Fall Camping in Land Between the Lakes

Fall Camping in Land Between the Lakes

    Every year we meet up with my parents, our best friend, Nick, and his daughter. Sam, for a Fall camping trip. This year we selected Land Between the Lakes and carefully chose our weekend for an overnight trip.  My husband, Donald, and I even went the weekend before and scouted back country camping sites, picking several in case others had the same idea. 

   Finally the weekend arrived but life started interfering with our plans. Issues arose that didn't allow Sam to come and more still that would prevent Nick from joining us until much later in the day. Alternative plans were made and directions given with a plan to text which site we ended up at. 

More life happened and my Dad started feeling a bit ill. Okay no problem, just a little under the weather but reason enough for him to stay out of the chilly air. My Mom opted out also but we resolved to continue on, minus the canoe we had already loaded into the truck. Once we had conducted what felt like a fire drill on loading and unloading the canoe I decided to call my Mom back. We changed our plans again this time requiring my Mom to load up her Chevy Cruze with all her camping gear plus my 13 year old cousin, Ira, who had started living with them and meeting us at our home.  My Dad just had a brake line repaired on the truck and wasn't comfortable letting Mom take off with it.

    Once she arrived Saturday morning we transferred all of Mom's gear into our extended cab Chevy and headed off into Land Between the Lakes. Checking the events listing we noted a race in Grand Rivers and opted to enter through the South end. Making our way down Highway 68 we reached Aurora where everyone was setting up for the annual fall festival, Aurorafest. Everything seemed to be working against us but we pressed on through the throngs of people and traffic.

    We stopped at the Golden Pond Visitor's Center for our back country camping permits and was again foiled by the fact they didn't sell fishing licenses. Plan modified once more, luckily my husband already had his and Ira was young enough not to require them so my Mom and I decided not to drive back out to Grand Rivers or Aurora to get ours. 

   Driving North on The Woodlands Trace we finally turned onto Old Ferry Road where we made our way towards the shores of Lake Barkley. Another turn after several miles had us bobbing down a rough, mostly gravel road till the lake was visible through the trees. It also quickly became visible our first pick for a back country campsite was taken. 

  We lumbered through a three point turn on the narrow road and headed back the way we had came. As luck would have it, our second pick was just a few miles away so we wheeled back on the blacktop of Old Ferry Road and deeper into Land Between the Lakes. Navigating several turns we were back on gravel and several minutes later we arrived at the second site to find it unoccupied. 

  Ira had never been camping, he had "camped" in a friends back yard but had never been on a real camping trip. We were all excited to have the honor of taking him on his first trip and quickly set about laying down the rules.

   #1 No playing, no fishing, no laying around, etc till camp was set up. That means tents, fire pit, back country bathroom, and firewood collection all had to be done first. 

  #2 No whining or complaining, either will just earn you a hard way to go. 

  #3 Do not light the camp fire till closer to dark to conserve wood for the much cooler night.

  #4 Once you think you have enough firewood, go gather 3 times more. 

 We set about to erecting camp on a small grassy area adjacent to the lake shore and in front of a dry inlet. The lakes had already been dropped to Winter pool by Tennessee Valley Authority and added to that Kentucky was in a bit of a drought. The lake shore here was muddy but firm enough in most areas to tread upon without sinking. It would do for fishing and that's exactly what Ira and Donald started doing once camp was completed. 

  My Mom and I set about putting the finishing touches on camp, organizing things, lighting Citronella candles to fend off the flies, and clearing away leaves from around the fire pit we had constructed. We spent the next several hours in camp fishing, milling about, and enjoying the beautiful Fall day we had been granted.

  Someone, who shall remain nameless.....Mom, forgot her camp stove. I always try to bring a grate and as it happens it had been remembered this trip. When the time was right we started the camp fire then by using some large stones placed around it to form the pit with another smaller stone on the outside to trap the coals I made a campfire stove. Mom had been gracious enough to prepare homemade Beef stew in advance so all that was required was reheating. 

  After I doled out heaping bowls of steaming Beef stew with the sun getting low in the sky, Nick pulled into camp. We finished our meal before Donald began to help Nick set up his tent while the remainder of us piled into the truck and headed to the Elk and Bison Prairie.  Not only had Ira not been camping but he had never seen Elk or Bison. There had been talk of a field trip at his school in Southern Illinois but nothing ever came of it so we made our own field trip. 

  The prairie had a line of cars waiting to enter, as usual in the Fall when the Elk are in rut and Ira speculated if we would get to see any. I let him know they animals were used to limited human interaction, such as vehicles and being in vehicles. He read the warning signs aloud as we took our turn entering the large motion sensor gate and over the metal grate that prevents the Elk and Bison from escaping. 

  We were immediately greeted with a large bull resting off the road several yards. Further on we heard a large bull Elk bugle and spied yet another in the tall dry grasses of the prairie just 40 yards off the the little one way road. Many people passed right on by, not noticing as the bulls natural colors camouflaged him. We pulled off the road, onto the shoulder so we could watch him for a bit and take a few pictures. 

