Primary Colors

Blue:
The color of a bridge at Ashland that takes one eastbound over the river into Ohio.

Green:
The color of a different bridge that brings one from Ohio westbound back into the Bluegrass.

Black:
The color of coal, critical to the eastern Kentucky economy.

Brown:
The color of signage leading to Greenbo Lake State Park.

Red:
The color of my face after a couple hours on the water.

I was just happy to be giving my hiking boots a rest. Instead, my arms were now doing all of the work. The last day of the Unbridled Adventure Tour and I was paddling a canoe on Greenbo Lake north of Grayson after what had been a half day’s drive up the Country Music Highway of US 23. A tasteful trip full of doughnuts and coffee, plus a detour through Ashland. Earlier in the year I had named it one of the “Top Five Cities To Hang a Backpack In Kentucky.” And a drive downtown confirmed my reasoning. It’s like a miniature version of Louisville! Tree lined sidewalks that stretch for a couple of miles in front of historic buildings on one end and the Ohio River on the other. Just a day before I had resolved to live in Pikeville. Now I was considering a timeshare with Ashland. We’ll see.

From Ashland and west on Interstate 64, a pull off at Grayson and up a curvy secluded road labeled highway one. A road wrought with covered bridges in places along side roads leading to Greenbo Lake State Resort Park. Jesse Stuart’s stomping grounds. I had included this park on the tour last year, and hiked the Tygart Trail when the weather was a little nicer. This day, the air had retained its hardheadedness with temperature readings near 100. No hiking today.

Instead, mom and I plopped down in a canoe and paddled about on the lake for a couple hours, admiring the view of the surrounding hillsides, deer grazing on the shore, and several blue heron keeping post for a possible fish dinner.

All week long I had been keeping Kentucky and the nation informed on radio station WHAS out of Louisville via the Terry Miners Show. On this day he would interview me from the canoe.

Me: “It’s hot out here! I don’t even know why I do this stuff. I need to wait till October…”

Terry: “Ah, but don’t you just like being under the canopy of the trees and one with nature and all the beauty?”

Me: “Yeah, that sounds good on a Hallmark Card. Till you get out here in this heat!”

But all in good fun. I’m an Outdoorsman rain or shine. Just wish it would rain more.

Greenbo has some big plans up their sleeves that include an eventual zip line course linked by canopy walk in the trees, and scuba diving in the lake. Combine that with the fishing, boating, and hiking offered here already, and you can see why it has gotten a visit in two straight years of the tour. A great way to end what has been a busy week on the road and in the parks.

A tally of the whole thing in a day or two once I return to Bowling Green. Till then…

Tags: Ashland, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, www.coryramseyoutdoors.com