Roving Reports by Doug P: 2019-8 Kentucky backroads

2019-8

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Kentucky

Campground: Kendall Campground, COE park. $14 per night senior discount. 50 amp electric/water. Nice campsites, paved roads, gravel campsite. Many campsites have narrow entries bordered by railroad ties. Tree canopied with super high clearance for larger campers.

Campground: Dad’s Bluegrass Campground. Full hookups. $39.20 after Good-Sam Discount of 20%. Would not accept my PPA card as they said it was a Holiday weekend (Thursday-Monday) ?? Will have one day of Bluegrass music on Saturday.

Ps, that’s the most I’ve paid in two years.

Distance traveled: miles and miles and miles
from Pigeon Forge TN to Jamestown Kentucky

Some Roads I Shouldn't Travel

looks like a nice road, until I drive around the bend....

And what a road it was. Of course I’ve always advised my travel Club members to avoid any and all secondary roads in Tennessee and Kentucky. But did I listen to my own advise? Nooooo. Instead I traveled along 441, 62, 27, 52 and finally 127. hwy 27, and 127 were just horrid to put it bluntly. Lots of winding, twisting, hilly narrow two lane roads. Frequent drop offs on either side. Something I would never recommend to anyone towing a camper or driving a motor-home.

At one point, my GPS directed me onto a really really narrow country road as a shortcut between hwy 27 and 127. I got all of ¾ of a block when I noticed a sign next to a stone arched railroad bridge. The sign indicated it had 12 ft 4 inches of clearance. Ekk! I stopped in the middle of the road, but who could tell, it was that narrow. Got out of the truck and told the folks stopped behind me I’d need to back up.

I had no choice, a quick scan of the homes on either side told me I couldn’t pull into their driveway and turn around. So backing up the camper and truck would have to be it. On the corner behind me Church was filling up and ready to start. I continued my slow and not very graceful backing up procedure, wiggling back and forth, I finally made it to the main road, and continued turning 90 degrees backward so I could pull forward onto hwy 27.

What an ordeal. But at least I was onto my plan A, B, and finally C for finding a campground. And along the way I stopped at an old store/restaurant with a country porch, with guys whittling away. Inside I was able to get a great lunch, relax and check on plan C. Making a quick call I was able to get into a COE park for $14 a night and only another 40 minute drive a way. The day was getting long but I’d be at a campground soon enough.

whittling on the front porch

sometime a stop like this just makes my day

Now although Kendall Campground, COE park was a great campground, below a dam, the road hwy 127 was not. It continued being a very narrow two lane winding road. I would not recommend it to any campers with rigs larger than a small Class B or C. Although I was able to navigate it with my 31 ft 5^th wheel camper, it was particularly challenging when a large commercial truck came by in the opposite direction.

road damage in the campground along the river

Note: hwy 27 and 127 were both two lane country roads, very narrow, no shoulders and both had the most odd set up. Along the way, in the middle of nowhere, the road would change to a modern wide highway for a couple of miles, then turn back into a narrow two lane road again with no warning. What a way to get your hopes up and then have them dashed around the next wild curve in the road.

Well, I’ve learned my lesson and even though I like to think I was exploring for the benefit of my fellow Rv-ers, it was not a pleasant experience.

Franklin Kentucky.

I arrived in Franklin as I rushed to try and find a spot over the Memorial Day Weekend and was able to get a spot at Dad’s Bluegrass Campground. Along with some music scheduled on Saturday, there are a number of places to explore in the area. But first I needed to have my eye pressure checked. I found a local Optometrist who could check my eyes. Well cutting to the quick, my eye pressures remain elevated and my left eye was unable to read any of the visual eye chart. Obviously distressed. It’s been an emotional roller coaster for the last couple of days. I’m now on three different eye drops taking two with each of three sessions a day.

Will the eye drops lower my eye pressure?

Will I need cataract surgery sooner than later?

Will I fly home and where is home to have the procedure(s) done?

Will I need stints put in eyes? Most likely, but when, sooner or later?

What are all the options I’ll need to decide on now and into the future.

After calming down as best as I could, I’ve gone on with my life until those questions can be answered.

Followup: Over the next week I had multiple appointments with Dr Alex Compton. What an excellent Dr. and staff. After my second visit I almost felt like family. The good doctor providing me with not only good care, but provided me with the knowledge I needed to go forward with what will of course continue to be a lifelong regiment and treatments for glaucoma.

I am now on 4 eye drops multiple times a day. The most recent being Rhopressa. A new eye drop for lowering the eye pressure. It is very effective and though very expensive, it will be a key to my maintaining good eyesight. I will need to have cataract surgery which will help to lower eye pressures and other procedures as needed sometime in the (near) future. For now, a huge concern has been lifted.