  Continuing on we came to a full on Bison back up, along both sides of the road and meandering across it in places Bison were everywhere. We took full advantage of the back up, snapping pictures, taking a live Facebook video and watching young calves feed. Finally the Bison moved enough so the vehicles could start moving themselves, stopping every now and again to let another Bison cross the road. 

   Elk could be randomly spotted standing on the top of a ridge or grazing in open prairie, every now again you could hear the large bull calling somewhere off in the distance. Nearing the back side of the prairie, after a dry creek crossing, there were several cow Elk milling about just yards off the road with one even coming right up to the informative exhibit. 

  Ira had such an amazing time on the first trip around he wanted to circle the prairie again, so we did. This time the Bison had worked themselves into a field and off the road except a few who lingered behind wallowing in dirt, kicking up dust. 

 Making our way by them we once again spied a few Elk dotting the prairie but this time on the backside the large bull was visible, standing high on a ridge overlooking his heard and bugling on occasion as if to gather them up as darkness began to descend upon them. 

As we made our way towards the exit we once more encountered the Bison herd making their way across the road again back towards the more forested area of the prairie. A text came across my phone so I took advantage of the stoppage only to see it was from Donald. He was informing I had his back country permit in my wallet. I quickly realized he wouldn't be legal if checked without me there. I immediately responded with an "OMW". We ended our field trip and as we headed back toward the gates we passed the Wildlife official coming to close the prairie down. 

  As darkness descended I hightailed it back North to our campsite arriving to find that thankfully no Wildlife official had been by. We sat around the fire as the chilly night settled in around us and begun a bit of telling ghost stories of sorts. Ira wasn't very keen on it so we kept the stories to local lore of the area and interestingly enough a pack of coyotes began to howl shortly afterward. 

  Throughout the evening the coyotes would call out, one pack to our West and another to the East, talking back and forth on occasion.  Donald, Nick, and I had never heard coyotes in Land Between the Lakes in the numbers we heard them that night. I had scarcely seen or heard one since moving to Kentucky nearly 20 years previous. They were of no concern to us even with our little pup, Kennedy with us. Nearing bed time the coyotes started their revelry with the East pack sounding very close to camp. We still paid no mind, Kennedy thought about barking back at them and then thought better of it. 

  Donald, Kennedy, and I took ourselves to bed in our tent with my Mom turning into her tent not shortly after. Ira and Nick stayed up for some time talking around the campfire then trying some night fishing to no avail. Finally after some time they turned in for the night and the camp was quiet. 

  I don't know about you but even with an air mattress I don't sleep well when camping. I wake up periodically throughout the night before falling back to sleep and repeating the cycle. During one of these awake periods I could tell Donald wasn't asleep either but said nothing. I just laid there listening to the soft snores coming form the tents around me when suddenly I heard something walking in the woods behind the tents. It was a steady, four legged gait just beyond the dry wash. The sound of leaves crunching steadily through the forest until it stopped just quickly as it started. I knew it had entered the wash behind the tents and whispered to Donald to confirm he heard it as well. Moments later it could be heard entering camp from along the lake shore, crunching on the leaves that were scattered about behind our camp chairs. The sound of a grocery bag rustling, a bag Ira had left lying next to his chair, it rustled only for a few seconds before the sound ceased.  The animal then made it's way out of camp exiting towards the West and I made my way back to sleep. 

  The next morning I made a bathroom call while Donald scouted the lake shore for tracks and he found paw prints, the tracks of a coyote. The pack had sent in a scout in once camp had been quiet for some time, finding nothing, they had left us alone the remainder of the night. 

  We took some time to rebuild the fire and warm up before Nick had to break down his tent and bail off back into life. The rest of us set about to some morning fishing, breaking camp and cooking a breakfast of sausage links and flap jacks. Our bellies tamed we finished tearing down camp, packing everything up and headed out of Land Between the Lakes. 

  Ira had such a wonderful time on his first camping trip he's ready for another. I'm so glad we pressed on despite everything. There were so many obstacles to overcome and so many times we had to change our plans but again we have learned you just have to roll with things or they will knock you off course. In the end we had an amazing time camping, enjoying each others company, the wildlife and being in nature.

Remember, Adventure Awaits!!

 

Fall Camping in Land Between the Lakes

Fall Camping in Land Between the Lakes

    Every year we meet up with my parents, our best friend, Nick, and his daughter. Sam, for a Fall camping trip. This year we selected Land Between the Lakes and carefully chose our weekend for an overnight trip.  My husband, Donald, and I even went the weekend before and scouted back country camping sites, picking several in case others had the same idea. 

   Finally the weekend arrived but life started interfering with our plans. Issues arose that didn't allow Sam to come and more still that would prevent Nick from joining us until much later in the day. Alternative plans were made and directions given with a plan to text which site we ended up at. 

