflect from my breakfast table in Bowling Green. Tis’ good to have such a great outdoors city to return from the wild. But what if I had the chance to enjoy my coffee elsewhere in Kentucky? Where would those places be? I’ve pondered a possible top five as another cup is poured.
#5 Louisville. Biggest city, and I’m not really a big city guy. But man, that skyline is the best in the bluegrass! And biggest city equals biggest park system. Jefferson Forest has a 10 mile trail alone. Plus close drive to Otter Creek, Tioga Falls, Bernheim Forest, Tom Sawyer State Park, and Taylorsville Lake. It certainly doesn’t lack the opportunity for a nightlife once back from the trail, either. I’d love to drink coffee from a downtown studio apartment, plus, this is Kentucky’s answer to Denver (without the Rockies, of course).
#4 Ashland. A wild card here. There’s a skyline in Ashland, too, although it’s just one building. You’ve got to give them credit for ambition. You are at the far eastern edge of opportunity here. West Virginia at your doorstep. Greenbo Lake, Grayson Lake, Yatesville Lake, and Carter Caves all within minutes. Plus, US 23 and a slough of mountain driving if you have a hankering. I like the gritty working class feel of this area as well. Biggest city in that part of the state. Similar wild card would be Middlesboro.
#3 Murray. For years, touted as a prime place to retire. I worked in this city for a while as a DJ on Froggy 103. Gotta love the quaint town square district and typical college town feel. But the real outdoors draw are the two big honking lakes 20 minutes away. Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, and all the Land In Between! Combine that with four nearby state parks, and I’d call Murray the jewel of the Jackson Purchase.
#2 Bowling Green. Mammoth Cave National Park in the backyard. Plus an underground boat tour and a bunch of other caves. Easy drive to Barren River Lake and Nolin Lake State Parks. Plus nearby Shanty Hollow Lake. There’s a waterfront park being built downtown on the Barren River that will soon feature bike trails and a (future) whitewater course. Zip Lines, canoe trips and horseback opportunity abound. Combine that with a ton of restaurants and a brand new performing arts hall, and you’ve got yourself a cool place to call home. Plus, they build the Corvette here, just sayin…
#1 Somerset. Oh baby. Pick your afternoon adventure here. You can see Lake Cumberland from US 27! Burnside Island, Lake Cumberland, and Dale Hollow Lake State Park all nearby. Cumberland Falls, Natural Arch, Big South Fork, and the Daniel Boone National Forest all within a quarter tank of gas. Lots of good eating here too, though a little dry if you get my draft, er, drift. It is Kentucky, after all. But if I could best my own city, it would probably be here.
Honorable Mentions: Lexington is kind of close to the Red River Gorge, and I’ll give the Palisades a shout. Pineville and Hazard are just cool. And for some reason, tiny Liberty in Casey County reminds me of towns out west. I need to sell everything but that coffee mug and try them all.
Still sippin’ and dreamin’ till next trip…
Cumberland Gap & Pinnacle Overlook
Have you ever wondered what it may have been like to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Boone as he made his way along the Wilderness Road into Kaintucke? Those hearty adventurers were ordinary, everyday folks that sought to build a better life in a new country; little did they know that they were really on their way to build a nation.
On May 12, 2012, you’ll have a rare opportunity to step back in time; to have your own experience of crossing through the Gap. Witness frontier hostilities and sense in first-person the nothing-for-certain feelings that were everyday fare for the pioneers in the 1770’s. This guided historical adventure tour offered by Pine Mountain State Resort Park will feature visits to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and Wilderness Road State Park to trace the steps of Daniel Boone and those that came both before and after him along the path of the pioneers.
Martin's Station at Wilderness Road State Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a 24,000 acre park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The park abounds in rich history, spectacular overlooks, unique rock formations, and cascading waterfalls. The Cumberland Gap is a sizable natural break in the Applachian Mountains.
Wilderness Road State Park encompasses 310 acres that lie astride the Wilderness Road, a route carved by Daniel Boone in 1775. The route, which followed a buffalo trace, opened America’s first western frontier. The central feature of the site is Martin’s Station, a replica of a colonial frontier fort that was near this site in 1775.
