Cumberland Falls

I finally made it to the woods! This summer has been so hot and buggy, that it's made it nearly impossible to want to be outside. So, I haven't wanted to venture out on the trail, even though I've desperately wanted to!

Well, a couple of weekends ago, I got my chance. The weather was perfect—highs in the mid-70's, 0% humidity, and breezy. Now, that's my kind of weather! So, we made it a goal to get out in the woods, and traveled about an hour and a half to Cumberland Falls State Park. We packed our lunches in the daypack, grabbed our trekking poles, and hit the Eagle Falls Trail. Since we had our daughter with us (21-months, today), we didn't want to take on more than we could handle, so we thought the 1.5 mile trail would be perfect. It would give us the chance to see both Cumberland and Eagle Falls, and allow us to be in the woods.

The trail was gorgeous, mostly shaded, and all-around wonderful! But, don't let that meager 1.5 miles fool you. This isn't just a piece-of-cake hike. Parts of this trail are described as "very rugged." But, it's so worth it! It offers an up-close look at Eagle Falls, and some of the best views of Cumberland Falls (see above). It's truly a beautiful trail. And, it satisfied my craving to be "in the woods." We were exhausted by the time we were done, but so happy, too. Now, I'm just hankering for the next trip . . .

High Bridge

High Bridge, 1877

I didn't know it when I took this picture, but this High Bridge is apparently a fairly famous historic engineering landmark. And I just thought it was a cool bridge. On the particular weekend this photo was taken, my little family, along with my husband's cousin and his wife, had decided to visit Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. We settled on a hike, but ended up on the road down to the Dixie Bell and the Kentucky River. We noticed this bridge about half-way down to the river, so I had to stop and snap some pictures of it once we got to the bottom.

As I did a little research on this bridge, I discovered that this High Bridge was the tallest trestle bridge in the world when it was finished in 1877. When it opened, it was the very first cantilever bridge in North America! It is 280 feet above the Kentucky River, and is still in use today.

On either side of the bridge are large, beautiful limestone cliffs and palisades. You can see them in the upper left side of the picture, near that end of the bridge. These types of cliffs line the Kentucky River at many parts. These beautiful cliffs have been quite a surprise for me. I never saw Kentucky as a state with this much beauty, but I'm quickly seeing that my assumptions were wrong.

McHargue's Mill at Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park

On our way home from our holiday road-trip, we took a brief break to stretch our legs in Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park. We happened to stop at McHargue's Mill, where the path is lined with historic millstones. According to the park's Web site:

"McHargue’s Mill was built on the banks of the Little Laurel River where it intersects Boone’s Trace. This working reproduction mill dates to the same era as the original McHargue family mills and has authentic interior works, including millstones. It is surrounded by the largest display of millstones in the country."

It's a fascinating little piece of history, and the large collection of millstones is very interesting. I wish I could see them at work!