More life happened and my Dad started feeling a bit ill. Okay no problem, just a little under the weather but reason enough for him to stay out of the chilly air. My Mom opted out also but we resolved to continue on but minus the canoe we had already loaded into the truck. Once we had conducted what felt like a fire drill on loading and unloading the canoe I decided to call my Mom back. We changed our plans again this time requiring my Mom to load up her Chevy Cruze with all her camping gear plus my 13 year old cousin, Ira, who had started living with them and meeting us at our home.  My Dad just had a brake line repaired on the truck and wasn't comfortable letting Mom take off with it.

    Once she arrived Saturday morning we transferred all of Mom's gear into our extended cab Chevy and headed off into Land Between the Lakes. Checking the events listing we noted a race in Grand Rivers and opted to enter through the South end. Making our way down Highway 68 we reached Aurora where everyone was setting up for the annual fall festival, Aurorafest. Everything seemed to be working against us but we pressed on through the throngs of people and traffic.

    We stopped at the Golden Pond Visitor's Center for our back country camping permits and was again foiled by the fact they didn't sell fishing licenses. Plan modified once more, luckily my husband already had his and Ira was young enough not to require them so my Mom and I decided not to drive back out to Grand Rivers or Aurora to get ours. 

   Driving North on The Woodlands Trace we finally turned onto Old Ferry Road where we made our way towards the shores of Lake Barkley. Another turn after several miles had us bobbing down a rough, mostly gravel road till the lake was visible through the trees. It also quickly became visible our first pick for a back country campsite was taken. 

  We lumbered through a three point turn on the narrow road and headed back the way we had came. As luck would have it, our second pick was just a few miles away so we wheeled back on the blacktop of Old Ferry Road and deeper into Land Between the Lakes. Navigating several turns we were back on gravel and several minutes later we arrived at the second site to find it unoccupied. 

  Ira had never been camping, he had "camped" in a friends back yard but had never been on a real camping trip. We were all excited to have the honor of taking him on his first trip and quickly set about laying down the rules.

   #1 No playing, no fishing, no laying around, etc till camp was set up. That means tents, fire pit, back country bathroom, and firewood collection all had to be done first. 

  #2 No whining or complaining, either will just earn you a hard way to go. 

  #3 Do not light the camp fire till closer to dark to conserve wood for the much cooler night.

  #4 Once you think you have enough firewood, go gather 3 times more. 

 We set about to erecting camp on a small grassy area adjacent to the lake shore and in front of a dry inlet. The lakes had already been dropped to Winter pool by Tennessee Valley Authority and added to that Kentucky was in a bit of a drought. The lake shore here was muddy but firm enough in most areas to tread upon without sinking. It would do for fishing and that's exactly what Ira and Donald started doing once camp was completed. 

  My Mom and I set about putting the finishing touches on camp, organizing things, lighting Citronella candles to fend off the flies, and clearing away leaves from around the fire pit we had constructed. We spent the next several hours in camp fishing, milling about, and enjoying the beautiful Fall day we had been granted.

  Someone, who shall remain nameless.....Mom, forgot her camp stove. I always try to bring a grate and as it happens it had been remembered this trip. When the time was right we started the camp fire then by using some large stones placed around it to form the pit with another smaller stone on the outside to trap the coals I made a campfire stove. Mom had been gracious enough to prepare homemade Beef stew in advance so all that was required was reheating. 

  After I doled out heaping bowls of steaming Beef stew with the sun getting low in the sky, Nick pulled into camp. We finished our meal before Donald began to help Nick set up his tent while the remainder of us piled into the truck and headed to the Elk and Bison Prairie.  Not only had Ira not been camping but he had never seen Elk or Bison. There had been talk of a field trip at his school in Southern Illinois but nothing ever came of it so we made our own field trip. 

  The prairie had a line of cars waiting to enter, as usual in the Fall when the Elk are in rut and Ira speculated if we would get to see any. I let him know they animals were used to limited human interaction, such as vehicles and being in vehicles. He read the warning signs aloud as we took our turn entering the large motion sensor gate and over the metal grate that prevents the Elk and Bison from escaping. 

  We were immediately greeted with a large bull resting off the road several yards. Further on we heard a large bull Elk bugle and spied yet another in the tall dry grasses of the prairie just 40 yards off the the little one way road. Many people passed right on by, not noticing as the bulls natural colors camouflaged him. We pulled off the road, onto the shoulder so we could watch him for a bit and take a few pictures. 

  Continuing on we came to a full on Bison back up, along both sides of the road and meandering across it in places Bison were everywhere. We took full advantage of the back up, snapping pictures, taking a live Facebook video and watching young calves feed. Finally the Bison moved enough so the vehicles could start moving themselves, stopping every now and again to let another Bison cross the road. 

   Elk could be randomly spotted standing on the top of a ridge or grazing in open prairie, every now again you could hear the large bull calling somewhere off in the distance. Nearing the back side of the prairie, after a dry creek crossing, there were several cow Elk milling about just yards off the road with one even coming right up to the informative exhibit. 