Colonials at Martin's Station
Highlights include a visit to Martin’s Station, a colonial era fort, where you’ll witness spectacular frontier action as Indians attack the fort and settlement. You’ll embark on a moderate 1/2 mile hike to historic Cumberland Gap Pass, and delight to breathtaking views as you glimpse three states from the lofty Pinnacle Overlook (2,440 ft). Natural, historic, and colonial photographic opportunities abound on this adventure trek.
The registration fee is $15 per person and van transportation will be provided to the first 10 persons to register. Participants are encouraged to bring a day pack with water, snacks, and a lunch. The hike is moderate so wear appropriate footwear. Total field trip time is 9 hours. Advanced registration is required; departure time from the park is 8:00 AM.
To register for the historical adventure tour, contact Pine Mountain State Resort Park at (800) 325-1712.
Giddyup!
How fitting that the track is called Churchill. Under a couple of twin steeples gathers both Hollywood and an infield crowd, millionaires and the hopefuls. All forming a mass of show and tell, hats and pinstripe suits. Bourbon and, well, everything else. All for the horses. For the tradition. For Kentucky.
What an honor to be born and bred from the Bluegrass during this short season every year. A sporting event that predates Indianapolis, and cars themselves. An event that began just shy of Mr. Lincoln’s days in the White House. Perhaps that’s why it beckons a fond remembrance of Stephen Foster‘s Greatest Hit. The Derby takes us back to our heritage. A time when horsepower meant one, if you were that lucky. A remembrance of Dr. Walker and Daniel Boone, who by horseback scaled the Gap and got us here in the first place. A heritage of flatboats discouraged by a series of falls on the Ohio river, forced to settle along the shoreline now become skyline. The weekend, like the track itself, brings us full circle as Kentuckians.
If you are at the Kentucky Derby this weekend, either in person or in spirit, toast a two-fingers for this fellow Colonel. Saturday, May 5th, we come together as only one Kentucky.
Newbie's getting told how to place 3 pounds of bees and the queen in the hive.
There’s a place in Grayson County in the small community of
Clarkton where beekeepers gather called “Walter T. Kelly Company”. Last Saturday, I and 100 other beekeepers
throughout the United States gathered to pick
up our queen and 3 pounds of bees.
For 5 straight Saturdays during
the spring and before the dandelions finish blooming, the Walter T. Kelly
Company distributes queens and 3 pounds of bees to each paying customer. To order your bees, call one week in advance
of the pick-up date. The cost for the
queen and 3 pounds of bees is $90 (which includes tax).
Two days before picking up my
queen and bees, I purchased their Deluxe Beginner’s Outfit with Shallow
Supers. This included the protective
equipment, hives, tools, and necessary equipment I would need to produce enough
honey to survive a hard winter, plus two extra hives called “supers” in case
the bees make enough honey for personal use.
The cost for the protective equipment, hives, tools, equipment, etc. is
$330.
Picking up 3 pounds of bee plus the queen is also inside.
Did I know anything about raising
bees? No! Did I know anyone who’s raising bees? No!
But, rest assured that when you pick up your bees, the employees of the
Walter T. Kelly Company give demonstrations on how to release the bees, making
sure you don’t watch your $400.00 investment fly off in a swarm.
Upon arriving at the “how to
release your 3 pounds of bees and their queen” demonstration, I quickly noticed
that the older experienced beekeepers were not present, because they left after
receiving their bees. But the other newbies
and I found refuge standing around with paper and pens writing down everything
the Kelly Company beekeepers said.
As the demonstration began, the
experienced Kelly Company beekeepers released the bees into a hive. Standing
only ten feet from the live demonstration, I wasn’t afraid, although most of us
backed away as we witnessed 3 pounds of swarming bees leave their temporary
cage, being forced into a new home. Watching this event was exciting, but as
fast as the bees were released, they went straight to the hive where the queen
was located. It was over as quick as it
had begun. Just by placing a queen bee
into a new hive, the giant swarm of 3 pounds of bees went directly to the hive
to be with her. Yes, there may be some
stragglers and you can still get stung, but the Kelly Company beekeepers didn’t
wear any gloves, only a mask over their heads.
