Kentucky Thoroughfare

"Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves." – Euripides

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On our way to the Smokies we savored the many flavors of Kentucky

Waveland Historic Site in southwest Lexington. Museum and Harvest Host.

After a stop at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY (west of Cincinnati), we headed south

Waveland Historic Site - Lexington, KY

to Lexington and into the heart of Kentucky horse country. While the rolling fields of the white-fenced farms are readily visible from the Interstate, it's when you get off the main roads that you begin to see some amazing horse farms with beautiful southern style homes. The roads wind among well-kept lawns and miles of white fencing. The Harvest Host at the Waveland Historic Site (# wavelandhistoricsite # waveland) in southwest Lexington was our overnight stop.

Harvest Host set up at Waveland.

Waveland was the home of Daniel Boone's nephew, Daniel Boone Bryan. While the museum was closed due to our after-hours arrival, the parking lot afforded us a level site for the Wonder (#wonderrl#ltvwonderrl) in a quiet setting and plenty of grounds to explore. We were just a short drive away from Fayette Mall, which had lots of dining options. I would gladly stay here again.

Kentucky History on a Pleasant Hill

We drove southwest out of Lexington, stopping briefly in Wilmore before continuing on to The Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill (# shakervillage # pleasanthill # shaker). The amazingly restored site tells the story of the religious sect that called Pleasant Hill home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The homes serve as museum pieces, but you can also stay in the buildings to experience the simplicity and serenity of this place. The Shaker style of furniture, accessories, and craftsmanship are found throughout the village.

Tours are available, and while I wish they offered an introductory video, we were able to learn much of their legacy through items available in the gift shop as well as on placards throughout the village.

Levi Jackson State Park

Our evening's destination was Levi Jackson State Park near London (#levijacksonstatepark).

Levi Jackson State Park near London, KY

This park was typical of other Kentucky parks and conducive to a good camping experience. However, this particular area of the park had a high concentration of golf carts. It's a regular feature of this campground, and large signs spell out the rules. The carts, however, were used mainly by young teens driving about with no apparent end game in mind. Their speed, combined with constant texting, gave rise to concern about everyone's safety. One rule states you can't hold kids, yet here was a mother driving a cart holding her infant daughter, no doubt in an attempt to get her to sleep. At least she couldn't text at the time. Many of the campers appeared to be locals, and their kids were largely unsupervised and stayed out late.

Another mildly annoying feature was the over-the-top Halloween decorations displayed by campers. Many sites had multiple displays, including one where we counted over 35 separate inflatables, some spilling into areas outside their campsite. A camper looking to get back to nature would find it hard to do so in this part of the park. Should we return again, we would attempt to book at one of the "preferred" sites that seemed set apart from the area we were assigned.

Old Mill and millstone display - Levi Jackson SP

The saving feature of this park was the area set aside to showcase the old mill on a small river and a collection of various millstones used back in the day. The display told of the history and science of millstones in processing grain.

Cumberland Falls State Park

The following day, we continued our drive toward the Smokies with a stop at Cumberland Falls State Park Resort (#cumberlandfallsstatepark

Along Jennings Lanham Road to Cumberland Falls SP

#cumberlandfalls).

It's a bit of a winding road from the Interstate at Corbin, but worth the trip. We didn't camp at Cumberland but took in the falls and surrounding area. This is classic state park architecture and landscaping. The walkways are creative and allow you multiple views of the falls from

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

various angles. We spoke with an artist painting the falls, and we chatted with a junior high teacher who was taking a group of students on the annual Cumberland Falls field trip. He was glad to speak to another adult for a few moments. A special moment for us occurred as we walked along one of the sidewalks to a viewing platform. My wife of forty-four years and I were holding hands when we noticed a thirty-something woman pointing toward us and saying to her girlfriend, "That's what I want in my life."

Cumberland Falls is famous for its unique Moonbow, which can appear over a few days each month. A schedule of probable dates can be found online. As Cumberland Falls State Park is in a corridor of travel we will often use to reach points south, we expect to return to this special place as we travel Along the Pooka Trail.