  Ira had such an amazing time on the first trip around he wanted to circle the prairie again, so we did. This time the Bison had worked themselves into a field and off the road except a few who lingered behind wallowing in dirt, kicking up dust. 

 Making our way by them we once again spied a few Elk dotting the prairie but this time on the backside the large bull was visible, standing high on a ridge overlooking his heard and bugling on occasion as if to gather them up as darkness began to descend upon them. 

As we made our way towards the exit we once more encountered the Bison herd making their way across the road again back towards the more forested area of the prairie. A text came across my phone so I took advantage of the stoppage only to see it was from Donald. He was informing I had his back country permit in my wallet. I quickly realized he wouldn't be legal if checked without me there. I immediately responded with an "OMW". We ended our field trip and as we headed back toward the gates we passed the Wildlife official coming to close the prairie down. 

  As darkness descended I hightailed it back North to our campsite arriving to find that thankfully no Wildlife official had been by. We sat around the fire as the chilly night settled in around us and begun a bit of telling ghost stories of sorts. Ira wasn't very keen on it so we kept the stories to local lore of the area and interestingly enough a pack of coyotes began to howl shortly afterward. 

  Throughout the evening the coyotes would call out, one pack to our West and another to the East, talking back and forth on occasion.  Donald, Nick, and I had never heard coyotes in Land Between the Lakes in the numbers we heard them that night. I had scarcely seen or heard one since moving to Kentucky nearly 20 years previous. They were of no concern to us even with our little pup, Kennedy with us. Nearing bed time the coyotes started their revelry with the East pack sounding very close to camp. We still paid no mind, Kennedy thought about barking back at them and then thought better of it. 

  Donald, Kennedy, and I took ourselves to bed in our tent with my Mom turning into her tent not shortly after. Ira and Nick stayed up for some time talking around the campfire then trying some night fishing to no avail. Finally after some time they turned in for the night and the camp was quiet. 

  I don't know about you but even with an air mattress I don't sleep well when camping. I wake up periodically throughout the night before falling back to sleep and repeating the cycle. During one of these awake periods I could tell Donald wasn't asleep either but said nothing. I just laid there listening to the soft snores coming form the tents around me when suddenly I heard something walking in the woods behind the tents. It was a steady, four legged gait just beyond the dry wash. The sound of leaves crunching steadily through the forest until it stopped just quickly as it started. I knew it had entered the wash behind the tents and whispered to Donald to confirm he heard it as well. Moments later it could be heard entering camp from along the lake shore, crunching on the leaves that were scattered about behind our camp chairs. The sound of a grocery bag rustling, a bag Ira had left lying next to his chair, it rustled only for a few seconds before the sound ceased.  The animal then made it's way out of camp exiting towards the West and I made my way back to sleep. 

  The next morning I made a bathroom call while Donald scouted the lake shore for tracks and he found paw prints, the tracks of a coyote. The pack had sent in a scout in once camp had been quiet for some time, finding nothing, they had left us alone the remainder of the night. 

  We took some time to rebuild the fire and warm up before Nick had to break down his tent and bail off back into life. The rest of us set about to some morning fishing, breaking camp and cooking a breakfast of sausage links and flap jacks. Our bellies tamed we finished tearing down camp, packing everything up and headed out of Land Between the Lakes. 

  Ira had such a wonderful time on his first camping trip he's ready for another. I'm so glad we pressed on despite everything. There were so many obstacles to overcome and so many times we had to change our plans but again we have learned you just have to roll with things or they will knock you off course. In the end we had an amazing time camping, enjoying each others company, the wildlife and being in nature.

Remember, Adventure Awaits!!

 

Hematite Lake Trail, Land Between the Lakes

  Another beautiful early Fall weekend in Kentucky and of course we just had to hit the trails. This time we selected an old favorite, once again we hadn't visited in some time. July had proven to be a very wet month, mainly around the Fourth of July weekend with Land Between the Lakes receiving a whopping 17 inches. As you can imagine the area had a lot of damage, from culverts and roads being washed out to flooding at The 1850's Homeplace. The US Forestry Service faced a ton of work and still does. Once we checked the alerts page for Land Between the Lakes and noted Hematite Lake Trail was not listed, we took this as repairs had been made and all was fine.
  We woke up before dawn, sucked down a cup of coffee, loaded our gear, and of course Kennedy. The drive only took us around 30 minutes and we wheeled toward the Woodland Nature Station. Donald, my husband, had decided to drive his truck, giving me a rest from behind the wheel. The temps were cool but not too cool, just right for hiking. Leaving the Trace and turning onto Mulberry Flat Road we knew to keep our eyes peeled for the Fallow Deer  herd. As luck would have it, we spied them at the trail head of the Center Iron Furnace Trail. Five of them milled about feeding off the wet grass, one I noted to be mainly white in color and watching for just a few minutes two fawns began to suckle from her. Magical was the only way to describe the scene and I felt privileged to witness it.