The show room at Walter T. Kelley Co. Eveythng you need is there!
We found out the real problem of
raising bees isn’t getting the bees in the hive, but maintaining their food
supply during inclement weather, mites and invading animals. By the way, the bees I got were Italian,
which are known to be gentle, but the trade-off for getting Italian bees is
that they’re susceptible to mites. There
are adventuresome beekeepers who avoid mite problem by getting Russian bees,
but Russian bees are known to be mean and vengeful and will attack anyone close
to their hive. Russian bees are also sold at Walter Kelly Company.
So with my 3 pounds of bees
in-tow, I headed home to release them into their new hive. I was really nervous, but I’d taken extensive
notes and did exactly what the beekeepers at Walter Kelly had said. Suited in my beekeeper’s outfit with all the
tools, equipment, and hives I needed, I nervously released the bees, as my wife
took pictures and worried as they swarmed around me. But just like the demonstration I witnessed
at Walter’s, they quickly went into their hive to be with their queen, and I
began my new adventure in beekeeping.
Did you know one of the best
prevention of allergies is eating bee honey grown in your area? By the end of the summer, I won’t BEE
sneezing anymore.
Obbie https://kelleybees.com/
Nestled among the forested slopes of Pine Mountain, about 9 miles southeast of Whitesburg, Kentucky, is envious Bad Branch Gorge. The locale has been designated a Kentucky State Nature Preserve and is home to over thirty species of rare flora and fauna. A mixed mesophytic forest is predominant and boasts a vestigial combination of hemlock, tulip poplar, sweet birch, yellow birch, basswood, buckeye, and American beech. Lesser trees include umbrella magnolia, sweet pepperbush, flowering dogwood, and dense thickets of rosebay rhododendron.
Bad Branch Falls
The cold mountain stream and the narrow, shaded gorges help to maintain conditions necessary to support a large assemblage of species more typical of northern climates and higher elevations. Among these rare species are small enchanter’s nightshade, Fraser’s sedge, painted trillium, longtail shrew, and the blackside dace. Black bears frequent the area and the state’s only known nesting pair of common ravens make their home among the preserve’s sandstone cliffs. An endemic fish species, the arrow darter, resides in the fast flowing waters below the preserve’s centerpiece, the spectacular, 60-foot, Bad Branch Falls.
The celebrated preserve hosts a variety of distinct habitats. There are stream pools and riffles, boulder-strewn creek edges, wet rock faces, talus areas; even pine barrens. Bad Branch Gorge features numerous sandstone rock formations including overhangs, rockhouses, and cliffs. Visitors making the strenuous trek to Bad Branch Falls pass through large hemlock stands, rare flowers and plants, and dense thickets of rhododendron.
With portions owned and managed by both the Nature Conservancy and the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission, the 2,639-acre Bad Branch State Nature Preserve protects the scenic beauty of the gorge and one of the largest concentrations of rare and uncommon species known in the state. The preserve has been designated a Kentucky Wild River owing to the pristine nature of the watershed it creates. The preserve offers a glimpse of Kentucky wilderness as it was at the time of Daniel Boone.
Painted Trillium
Care to see this enchanted time capsule for yourself? Consider joining a naturalist-guided adventure from Pine Mountain State Resort Park on Saturday, April 7. The tour fee is $15 per person and advanced registration is required. To register, contact the park’s guest services desk at (800) 325-1712. Registration fees are refundable until 7 days prior to the adventure. Overnight accommodations, if desired, can be made separately.
Participants are encouraged to wear hiking boots and bring a daypack with water, snacks, and a lunch. The total round-trip hiking distance for this outing is 2 miles over uneven, sometimes strenuous terrain. Departure time from the park is 8:00 AM and van transportation will be provided for the first 10 persons. The total field trip time is about 6 hours.
