17 May 2021

 

After lunch today, we drove down Hwy 25 to the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. This is where Daniel Boone made his way through the Gap, paving the way for our ancestors to make their way west without having to go over the Allegheny Mountains.

 

The Visitors Center has a nice little museum about the Gap and it’s importance, not only to the pioneers, but to the Indians and later during the Civil War, the North and South fought over control of the Gap many times. Today, it is still a major artery for the tri-state area of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.

The pictures loaded completely backwards

The tunnel is under the Cumberland Mountains, we went in on the KY side, out on the TN side, turned around and headed back to the campground

Notice the road to get up to the Pinnacle Overlook

The trail up to viewing area

Notes written by some of the people with Daniel Boone when he went through the Gap to settle in Kentucky

The campground kitty, he/she is keeping an eye on Phil

 

When we left the Visitors Center, we drove up the windy, hair pen curved road to the viewing platform. Even though it was a cloudy day, you still got the feeling that you could see forever, and supposedly you almost could…at least as far as Virginia and Tennessee (we were still in Kentucky).

 

At the platform we met a young couple who had a couple of English Sheep Dogs (about 4 months old) and a Huskey (about 5 months old). The dogs were very well behaved, and the kids were nice and didn’t seem to mind talking to an old lady (me)! I stayed there and talked to them while Phil, Rick & Jennifer hiked further up the mountain.

 

I’m using a cane this trip, my right knee is blown, will have to have it replaced when we get back home in the fall. Getting old ain’t for sissies!!