After taking a moment to take in the scene of the Fallow Deer we turned and headed past the remains of the Center Iron Furnace and into the Hematite Lake Recreation Area. We parked the truck near the creek that connects Hematite Lake to Honker Lake. As we headed down the remaining gravel lot we noted a sign on the vault toilet stating the boardwalk was damaged and that you may need to turn around on the trail. We figured we'd take it as it comes, as we usually do and headed across the spillway on the concrete stepping stones.
Walking across the mowed grass of the levy wall with the breeze blowing up off the lake felt amazing. We had a little startle from some Turkey Vultures roosting in the bottom lands between the levy and the road before we finally made our way into the woods on the far side of Hematite Lake.
The trail is packed dirt beyond this point, and follows the lake shore along gently rolling hills. The views were stunning from this side of the little lake, the leaves just starting to turn on some of trees with their reflections visible on the lakes surface.
We made our way past the area of the old observation deck, now gone, removed from lack of maintenance and not replaced. It was disappointing but expected. I have a difficult time understanding the US Forestry Services approach towards managing Land Between the Lakes. Little gems like Hematite Lake, close to the Nature Station, were left to fall into disrepair long before the monumental rainfall of July, while the Forestry Service spent time and money working to develop new areas. I suppose money is granted to them but with terms on how it must be spent. I would probably end up with a headache trying to figure it out.
As we turned to follow the trail along the backside of Hematite Lake the area becomes bottom land. Several dry creek beds fed into the lake, snaking their way down the hills and providing an avenue for run off during rains. Small wooden bridges carried us over these creek beds and we found the trail snaking around downed trees. Toppled over from ground saturation and winds, their massive root balls now exposed and turned up.
Finally we came upon the boardwalk that carriers hikers over swampy, muddy terrain. Late Summer and early Fall had been quite dry here in West Kentucky so despite the level of disrepair along the boardwalk we decided to press on, seeing just how far one could traverse. The boardwalk was uneven, warped in places and in other places missing all together. These spots where the boardwalk was missing had logs scattered in them providing path above the muddy ground. Thankfully the larger bridges that carry hikers over the bigger streams that still held water were intact and in fair shape.

We did find the boardwalk that juts out onto a small peninsula as a small observation area was in worse shape than we wanted to attempt to walk on so we turned back onto the main trail again.
The trail turns slightly, sticking to the shore of the lake and here we found the boardwalk and bridge to be in shoddy shape. Traversing the bridge was questionable at best, the main support beam under the foot boards clearly rotting. We stuck to the sides, walking several feet apart to disperse the weight. Further up more sections of boardwalk were missing, one having more logs to cross upon and another required a bit of a jump to cross which I had to make carrying Kennedy as he refused to get his paws wet and muddy.
Kennedy struggled on some sections, trying to pay attention to what was in the woods and along the shore instead of wear he was putting his little paws. His legs would slip down through the planks on the sections with wide spacing. I carried him for several feet and he was quite content as I did. Finally reaching a section with closer spaced planks, I set him back down and we continued on.
  After reaching the end of the boardwalk the trail turns away from the shore a bit and uphill into the forest. Here we found the forest open and not overgrown, allowing for a clear line of site through it.
Rock outcroppings appeared along the edges of the trail and there were now larger stones in the path to trip you up if you weren't careful. The lake still visible peering through the mostly green leaves.
We made our way along until the trail turned downhill again, back toward the lake shore. Here the trail was relatively flat and even ground again, making for a easy section but again it turned uphill and into the forest once more. As we descended the hillside a small observation area sat just off trail, overlooking the lake. It was overgrown with high bushes and tree branches blocking most of the view.
  Back on flat ground we could hear a vehicle on the road off in the distance and knew we were closing in on the end of the trail. I was glad to see the gravel for the drive and parking lot again. I wasn't near as spent as I had been after previous trails but I had housework to catch up on before returning to work the next day. My Keen's hadn't hurt my feet this time either, seeming to have finally be broken in properly after a few miles.
  It was nice to take a hike that seemed more like a stroll in the cool breeze of early Fall and I still hold out hope the Forestry Service will find the funds or time to repair the trail at Hematite Lake which with current detours in place is 2.4 miles long according to Map My Hike.
  Remember don't let your initial impressions stop you, if we had we wouldn't have hiked the entire trail. By taking all the factors into consideration; weighing the level of risk, noting weather conditions and being alert to issues we were able to safely traverse the entire trail without problems.

Adventure Awaits!!

Elk & Bison Prairie, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area

Bull Elk grazing on the prairie

Elk & Bison Prairie, Land Between the Lakes

Another great attraction at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) is the Elk & Bison Prairie. Located near the southern end of the 170,00 acre land peninsula, near the Golden Pond Visitor's Center and Highway 68/80 interchange, sits this fenced prairie of 700 acres. A small fee of $5 per vehicle is charged for entrance, no motorcycles allowed, and  bus rates are available. 