Vision in my left eye has recovered, but fluctuates, possibly due to the number of eye drops I’m currently taking. Thank goodness for good health insurance. This is one time that even though I’ve been able to get good medical care while on the road, not being close to friends and family has taken a bit of a toll. Thankfully I have e-mail, texting and phones to keep in contact.

Cave City, Kentucky

One of my favorite new cell-phone apps is “Atlas of the Obscure”. Where I found a couple of interesting places to explore in Cave City. The first is The Wigwam Village, one of the few still remaining across country. Orlando had one on Orange Blossom Trail when I arrived in town in 1972. Six months later it was torn down. This Wigwam Village in Cave City is well maintained, though after talking to a couple of folks staying there overnight, they all agreed, it was an experience worth doing but the beds were not comfortable. Always the first thing you want is a good bed. Oh well, I enjoyed checking them out. The main office/gift shop was not open when I was there.

The second stop was to Fun-town Mountain. Now called Gun-town Mountain. On Atlas of the Obscure is was listed as Fun-Town, an abandoned amusement park. It changed names and was resurrected last year at Gun-town Mt. All of the amusement rides were removed and the only thing remaining is the chair lift/tram to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, it has not been revived so we were driven to the top of an exhilarating and very steep dirt road through a dense forest. Arriving at the top on the first day opening of the season, the only attractions were the buildings reconfigured to look like an old western town. Poorly recreated at that. A shoot em up show is performed throughout the day, a Can- can show, music and a bit of humor in the showroom/saloon. In one of the large buildings, a sparse setup for taking vintage photos was manned by a lonely teenager. Other buildings were locked and presumed to be empty. Would have liked to see the old carnival rides, wonder if they are still on property, off in the woods somewhere.

first day the show was a bit blah....

it's bound to get better over the summer

will it become a 2nd ghost town?

the only ride remaining, but not operational

I talked to a couple of the employees who said last year, they were open daily with few people showing up during the middle of the week. Loosing $50,000 the first year. This year, they are only open on weekends. Doubt it will survive more than another season without some major partner and funding being added. Well, I got some pictures and overall it was a pleasant way to spend part of a day. Maybe I had a preview of a second “future” Abandoned theme park.

Across the street was a popular attraction, Dinosaur World. And next door to the Gun-town Mt is Crystal Onyx Cave. There are numerous cave experiences in the area, the largest of course is Mammoth Cave NP. All worth exploring.

a very popular attraction

Bowling Green Kentucky
The Lost River Cave.

Entrance to the Lost River Cave

About a 20 minute drive from Franklin is another attraction called The Lost River Cave. It has quite the history. Starting with evidence of roaming native tribes going back 12,000 to 7,500 B.C.

Next came the Civil War, where the hidden cavern with a river flowing through it became a refuge for both the Confederate and Union soldiers. Kentucky was officially a neutral state during the war. Evidence of the soldier’s presence in the cave remain on the ceilings of upper passages where they signed their names.

In the 1930’s the entrance to cave was developed as a unique dining and dancing experience. The natural air conditioning from the cave being a major attraction. The Cavern Nite Club was a great way to relieve the pressures of the Great Depression. Big bands and Swing bands frequently played here and it was even written up in Life magazine.

For a time it had a number of grist mills, first down at the caves entrance, before being continually flooded out, later only the water wheel sat at the entrance, with the mills protected from flooding high on top the cave property.

After the new highway (I-65) was built the Nashville Road/ hwy 31W which runs directly over the top of the caves entrance, the Cavern Nite Club closed and the cave was abandoned. From the late 60’s and early 1990’s locals would dump garbage and spring cleaning items over the side of the old highway into the cave. In 1990 locals decided to clean it up and restore the area, taking over 50 tons of garbage out of the caves entrance. Restoring the river and land. Cave tours reopened in 1998.

On my way back to Franklin along Nashville Road, I also stopped at the Octagon Hall, built in 1861 and completed in 1866 due to the Civil War. The house was closed for tours it being a Holiday, but I enjoyed walking around the grounds, taking pictures of old barns and the Octagon Hall. Kind of nice to explore a site and just feel the energy from the land and buildings.

linked to the Lost River

an old building from the Dance Hall era

Dinner and Dancing in "natural aircondtioning" back in the 30s - 60s.

Octagon House and grounds:

outdoor kitchen

log cabin on property, falling in

Johnny Cash and June Carter were married in Franklin in march 7, 1968 the day after they received the Grammy for their recording of “Jackson”. They were looking for a small town to have an intimate wedding and chose Franklin.

The local museum in an old jail and sheriffs residence has a unique display of graffiti art left on the walls of the residence during the civil war. It gave me chills to read what one of the confederate soldiers wrote on the wall, “This is the day I’m to be tried for causing considerable problems, I don’t know what the sentiment will be now___ bit but ___ will make_--” Touching a piece of history.