Surprises
We left Branson thinking we had two days of driving to get to Tennessee. After traveling lots of miles we overnighted at Lamberts Restaurant, where we had some great southern food for a late night dinner. When we got up the next day, expecting to head to our reserved site in the Nashville area, we realized we did not have a reservation set up for that night! So we looked at the map and found a detour into a beautiful area (Land Between the Lakes) in Kentucky and a campground which had availability for us to stay for the night, Hurricane Creek Campground.
And so we bid farewell to Missouri and set out on our unplanned Adventures on the Road!
3 minutes … 3 states
We have reached the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The great Mississippi River was the jumping off place for the caravans of wagon trains heading west, so as we crossed over this long and wide river, we have officially arrived in “the EAST”!
The Mississippi River is the Eastern boundary of Missouri. As we reached this end of the state a 100 year old cantilever bridge rose high above the river to transport us into Illinois. Almost immediately we reached another cantilever bridge on which we crossed over the Ohio River, arriving safely in Kentucky. All in under three minutes! I’m sure that must be a record, 3 minutes of travel over two bridges to cross two rivers and traverse through 3 states! (Well, maybe a record for us but not for the locals who do it all the time!) Missouri, Mississippi River, Illinois, Ohio River, Kentucky! Wait, where are we now? I’m so confused!
Kentucky, the Bluegrass State
Land Between the Lakes
National Recreation Area
Following the theme of multiple states converging at bodies of water, half of this National Recreation Area is in Tennessee and half is in Kentucky, on a peninsula between the Barkley and Kentucky Lakes. Are you confused again?
We traveled some narrow, winding, tree lined roads to arrive at our campground. We set up our trailer, detaching our truck quickly to have a chance to explore this fantastic National Recreation Area for a few hours before dark. A visitor center showed that there was much to do there but we settled on a hike and then a visit to a drive-through preserve.
Hematite Lake
Set along the shores of this lake covered with lily pads a winding trail provided a quiet hike between trees, with views of the lake and the far shore. We spotted a pair of deer crossing the trail, and we stopped to watch them while they kept a wary eye on us, before trotting away into the woods.
Elk and Bison Prairie
The Elk & Bison Prairie is a preserved area of native grassland habitat that was once common in Kentucky more than a century ago. It was the discovery of some native grasses growing here that led to this area being set aside to restore an the natural habitat. Through carefully planting native species and seasonal controlled burns the grasses began to flourish. Elk and bison were brought in to roam freely within this 700-acre preserve, as they did on our nation’s grasslands and prairies.
Visitors take a 3 mile loop drive in their own car through a valley covered in prairie grasses and woodland to view the Elk and Bison herds that are protected in this enclosure. This may be one of the last places to see what the great American Prairie looked like in its natural state.
We saw many Bull elk, as well as females and some young ones grazing in the evening twilight hour. As this is the mating season, the sounds of bugling bull elk filled the air around us. Check out the video I captured below!
Hurricane Creek Campground
As the sun set and the moon rose, we headed back to our campground and we settled in for the night. A short time later a tremendous thunderstorm also settled in above us, flashes of lightning and loud claps of thunder interrupting our sleep throughout the night. The rain was coming down hard and somehow found a way through a window frame and into our trailer, soaking a carpet and drowning Lori’s computer, which was against the wall below that one window.
In all our travels we have never had so much water leak in like that! In the morning light when we looked to see how the rain had found its way into our trailer, we were left mystified. The Window was closed and the seal around it seemed fine, yet the computer bag set against the wall had somehow captured perhaps 30 ounces of water and the carpet was completely soaked to capacity.
We tried opening the computer housing to dry it out, but it is out of commission! We won’t leave a computer below a window again!
This small corner of Kentucky has been quite beautiful. It would be a fun state to do more exploring in, but we are heading on to our planned “Adventures on the Road” and our route through Tennessee.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
-Proverbs 3:5-6
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