Bull Elk and Cow resting 

Bull Elk 

Drive a 3.5 mile loop through the prairie, look and listen for the wildlife. Elk & Bison can be hard to spot and are not always near the road, although I've had to drive through the Bison herd on more than one occasion. It does give you the close up experience you think you want but when the adolescents started to play I became nervous, it wouldn't take much from one to total a Malibu. The Bison didn't care about rules of the road and headed the wrong way down the one way loop, I breathed a sigh of relief as I headed the correct way and out of the herd. 

Once further down the loop we spotted the Elk herd, nestled on a hillside. We pulled to the side, leaving room for other cars to pass, and watched the herd before they moved off toward another area of the prairie. We continued on the loop hoping to catch them as they emerged on the other side of the wooded area in the loop center but we encountered the Bison again. Once again I had to pick my way through them, dodging around one and then another two. Finally I had gotten through the herd but for one and he stood directly in my path. There was no going around, he stood directly in the middle of the road, and just stared at my car as if going around was to much effort. I sat and waited patiently, the Bison waited as well and we were at a standoff. Several minutes passed before the thing relented his course and gave me the right of way. 

Bison mulling about

A young Bison scratches himself on an informational
plaque stand on the prairie

There are informative areas, as pictured above, but it is against the law to approach them when wildlife is near, any animal when threatened or scared can be dangerous if not deadly.

 Many people may not be aware that the herd here in Land Between the Lakes was used to repopulate The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and now visitors there can see Elk roaming free. I myself had the pleasure of stopping for the herd to cross the main highway in Cherokee, N.C. When we stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center we were asked by the Ranger on duty where we lived and when told he asked if we had come to check on our Elk with a chuckle. I have a great love for both places and now they are connected, hopefully forever.

Wild Turkeys roam the prairie

When driving through the prairie Elk & Bison won't be all you find. Turkey abound in LBL and the prairie is no exception, large flocks can be seen pecking their way through the tall grass. Birds of every kind can be found and an occasional Eagle maybe seen flying above. 

When you explore Kentucky and the Elk & Bison Prairie I advised you to stick to all laws and recommendations. They are in place to protect the public and the wildlife. We must have respect for both nature and the laws of man.

Happy Exploring and Hiking!

Girl's Canoe Day, Lake Barkley, Kentucky

Me and my bestie Nikki

 Girl's Canoe Day

I had told my girlfriend, Nikki, how relaxing and enjoyable I found canoeing. Being an outdoor loving lady also she wanted to go and have a girl's day. We planned for a month for her to meet me near my home early one morning so we could go paddling in a bay on Lake Barkley. 

I made sure Nikki brought everything needed for an enjoyable outing, sandals that can get wet and be comfortable as well as a light jacket for the early morning chill. 

Canoe locked and loaded

I was a bit nervous about taking the husbands truck with the canoe loaded onto the bed extender but then I remembered I could handle such things, that I wasn't a puss, and got my confidence back. Off I went to meet Nikki and get Girl's Canoe Day underway! 

We launched the canoe in one of my favorite bays and began paddling along the shore. The day was beautiful, full sun, only a few cotton ball type clouds, and a slight chill hung in the early Fall air. We soon warmed up enough to remove our jackets and bask in the warmth of the day.

Beautiful day to be on the water!

Enjoying the day

Paddling around the bay for a bit we decided to pull up on shore, stretch our legs, and get off our bottoms for a minute. I love my Sarnac XL but Old Town needs to add more padding on the molded seats. After only an hour or so your but starts to get a bit restless and yes, sore. We found a good spot to pull up, or at least we thought it was a good spot. The bank was gently sloped down to the waters edge but it was muddy and not sandy or rocky like a lot of places. No big deal, we stood on the bank talking girl talk and had a couple deer run up on us before changing directions once they noticed our presence, and ran off over the ridge behind us. 

Once we were stretched and rehydrated we began maneuvering the canoe along the bank to get back in and relaunch. My feet became stuck deep in the mud and I had to pull up quite hard to free them. I pulled my left foot up hard and with a loud sucking sound it came free, as I tried the same with my right I felt my sandal begin to tear. They weren't expensive and were a pair I had for years so no big deal, right? Wrong, the fabric and padded insert that was sewn to the bottom sole of the shoe had come completely apart and ripped near the top. 

Casualty of Girl's Canoe Day

We managed to get the canoe situated, got ourselves back in, and out on the water again. I didn't let the sandal set back bother me, we were out on the water in a canoe, who needs shoes anyway? I'm a Southern Country Girl and avid outdoors woman, I've gone barefoot plenty. We continued on, exploring the back of the bay, a small bridge, and feeder creek. 

