Tuesday,
September 5th – Wednesday, September 13th
Hillman
Ferry Campground, Grand Rivers, Kentucky
We headed south from Shelbyville towards western Kentucky.
Again we drove the back roads as opposed to the interstates. In this part of
the state the back roads were not so great, in some areas they were very narrow
farm roads with very uneven surfaces. Along the way Kurt was checking the
odometer as we turned over the 100,000 miles on our 2008 F-250 truck. We
knew it was coming soon. So now we're out of our extended warranty, ugh.
On the last leg of the trip we passed through the city of
Paducah Kentucky and then entered the Land Between The Lakes National
Recreation Area (LBL). This is a huge inland peninsula of 170,000 acres of
forest, wetlands and open lands. It lies between the Tennessee River on the west
and the Cumberland River on the east. The recreation area is about 35 miles
long from north to south and extends south into Tennessee. This amazing place
is filled with so many things to do; everything from RV/tent camping to
Backcountry camping, marinas and boat launches, golf courses, beaches and
picnic areas. There were various attractions, such as the Woodland Nature
Station, a drive-thru Elk & Bison Prairie, and a Visitor Center with a
Planetarium and Observatory. Also, the Homeplace 1850s Farm, over 100 miles of
mountain biking trails, 261 miles of hiking trails, and historic
areas. This area was in the Totality Eclipse in August. We were told there
were close to 100,000 people in the LBL to view the eclipse! And the area will
also be in totality for the April, 2024 solar eclipse.
We camped at Hillman Ferry Campground, which was on the
Tennessee River side of the recreation area. We were able to find a nice
waterfront campsite. We also found a great day use area with a beach
called Moss Creek. There we were able to watch the barges go up the river and watch
sunset. The dogs really enjoyed running leash free around the beach.
On two different days we visited the dams. The Kentucky
Dam on the Tennessee River side and went into a really nice Visitor Center
there. Then another day we visited the Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River
side. It had limited access for visitors, but was nice to see the dams and
the power generation systems up close.
One day we decided to go to the South Visitor Center and
spend some time there, viewing the historical information and then to a
planetarium show. The show was very interesting, although the videography was a
little outdated, we still enjoyed it.
While camping there we began watching the progress of Hurricane Irma
and was worried about where it was going to strike in Florida. As our next
plans were to move south into Tennessee, we started looking at the path,
which projected the remnants heading right up into the Tennessee Valley where
we were. So we decided rather than driving into the storm, we would stay put in
our campsite for an extra two days. So we just hunkered down, stayed in the
camper or under the awning for a couple of days. We were all pretty bored
and ready for this storm to be over. The next day the weather was beautiful,
which made the drive south a lot easier. We were also very happy with the path
that the hurricane did go, as the east coast of Florida was not impacted as
they had projected. We continued to check on our family and friends and make sure
everyone was safe and were okay after the storm.
We truly enjoyed the Land Between The Lakes and have decided
that we will come back here someday. As we only have four more states to visit:
Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, this will be a great stop over area.
(For Steve & Celia, we will definitely visit you on this trip, hopefully
next summer).
Now on to Tennessee, where we will stay by another dam, this
one on the Tennessee River. Kurt has more barges to watch!
