As I write this we are on I75 southbound, heading to Heiskell, Tennessee. That's our first stop on our way to Winterville, NC. We've got three days of travel ahead of us. Our stop in Heiskell will be at the Raccoon Valley Escapees Park and then we'll travel until we (read Randy!) gets tired and we'll stop at a truck stop for an overnight. Sunday we'll arrive at Dan & Debbie's house sometime in the afternoon. Three days is about the limit on the number of consecutive travel days Randy likes to do.
Now I need to give you a recap of our week in Kentucky. On Monday we ventured into Covington which sits on the Ohio River just across from Cincinnati, Ohio. There is a riverwalk along the Ohio with several statues of people who made an impact in this area. There are also lots of gorgeous historic homes along the walk. Randy & I really enjoy these walking tours; you get to know so much about an area when you just stroll along its streets and read about its history.
A couple of things to note about this historic district. First the bridge that connects Covington, KY and Cincinnati, OH is a suspension bridge that was a precursor to the Brooklyn Bridge. J.A. Roebling designed both of these bridges. 
You'll also find the boyhood home of Daniel Carter Beard here.
Beard is credited with the founding of the modern Boy Scouts of America. He formed "Sons of Daniel Boone" to work with inner city boys and this organization merged with others to become the BSA. You can see pictures of the other statues and homes on our picture website.
Tuesday and Wednesday we spent at the cabin of a friend of Ray & Judy's. Ray & Judy have carte blanche use of this cabin, which is very cool for them. It sits on Elmer Davis Lake, nestled among hickory and cedar trees. It is a very peaceful setting. We really didn't do much that was different than we would do at home, but being in that environment made it feel different.
Backyard view from the cabin
While there, we did visit a local winery, Elk Creek Vineyards. There was no tour scheduled, but they have a small cafe there with very good food. We sat outside overlooking some of the vineyard, enjoying good friends and beautiful weather. We even bought a couple bottles of wine!
Thursday was another slow day. I got up and went to Curves, for the second time this week. Randy rode along with me so he could fuel up while we were out and about. Got diesel at Flying J for only $3.84/gallon! Isn't it sad when that price gets you excited?? :)
Back at the park, we stopped at the visitor's center where there is a display of life in this area back before the Ice Age. If you're interested in the history of Big Bone Lick State Park, click here. Apparently the name comes from the mammoths, mastadons, and other animals that called this home at one time. There is a replica of the different animals whose bones have been found in the park by archeologists and explanations of the way they were lost due to the changing of the environment. Interesting.
After that, we walked along a trail looking for the bison that are kept in the park. We found them as well as three deer who were foraging in the woods. There's just something about being able to watch wildlife, don't know why it's so fascinating, but it is to me.
Well, that kinda sums up our week in Kentucky. Nothing exciting, but we were so glad to get to spend time with Ray & Judy. We don't get to see the often, but it's always a pleasure when we do. We plan to stop here again next June on our way back from our trip out west.And a couple of random pictures. The first is of some cows we passed on our way to the cabin. Is this where Oreos come from?????
And we introduced Ray & Judy to our favorite ice cream place, Bruster's! 
Tennessee, here we come! Until the next time . . .
Travel safely! Good to see you back online!
ReplyDeleteBTW- I told Danielle that I noticed WV is not colored in on your map. She said you could come park in her driveway and spend the night, that way there wouldn't be a big white void in your map!