Bridge at back of bay at feeder creek
 and Nikki hamming it up

We had paddled the entire bay in just a few hours and were not ready to call it a day yet, so we pulled up on the bank to load back up and head over to another nearby bay. Now is when a good sandal would be useful, I slid my torn sandal back on to portage the canoe back to the truck, but found it flopping this way and that. There was no way to step or walk and keep the darned thing from doing what it wanted. It ended up folded under my foot when carrying the canoe or the sole flopped off to the side of my foot, providing no protection from the ground. 

Finally it popped in my head, I have my husband's truck with toolbox! Surely I could find something to rig my sandal to last the rest of the trip, so I began digging, looking for duct tape, wire, string, twine or anything. Unless I planned to use a ratchet strap, there was nothing of use. I found a small bungee cord type fastening cable, the kind with a hook at each end, lying in the bed of the truck. I took this and looped it around my foot in the sandal and hooked each end together. It worked for one trip to load gear and the fastener cord broke, it was rotted. I finished loading the gear barefooted which might be easy as a kid once you do it for awhile but as an adult who must wear sensible shoes to work every day you become very tender footed, but I sucked it up and got it done.

Gear and canoe loaded we headed down the back roads of Land Between the Lakes to the next bay I notice the canoe bouncing quite a bit and decide to stop the truck to investigate. I hop out, bare feet and all, to find one of the ratchet straps had slipped off the bumper. I secured it again and we were back underway.

Accessing the next bay was a little tricky, the road becomes severely rutted and mostly made of packed dirt just past a small cemetery and requires some skill to navigate. I had forgotten the road condition and became nervous driving my husband's truck down it. Once past a certain point though there is no turning back, literally. The road is narrow, the tree branches occasionally brushing the side of the truck, and there's no where to pull in to turn a truck around, let alone a full sized one with a 14ft canoe hanging out the back. Onward I went, dodging the deep ruts I could only assume a monster truck had made during a monsoon, and managed to make it to the end where it opened up to the forest and shoreline. 

Before we began unloading again I scrambled to find a replacement repair for my sandal, searching now in the cab of the truck, under the back bench seat I found a fish stringer. I know what your thinking and yes I did. Leaving about two inches free on the end of the stringer I wrapped it around my sandal to secure the flopping, flapping thing to my foot. Once wrapped I threaded the sharp pointed metal end through the metal loop on the other end, several times and began to unload the canoe. When returning for the life jackets it came undone so I took the metal spike end and weaved it through the openings in the top of the sandal. I now officially had a lethal weapon on my foot and it was reminiscent of something from the Flintstones. It worked though and allowed us to finish unloading without further issues.

A better place to pull up on shore

Nikki and I launched the canoe again and set about to paddling the shoreline of the bay. We zig-zagged back and forth in the bay, paddling from one side to the other and into smaller inlets searching and exploring the feeder creeks. Finally we had covered the second bay, it was late afternoon now and we were ready to call it a day. We loaded up the canoe and gear with my stone age looking sandal repair holding and made it back to Nikki's SUV without drama. 

Despite the little set back we had an awesome Girl's Canoe Day and can't wait to do it again this Spring. Nikki enjoyed it so much she is now looking for her own canoe or kayak. I'm glad I'm not a drama queen and don't let something small such as the ruined sandal spoil the day. I already purchased new water shoes last year on clearance at Dick's and can't wait to try them out! 

Happy Paddling and Hiking!

Land Between The Lakes Kentucky

Sunset on Kentucky Lake

Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area

You're gonna here me talk a lot about Land Between the Lakes, it's beautiful and minutes from my home. I couldn't count the outings I've had in this land peninsula between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Over 170,000 acres, 300 miles of shoreline, 500 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horse back riding,  and off-roading. A lot to explore! 

Two of many creeks in the area

On any given weekend you can find me cruising the back roads, camping, fishing, canoeing, or hiking the National Recreation Area, known locally as LBL. 

One of the many back roads

Wildflowers abound in Spring and no matter the season so does the wildlife. See Turkey, Foxes, two different Deer species, Eagles, and even take a cruise through the Elk & Bison Prairie.

LBL Wildlife

There are many camping areas from modern pay use to back country, that's my style! Just don't expect to find cabin

restaurants, or lodges. Facilities are basic outside the Woodlands Nature Station, Golden Pond Visitor's Center and Planetarium, or the Welcome Stations located the the North and South entrances. Modern amenities can be found in the numerous towns, resorts, and lodges surrounding LBL.

Many roads lead straight to the water.
One of several streams cross the back roads.

I remember one occasion where we were cruising the back roads with friends in two separate Jeep Cherokees when one began having alternator troubles causing the battery to die. We ended up swapping the batteries back and forth, using the Jeep with the good alternator to recharge the batteries. No one wants to leave a vehicle behind and/or complete repairs in the middle of no where.