Something new is happening in Kentucky and students throughout our state are getting excited. The up-coming KHSAA sport,”Archery” is about to début in 2012 -13 and although the sport doesn’t become official until next year, high schools and middle schools across the commonwealth have already been competing.
In the western part of our state, Henderson County and Trigg County are the poster children for building successful archery programs. Starting each program with only a few students, they now pump out State and National champions. This year alone, three of Henderson County students received college scholarships because of Archery and each program has gone on to represent World championships.
I teach at Apollo High School in Owensboro and our school wanted to start a program, so I went over to Henderson to see how they run their program. Right off the bat, I realized how serious their program is, having two huge archery complexes built and donated by private donations, and get this….Henderson County High School supports the program so much, they constructed them on their school grounds.
On this particular day I viewed 100 Henderson middle schoolers practicing in one of their archery complexes and couldn’t get over the volunteers. Their practices
were like teaching ballet; disciplined, scripted and choreographed. Think about it….you can’t make a major “boo boo” in Archery.
What does this have to do with a Kentucky Adventure? First, archery is a lifetime sport Kentuckians have participated in since crossing the Cumberland Gap. Secondly, our high school (Apollo) had already purchased our required equipment through NASP (National Archery School Program) and had already received 12 standard Genesis, 20 LB compound bows….but watching Henderson practice, I noticed the majority of the middle schoolers had found the program so rewarding that parents had gone out and bought their children 20 LB compound bows, which they could not only use in competition, but also used in hunting.
So after observing and emulating Henderson’s archery program, our high school (Apollo) started its own program and with the leadership and instruction of one of our teachers, Mrs. Johnson, 12 of our students went to the Regional competition in Meade County.
After returning Mrs. Johnson said, “We had such a good time and our kids loved it!” Although Apollo didn’t win a title or any individual awards, our students returned home enriched and motivated to become better in the sport of archery.
Think about it,…if a 17 year old wants to participate in something else besides their computer and cell phone, then it has to be something really really special.
Kentucky Archery KHSAA website www.kynasp.org
National Archery School Program http://nasparchery.com/activea.asp To get your school started.
Redbud & Dogwood Spectacle!
It’s the first day of spring and the roadsides of southeast Kentucky are already blushing with the early blooming of the celebrated redbuds. White dogwoods already have emergent leaves and their blooming looks to be not more than a handful of days away. The 2012 bloom is occurring two weeks ahead of schedule, thanks to an unseasonably mild winter.
If redbuds give your heart a stir, you won’t have to roam far to gaze upon its rosy pink blooms; the grand flowering lasts not for days, but weeks.
Kentucky boasts three lovely, national scenic byways for roadside redbud-viewing: the Country Music Highway, along US 23; the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway, along US 25; and the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway along state roads 11, 715 and 15. Other roads with good opportunities for viewing the flowering trees include the Cumberland Cultural Heritage Highway, a scenic byway south from US 27 along US 150 and US 127, the Hal Rogers Parkway between London and Hazard, and the Kingdom Come Parkway along US 119.
Savoring the visual nectar of redbuds is easy enough through the car windows but you might consider blending a sightseer’s foray with historical touring for a more authentic experience and drop in at a few special places of interest along the celebrated redbud roads. Pine Mountain State Resort Park, with its mosaic of scenic hiking and nature study trails, offers first-class lodging and wonderful food. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park affords magnificent views and over 70 miles of mountain trails. The two parks are but 15 miles apart and both lie at the end of the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway.
Boating season will soon be in full splash, and in fact, it has come a month early this year. With the dusting off of the pfd’s comes a story to mind that I really shouldn’t share because it’s so embarrassing. But why not? It happened two years ago, and is still one of the most bizarre things to happen on safari.
Originally published in SOKY Happenings Magazine, September 2010.
