Kentucky Tour
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| In September 2003 we took
off for a "date week" in the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky.
We highly recommend the tour if you enjoy hiking, waterfalls, sandstone
arches, and caves. |
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started the tour at Corbin, KY, home of Kentucy Fried Chicken. Dinner
with the Colonel tasted just like KFC anywhere. The museum was a blast,
complete with the original kitchen and a reconstructed hotel room.
And, no, he wouldn't share the secret recipe despite Ann's charms.
But he did turn very pale! (Our
KFC Photos) |
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Our
first adventure was in Cumberland
Falls State Park. The river was high because of heavy summer rains,
so the falls were even more beautiful than usual for the summer. We
missed the moonbows by a week, but we did see rainbows. As we were
leaving the park, a terrible storm front moved into the area. Hiding
from it in the gift shop was fun, but expensive. Unfortunately, we
still got drenched when we gave up and ran for the car. (Our
Cumberland Falls Photos) |
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next day we hid from the rain underground in Mammoth
Cave National Park. Luckily the mammoth wasn't there, but there
was plenty of room for him in some of the cave's rooms. The formations
were gorgeous, though other-worldly. (Our
Mammoth Cave Photos) We headed back to Sommerset, KY, so that
we could dine in a restaurant that was touted in Southern Living
magazine. After a long search we finally found it only to discover
that it wasn't open during the week. Not ones to be easily discouraged,
we found a movie. The $2 tickets for Open Range sounded like
a bargain until we realized that the screen was only slightly larger
than some large-screen televisions. We enjoyed the movie, the popcorn,
and laughing at our crazy evening adventure. |
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On
Ann's birthday we visited the Big
South Fork National Park. We hiked into Charit
Creek Lodge, dropped off our packs, and hiked off to explore the
impressive Twin Arches. The arches were formed by headward erosion
along a narrow ridge. They are considered to be the largest arches
in the Big South Fork and quite possibly in the Eastern United States.
The evenings' accomodations at the lodge were similar to that at its
sister lodge, LeConte. They do trump LeConte with hot showers, but
cannot top the mile-high views and sunsets over the Smokies. We caught
Mars shining brightly in the darkness of the hollow before we retired
to read by kerosene lamp. (Our
Charit Creek Photos) |
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The next day we hiked to Needle Arch and Slave Falls. Both were beautiful.
Needle Arch is a thin, delicate arch that was left standing alone
when the back of the rockshelter of which it was once a part eroded.
Slave Falls flowed with its spring volume because of the heavy summer
rains. It has a colorful history as a refuge for runaway slaves. The
rugged terrain made it safely inaccessible and the rock outcroppings
provided shelter. (Our Needle
Arch and Slave Falls Photos) |
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