Ballard
Co. (2004)
Wickliffe. From
Cairo, the bridge to Wickliffe seems miles long. It crosses endless bayous and deposits
you on semi-dry land in Wickliffe, home of the Wickliffe Mounds (a major Amerind mound
system like in Cahokia and Aztalan.) I did not see the mounds and the town kind of gave me
the creeps, although it was quite verdant.
Simpson Co. (2004)
Franklin. I never
saw the town but did visit a peculiar yet stereotypical gas station that sold "Proud
to be a Reb" shot glasses and had a cashier who I couldn't understand with the name
Bobbie Jo tatooed on her neck. Everyone inside seemed to know each other.
Warren Co. (2004)
Passed through along I-65
on the way home from Nashville. Bowling Green.
Edmondson Co. (2004)
Mammoth Cave NP. The
day I visited was about the hottest I could have ever imagined. You figure its because of
your closeness to the equater or something... so I decided to stop at Mammoth Cave. The
woods around the cave are impressive old hardwood and the trees here reach their full
potential. The cave, although packed with tourists from around the world, was such a cool
rest. It grows quite dark as one descends and it would be a lot more fun without all the
railings and tour guides, but such is life. There are a few Wisconsin Dells type tourist
trap towns with go cart tracks on the way back to I-65.
.Green
Co. (2004)
Passed through along I-65
on the way home from Nashville.
Larue Co. (2004)
The birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.
Here the Interstate is set among beautiful, green hills. I was not able to stop and see
the site where he was supposedly born, but I read somewhere the log cabin is a phony
anyway. I bought a postcard and filled up with gas before heading out.
Hardin Co. (2004)
Passed through along I-65 on the
way home from Nashville. The forested hills dominate the landscape on either side of the
road. It feels like you are rolling down an alley. Fort Knox.
Poweshiek Co. (1992)
Passed through in the night
as part of a detour around the flooded Mississippi River on the way home from a K.C.
family reunion.
Hardin Co. (2004)
Passed tthrough along I-65 on the
way home from Nashville. The forested hills dominate the landscape on either side of the
road. It feels like you are rolling down an alley. Fort Knox.
Bullitt Co. (2004)
Passed through along I-65
on the way home from Nashville.
Jefferson Co. (2004)
Louisville. This
classic Midwestern-looking city was quite different than I expected. I did not expect it
to have so large a skyline, but it is after all the birthplace of Muhammed Ali
and one of the first major league baseball teams. I guess, in Chicago, Louisville is not
given much thought. It might be an interesting place to explore further. The Indiana side
of the Ohio River was heavily industrialized and a bit "lived in."
McCracken Co. (2004)
Paducah. This
small city was actually very nice. I will no longer use the word "Paducah" to
mean "the sticks," although it was quite isolated. The Ohio riverfront is
accessible and very busy here. I enjoyed watching the barges make their way east and west.
Paducah's inland port is second only to Duluth's in busy-ness. The town was clean and
pleasant as were the native Paducans. The people from Paducah had unique, clean Southern
accents and were all very attractive (as a group), if I may lump them together. The malls
were full of John Deere propaganda. I slept on the outskirts one night in the fall of
2004.
Marshall Co. (2004)
Passed through on the way
to LBL from Paducah.
Lyon Co. (2004)
Lake City. You
can drive across the historic TVA dam just west of here. This dam was part of FDR's New
Deal and brought electricity to the area, creating the Land Between the Lakes. The lakes
are the dammd up portions of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers called Lake Barkley
(named for Paducah's most famous citizen, Vice-President Barkley) and Kentucky Lake. Grand
Rivers. Driving down The Trace you pass through this small town and I suggest
buying gas here. The station was not well equipped and smelled like night-crawlers might
smell (if they smelled.) LBL NRA. The Land Between the Lakes was created
when the TVA dam was built. All that is left of the towns that once stood under the flood
plain are cemeteries in the woods and under the lake. The area contains wooded hills and
prairie. Driving down The Trace is quite enjoyable, especially if one takes a look at the
buffalo and elk in their acres of habitat near Golden Pond. Listening to the sounds of the
buffalo grunting and elk crying brought me back to what it must have been like before we
tamed the Midwestern landscape.
Kenton Co. (3/2005)
Newport. Driving
over the Ohio, I was met by the tall levee much like the one that guards Paducah. It was
late and there was no one around so I parked on the river bank and walked up to the
Newport market, an outdoor shopping mall and aquarium. The market was lit by the colorful
Cincinnati skyline and the Purple People Bridge. I found the next day that Newport is a
lot like Niagara Falls, ON. If you go one or two blocks from the main tourist area, the
neighborhood takes on a more desperate character. Covington. Seemed like
a nice place to bet on horses and buy gas. I was happy to see a place so alive and real
after being in the carefully planned Newport, although some might find this side of the
Licking River depressing.
Boone Co. (3/2005)
Passed through this
suburban county on the way to Knoxville from Cincy. Florence. A water
tower along the Interstate says it all: "Florence, y'all!"
Grant Co. (3/2005)
Passed through along I-75
on the way to Knoxville from Cincy.
Scott Co. (3/2005)
Passed through along I-75
on the way to Knoxville from Cincy.
Fayette Co. (3/2005)
Passed through this
suburban county on the way to Knoxville from Cincy. Lexington. The
headquarters of Southern aristocracy. Passed through this hometown of Mary Todd Lincoln
and Henry Clay.
Clark Co. (3/2005)
Passed through along I-75
on the way to Knoxville from Cincy. Should have stopped at historic Boonesboro, but
didn't.
Rockcastle Co. (3/2005)
Passed through along I-75
on the way to Knoxville from Cincy.
Laurel Co. (3/2005)
London. Surrounded
by the wooded hills of Boone NF, this run-down town was probably the most stereotypical
Southern place I have ever been. We went to the thrift store where I saw banjos and
countless knives for sale. Everything in town seemed to be for sale. Stands for flea
markets lined the road and people were selling all sorts of animals. I have seen this sort
of thing happen in Wheatfield, IN, on some summer days.
Whitley Co. (3/2005)
Corbin. The home
of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken so, of course, I planned a visit. Too bad the
Colonel had to sell out.
Bell Co. (4/2005)
Middlesboro. This
strip-mall filled city claims to be in the middle of a crater. The tunnel that runs
beneath the historic Cumberland Gap, where Boone and friends crossed into the West to
start the Revolutionary War, was a rather impressive structure. Pineville. This
is a very picturesque town surrounded by high ridges, falls, and mountains. It is the last
of the true Appalachian towns as you head northwest on US-25E. Meldrum. Ferndale.
Knox Co. (4/2005)
Passed through along US-25E
on the way home from Cumberland Gap. Flat Lick. Barbourville.
Woodford Co. (4/2005)
Passed through along I-64
on the way home from Cumberland Gap.
Franklin Co. (4/2005)
Frankfurt. Why
did this town change its name from Frank's Ford? Climbed the hill overlooking the capital
building and the entire city to visit the grave of Daniel Boone. This grave is different
from the other Boone grave I have heard of because this one is really his final
resting place (for now.) Bridgeport.
Shelby Co. (4/2005)
Passed miles of horse
ranches and bluegrass country along US-60. Shelbyville. Simpsonville. Is
this where Homer lives? |