I grew up on a river. A big river. In fact, I guess the Mississippi is considered to be one of the biggest in the world. So boats where a common site around my hometown of Hickman, Kentucky. I can remember being caught in a thunderstorm while blocking for catfish on the river one weekend afternoon. As my Grandaddy and Dad nervously piloted the boat over white-capping water back to the harbor, I could have cared less at five years old if we made it or not.
Don't Laugh...
We made our way onto highway 185 traveling north at 45 miles an hour. We were just commenting on how good the trip finally went when the unthinkable happened. Looking at my rear view mirror, I saw the kayak suddenly fly out of the back of my truck! I cursed like a sailor. I hit the brakes and started to pull into the emergency lane. The handle had broken on one side, causing the boat to fly out. But still connected to the other handle, it flew back around into the tailgate of my shiny F-150, putting a huge dent in the truck. As I hit the brakes, the kayak tore loose of the remaining handle and began sliding north on highway 185! The boat passed us as we watched in horror. Then all I could do was bust out laughing. Randell was not pleased at my show of humor. We got out of the truck and located his paddle some 300 yards back. The boat survived with just a few scuffs, and luckily no one else was on the highway with us when this happened. I’ve since learned to not use a raft in a slow river, and to buckle down a kayak in a truck.
A road trip north on US 127 and through the bluegrass region rich with long fences and longer history. Sandwiched between two of the worst weather days in recent memory was sunshine and 70 degrees. March had decided to come in like a lamb, but forgot that this was a leap year, given that the day before had seen around 10 tornadoes rip through the bluegrass state. I was driving gingerly hoping to bypass anything that might have ended up on a roadway from the high winds.
Central Kentucky around Lexington, Danville, and Harrodsburg is wrought with so much history that it’s hard to explain in one blog alone. With the accomplishments of Daniel Boone and Dr. Walker understood further east, the commonwealth really got up and going here in the heart of the state. Constitution Square and that iconic handshake scene still emblazoned on our state seal. Fort Harrod and reflections of the anxious early years battling the wildlife and the natives. And the overwhelming evidence of the religious fervor that resulted from the Second Great Awakening of the early 1800s in nearby Cane Ridge. One such result is the influence the Shaker sect had on the surrounding region.
My road trip took me to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, on US 68 just east of Harrodsburg. The Shakers set up a settlement here in 1805 and hung around diligently until 1910, the civil war having dealt the movement a sad blow in the 1860s. Many technological advancements of the time period can still be seen in the community that at one time housed 500 members. The first water tower in the state is still on site. Plus, you can see the 40 miles of stone walls built over the course of 12 years by a full-time wall builder. I settled for a hike on one of the several trails carved through the woodland nature preserve there (some 40 miles altogether). Creeks still gurgling from the recent rain and waterfalls made for a great walk near the Shawnee Run Creek, which flows into the nearby Kentucky River. I was within shouting distance of the Palisades, and had good reason to return for a future visit. A riverboat from Shaker Village makes frequent excursions to the cliffs. I’ll be back this summer for that!
Always a joy to combine history with hiking, all found abundantly in central Kentucky. For more information on Shaker Village and the trails there, visit www.shakervillageky.org.
Till next trip…
-Special thanks to Amiee Darnell for help while on location.
More often than not, I’ll come across the story of a true outdoorsman that makes me want to relinquish my title of “Kentucky Adventure Representative”. There is literally a state (and country) full of people living the outdoor lifestyle better than I could ever imagine. Lately, I read a tale from my hometown about a fellow sailing down the Mississippi by way of paddleboard (!). Here’s the article by Charlotte Smith, as originally published in Western Kentucky’s oldest newspaper, the Hickman Courier.
A LAST LOOK BACK - Garrett Gnade, of west Texas, spent a couple of days in Hickman seeking refuge from the rain and received some wonderful small river town hospitality from its residents. Gnade takes one more look back after entering the water at the floodgate near Hickman Hardware on Friday, Jan. 27. (Photo by Charlotte Smith.)
Charlotte Smith
Editor
“Everyone in Hickman has been so nice,” said Garrett Gnade, a west Texas traveler passing through town last week. “With a storm approaching I needed to get out of the weather and Hickman was my safe haven for a couple of days.”
