Was That Kentucky???

Once more we left the warmth of our motel room to venture out into 40 degree, rainy weather. I probably wouldn't feel so cold if it hadn't been 89 degrees in Andersonville! But today, I relented and pulled out a heavier shirt and shoes. As I've mentioned before getting from point A to point B in this part of the country is not as easy for us as it is for the crow! So off we went westward on 11E until we met the road that would take us north to 11W which we would take west until we met 25 E which goes right into Kentucky by way of the Cumberland Gap. In actuality, we go through a tunnel which bypasses the gap. That was rather disappointing. In the 1920's a road was built right through the Gap where the people of Virginia and Tennesse traveled to the West--Kentucky! In 1940 the National Park was authorized and it was established in 1955. It was felt that the road through the Gap actually destroyed the historical aspect of the trail and so in 1996 a tunnel bypassing the Gap was opened, the original paved road was removed and from that time to this the Gap has been returned to its 1810 appearance. That is really nice except that none of the park --except the road to the Pinnacle Outlook--which I opted not to take--is open to be seen unless one hikes various lengthy trails. I suppose that recreates the Boone experience but it was a bit disappointing.

Bill has dreampt of seeing the Gap since he started reading the Louis L'Amour Sackett Saga--he says he was satisfied and I hope that is true. We took Rt 58 to Bristol,Va where we are staying and that follows the Wilderness Trail taken by Daniel Boone and others after him. We passed the site where his son James had been killed by Indians and saw the rows of hazy mountain tops that just roll one after the other almost from the sea into the beautiful valleys of Kentucky. It must have been such an adventure for those early settlers to overcome those mountains to move Westward.

Barb--we passed the road to the Clinch Mountain winery ---I have no idea how you and I came upon it--but I think we cut up this way from Knoxville and over the mountains from West to East toward I 81 and so on up through Virginia. We were going the other way this time.

Logan's Roadhouse for meatloaf and now a bit of TV and good night.