My wife and I just got back from a day at Rough River State Park (which is an hour away from Owensboro).  So many people in Owensboro go to Rough River State Park to enjoy the Park’s beautiful lodge, cottages, camping, and a couple of really nice golf courses.  But we weren’t there to golf or stay overnight.  We’d been invited for a day of boating with friends on the 5,000-acre lake which in an instant brought us relief from the heat wave we’ve experienced in western Kentucky over the last several weeks.

It was actually the first time in 15 years that I’d been in a ski boat, and I surprised at what has changed and what hasn’t.  There are now wake boards, knee boards, tubing and jet skis. The inflatable tubes are enormous, and the jet skis maneuver and accelerate just like sports cars.  Our friends’ ski boat was definitely top of the line, but I couldn’t help noticing  that pontoon boats seemed to be as popular today as they were when I was a kid growing up on the Ohio River in the 60’s.  By my estimate, there were two pontoon boats for every one ski boat on River that day.

On this particular 95-degree Saturday, it wasn’t the expensive toys that made great memories, but the simple act of floating in your life jacket in a quiet cove.  I know that may sound strange to some, but people, young and old alike, love to float in a body of water.  We went into a quiet cove called “Turtle Creek”.  Although I saw no turtles, I got to take this 53 year old body and hurl it off a 25 foot cliff.  I also got to tube, ski and knee board, all the things that boating give Kentuckians a chance to do.  And while I won’t be able to walk tomorrow, it won’t be another 15 years before I experience a day like this.

The pontoon boats can be rented at Rough River for $160.00 a day. Think about this, eight people can pay $20.00 each and have a day of skiing, tubing and most importantly, just finding a cove to float in.

Obbie Todd, Western Region

The Land between the Lakes North/South trails covers 31 miles, but the day hiker or parent wanting to introduce a child to the outdoors, can easy walk to one of the family campsites or boat ramps found along the trail.
Starting off, we checked with the North Welcome Station, which is found on a road called the “Trace”. The Trace is a two lane road located between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.  At the North Welcome Station we parked our car and paid a fee. I believe it’s $5.00. By signing in, the park authorities knew where we were going, how long we were staying and they kept an eye on our parked car. We had to bring two cars because the trail isn’t a loop. We parked the other car at Golden Pond Visitor Center which is at the end of the trail on the southern end of Kentucky Lake. This is where we finished.
The trekking is easy to medium. The most difficult part of the journey is walking through hatchery hollow where they reintroduced the bald eagle into the area. The entire walk brings hikers to old cemeteries and homesteads which once dotted the area before the lakes were formed.
To the experienced trekker, the overall trail isn’t that challenging, but the view is spectacular as the trail takes you to 100 foot bluffs and also into quiet coves giving panorama views of Kentucky Lake, the largest man made lake in the Eastern United States. We went during Spring Break and the Spring Wildflowers had just exploded into a collage of color which continued through the entire 31 miles. Because we walked from mud flats to lime stone and vise versa, we encountered an abundance of rare beautiful wildflowers not found in other places. The Yellow Lady Slipper, White Goldenseal, Red Columbine, and Purple Showy Orchid are all examples.
I had taken with me,”Wildflowers of Mammoth Cave National Park, written by Kentucky author, Randy Seymour. Although the book is title “Wildflowers of Mammoth Cave National Park”, the same terrain can be found at Land Between the lakes producing much of the same flora. It’s a must for any wildflower enthusiast traveling through Kentucky.
We finished the trip in 3 days and two nights. I hiked the trail with two other good friends and each had a son who was experiencing back packing for the first time. They loved it!

Obbie Todd, Western Region