Since Gnade was traveling the Mississippi River on a 12 foot stand up paddle board he looked pretty disheveled and was covered in mud. “They don’t call it the ‘Muddy Mississippi’ for nothing,” he said. “I looked like a hobo, but as I traveled the streets of Hickman on my way to Broadway Pizza people waved at me, making me feel very welcome in this little river town.”
Gnade decided to order a pizza, something that hasn’t been on his menu during the last 151 days when he began his journey. While ordering he inquired about lodging and was given the name of Pat Parnell from the employees at Broadway Pizza.
On Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 25 Parnell opened up one of her apartments located on Jackson Street to Gnade. “It was nice to get out of the elements and I have been spoiled by the comforts of a mattress underneath me,” said Gnade, who usually camps out at night and keeps warm and cooks by a fire he builds.
Gnade began his “Mississippi Source to Sea Expedition” on August 28 in Lake Itaska, Minnesota. “This is the first source of the Mississippi River,” he said. “It is about five feet wide at the start and only six inches deep.”
Unseasonably warm weather and the rise in the Ohio River, which flows into the Mississippi, has aided Gnade in his journey aboard his stand up paddle board, which resembles a surfboard. “It has the same exact design as a surfboard, but on a different scale,” he said. “It has the same lines of a surfboard, just exaggerated.”
During the day Gnade wears a wet suit to stay dry, just in case he falls in. Keeping his gear dry is another concern of Gnade’s, who watches for debris as he paddles his way downstream toward New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gnade started his journey on an 11-foot board with a partner. “My partner became ill and the weight of my gear became heavier, so I had to switch to a 12-foot board to accommodate the 65 pounds of gear,” he explained.
He is carrying solar chargers, GPS equipment, and a water filtration system. “I have been filtering water from the Mississippi through ceramic and charcoal,” he explained, This enables Gnade to safely drink the water from the river.
“It has been pretty amazing to watch the changes in the river,” he remarked about his experience so far. “I have noticed changes in the color of the dirt to the accent of the people.”
Raised in west Texas, Gnade is a contractor who spends most of his time in Hawaii and Austin, Texas. This is a totally different climate than what he is use to.
This is Gnade’s first time on a water journey. “I am an outdoor-type person. I love to hike,” he added. “I recently joked with my mom that my work as a contractor is definitely easier than this journey on the river.”
Gnade plans on arriving in New Orleans in about 20 days. “Once I get there I plan on hanging a left,” he said with a smile, “toward Key West, Florida.” His final destination.
During his journey Gnade has been compiling information for research and development of stand up paddle boards. “They are mostly used in salt water,” he said. “I would like to see more people, especially kids, notice them and use them in all types of water and on lakes and rivers. It would be great to help kids put down those joy sticks and enjoy the great outdoors on a paddle board.”
“These boards provide a good core work out,” he added. He knows this first hand because he has had to contend with the winds coming from the south, instead of the north.
Things have gotten a little easier for Gnade. “It is nice to have some current and free flowing river like I have now,” he said. “It is totally different from when I first started.”
Gnade is also hoping to break some world records once his journey is complete. “I took the winter off to set a series of Guinness Book of World Records,” he said. He hopes to complete the longest fresh water trip, the longest saltwater trip, the longest overall trip, and the smallest vessel to do – all aboard his 12-foot stand up paddle board. “The trip has been previously made on a 14 foot board,” Gnade said.
GOOD TO GO - After spending a couple of nights in Hickman last week Garret Gnade was rested and ready to complete his journey down the Mississippi River on his 12-foot stand up paddleboard.
More kind and genuine compassion was experienced by Gnade when Mike Sheehan, owner of Hickman Hardware assisted him with his gear and offered to take him to the other floodgate if the water wasn’t deep enoughfor him at the one by the hardware store.
“This town is the best kept secret on the Mississippi,” said Gnade before he boarded his board and paddled away.
***
Special thanks to Charlotte Smith and staff at the Hickman Courier.
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