There are also a lot of places there is no cell phone reception either. This me of another story. My husband and I were cruising the back roads and came upon a camouflage truck parked off the side of the road. We thought nothing of it, till we came back out the same road and saw a man in camo with a gun and dog. Okay, a hunter, we thought. He was in the middle of the road though and clearly trying to get us to stop. Once stopped, my husband rolled down his window and the man wanted to use a cell phone but neither of us had any reception. He told us he had lost his keys in the woods while hunting and had no spare. This strange man then wanted to ride with us in our regular cab truck with his dog and gun. Needless to say we weren't comfortable with that but didn't want to leave him stranded. Oddly he inquired hold cold it was supposed to get that night, which we advised into the 30's. We offered to call someone for him once we had a signal, he gave us the name of a friend, Edgar, and his number. He advised us to call Edgar, tell him where he, Moe, was and his situation. Edgar was supposed to have a spare key to his truck. We bid Moe farewell and assured him we would call Edgar. Once back toward the Trace, the main highway through LBL, we called Edgar but got his voicemail. My husband left a message detailing Moe's situation and location.

We arrived home and worried More would be left in LBL and thought my husband would have to return for him. Edgar finally called back and asked for more details. When advised of the situation Edgar told my husband he had bought Moe a GPS because he had gotten lost for several days in LBL before, but guessed that didn't help him find his keys. My husband made sure Edgar would be able to locate Moe and wished him luck.

There are a lot of lessons in both tales and I can't help but find some humor also. I will leave you to take what you want from them, and hope you get to explore this beautiful area!


Happy Hiking!  

Lake Barkley Kentucky

Canoeing Lake Barkley

 Lake Barkley

On a recent trip to my Aunt's in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina my husband and I went paddling down the French Broad River. We were hooked! Once home we immediately purchased a canoe, Old Town Sarnac XL and began our canoeing adventures. 

Blue skies over Barkley

For our first outing we chose a quite bay on Lake Barkley not to far from home. Now when we paddled the French Broad we used a John Boat while my Uncle and Step-Dad were in a canoe. I was prepared for the unsteadiness, my husband however was not. I got in first, my husband pushed the canoe out a bit further, and made his entry. Only he didn't sit down immediately and began commenting about how tipsy it was. We were less than three feet from shore and I was about to be dumped into two feet of water with a muddy bottom. I promptly threatened him (Ha!) and told him to sit down, which thankfully, he did. The remainder of the trip was very enjoyable and I knew I had found my new addiction. 

Paddling the bay 

One of the great things about living in Kentucky is it has the second most navigatable waterways in the nation, Alaska comes in first. Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley combine for over 3,300 mikes of shoreline, more than Lake Michigan. Kentucky Lake is actually the largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi River. There are plenty of bays to paddle and feeder creeks that drain into them. There is barge traffic and recreational boat traffic of all types, on both lakes so expect wakes. Staying in the bays lessens wakes from barges but recreational boats explore quite deeply into the bays during Summer pool. These lakes were formed by the daming of the Tennessee River and the Cumberland Rivers, respectively and are major transportation routes to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. When the rivers flooded, creating the lakes, Land Between the Lakes was also formed. There is a sad and tragic side to the creation of the lakes, but I think an article by David Nickell tells it best, Land Between the Lakes: A Story of Colonialism in Kentucky.

Girls Canoe Day

 We spent many days marveling at the beauty, the wildlife, and the peace and quiet that surrounded us.  I couldn't count the number of deer we seen from the canoe, just yards away on the bank in the forest. I can tell you of the family of otters that we saw one morning. Playing along the shoreline and skillfully dodging us as we paddled near. Fishing from the canoe was amazing and we caught several kinds, large mouth bass, bluegill, and catfish. Watch out for the intrusive Asian carp, they tend to jump out of the water when frightened by motors so a nearby passing boat could stir the huge fish up.

Bridge in back of one of the many bays

It's quite easy finding a place to put your canoe or kayak in, public boat ramps, use areas, and campgrounds abound in Land Between the Lakes. Back country camping is allowed with permit and in almost any location aside from cemeteries of course. There are many roads that were flooded also and lead directly into the water, follow almost any road long enough and you'll find a bay to explore. There are also several small lakes contained in Land Between the Lakes, such as Energy Lake, Hematite and Honker Lakes. Recently the latter two have been unnavigable due to Lily Pads and invasive species.

I can't wait until Spring so we can get the Sarnac back out and explore more of Lake Barkley! I'm especially excited to explore a channel of the Cumberland River named for distant ancestors who once lived in the area.


Happy Paddling!!

Land Between the Lakes Petition to address logging!

Unlogged area down one of the many roads 

Sign the petition to address concerns over the Scenery Management Plan. Logging, burning, and use of herbicides!

Since last Fall there has been major opposition the the US Forestry Services Scenery Management Plan for Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. I have been one of the voices in opposition.

http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/27675496/us-forest-service-reverses-course-on-management-plans-for-lbl

Now the idea is to revise the current plan instead of drafting a new one. We want to make sure our voices are heard.
For more information go to LBLCoalition.Org or BetweentheRivers.org

Help protect our public land, as the US Forestry Services says themselves, #ItsAllYours.