Caution! Science Content Ahead (part 2)

(from the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer)

We have already covered the Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields and Mountains, The Knobs, and The Bluegrass. Now it's time to cover The Pennyrile, The Western Kentucky Coal Fields, and The Jackson Purchase. These three are the "plains" of Kentucky. There are hills, though they aren't as large as those in the rest of the state. There are large, flat spaces used mostly for farming. There are tracts of forested land, karst topography with numerous caves, and lots of water and marshland. Let's wander a bit!

Our first stop is one of the largest of the physiographic regions of Kentucky: The Pennyrile (or Pennyroyal). This region borders all of the others except for The Bluegrass (which ONLY borders The Knobs). It is surrounded on most sides by escarpments and hills of some kind. The Pottsville Escarpment and Muldraughs Hill to the east and the Dripping Springs Escarpment to the west and north. The cities of Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, and Radcliff all call this region home. While these cities are steeped in history (especially Civil War and frontier history), the true treasure of this region is below the ground. Underlying much of the forests and fields is a large expanse of karst terrain, that wonderfully pockmarked area of limestone known for its caves, sinkholes, and disappearing streams. The longest cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave, is located in this region occupying a large portion of Edmonson County. There are numerous other caves and formations throughout the region. Even today, scientists and cave explorers are attempting to add to the 367 miles of explored passages that make up Mammoth Cave and are even trying to find links to the other cave systems in the region.

Up next is the Western Kentucky Coal Fields. This is an area of the state that I admittedly have little knowledge of. The largest city in this region is Owensboro which sits on the Ohio River just south of Evansville, Indiana. The claim to fame of this area is that is was home, at least for a time, of John James Audubon, the man for whom the Audubon Society is named. He lived for a while in Henderson, Kentucky. He is known for his drive and desire as a naturalist to draw and catalog all of the species of birds in North America. Today, it is possible to tour the John James Audubon State Park in Henderson. Many of Audubon's original oil paintings and drawings can be seen as well as hiking interpretive trails and viewing the area wildlife.

Finally we come to the far western edges of Kentucky, an area of lakes, marsh, and rivers known as The Jackson Purchase. With Paducah as its largest city, the Jackson Purchase is the smallest of the six physiographic regions of Kentucky. The small area is home to a large amount of diversion, however. The area is dominated by The Land Between The Lakes. This is a National Recreational Area located between two of the largest of the Tennessee Valley Authority waterworks: Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. These two lakes were formed when the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers were damned in the early 1900's. The resulting inland peninsula (the largest in the United States) became a natural choice for recreation. It is a natural ridge with numerous forests and lots of history. Surrounding these lakes and permeating throughout the area of various lowland marshes and wetlands. This small region is also where the Ohio River empties into the Mississippi. One other small note; there is a small part of Kentucky that is divided from the rest of the state by the Mississippi. This area, the westernmost portion of Kentucky, can only be reached by traveling south into Tennessee and around the bend in the river. This oddity of geography is also near where, in 1811-1812, the New Madrid Fault slipped causing 3 earthquakes in less than 2 months, all of which were between 7 and 8 on the Richter Scale. These quakes were strong enough to wake people in New York, crack sidewalks in Washington, DC, and ring church bells in Boston. The quake also make the Mississippi appear to flow upstream for a time and created Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee. The fault runs under Kentucky in this region and could still have long lasting effects should it ever slip in the future.

So ends out brief sojourn into the lands that make up Kentucky. If there was too much science, tough, I like science. It is also important to understand these aspects of the land in order to understand the culture which has helped to create. In future writings, I will go into more detail about these regions, why they are well known, and what they have to offer. From marshland to mountain, plains to forests, caves to fault zones, Kentucky has a little of everything.

Caution! Science Content Ahead (part 1)

(from the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer)

One of the things that I find most satisfying about Kentucky is the variety of places to visit. I don't mean just different cities and towns. I also mean all of the natural variety. The map above shows the 6 (some say 7) different physiographic regions of Kentucky. Each of these areas has their own character, their own collection of scenery, and their own unique natural wonders.

The Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields and Mountains is probably the area where most people tend to base their unsavory assumptions about Kentuckians and their relationship to their cousins. Appalachia. While the bulk of the Appalachian Mountains are in Tennessee, the Carolinas, and the Virginias, Kentucky does have a portion. This is the part of the country that saw Daniel Boone pass through the Cumberland Gap and provide a passage through the mountains for western expansion. This is where the Hatfields and McCoys fought over and over again (some say it's still raging). Colonel Sanders opened his first restaurant in this region. This is the realm of coal, moonshine, and poverty. It is also one of the most beautiful places in the country. Hiking the numerous trails in and around Daniel Boone National Forest, Red River Gorge, Jenny Wiley State Park, The Breaks Interstate Park, and The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park you will be treated to breathtaking vistas, a plethora of wildlife, and a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Moving west we hit a ring of features known as The Knobs. There are actually two of these formations. The one bordering the mountainous areas of eastern Kentucky were created from the Pottsville Escarpment. In the west, the area that include Louisville was created from Muldraughs Hill. This is a very thin section of Kentucky but it is one of the richest in history. This is the region of BOURBON!!! The Knobs are where they are because of their underlying geology. Most of this region has a very large base of limestone rock created when this part of the world was still a shallow sea. On top of that limestone is a sometimes hundreds of the feet thick layer of shale. Shale is very brittle and is readily eroded. This region would have been very flat if it weren't for the sandstone caps that have prevented the shale from eroding. In the areas where those sandstone caps still exist, there are Knobs. The underlying limestone is a wonderful source for fresh spring water, the main ingredient in bourbon making. Many of the most famous distilleries are still located in this area. Jim Beam in Clermont, KY, is tucked right up against the hills and hollers. (On a side note, a "holler" is just another name for a hollow which are the low, sometimes hidden, valleys located between the knobs.)

North of The Knobs is the more quintessential region of Kentucky: The Bluegrass. When I said above that sometimes there are 7 regions in Kentucky it is because of this region. Sometimes it is divided into the Inner Bluegrass and the Outer Bluegrass. Most often this isn't the case so I won't treat it as such here. The Bluegrass is the home and heart of Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky. Now I know that Louisville is not in this region and most people associate Churchill Downs with horse racing. However, many of the horses that are bred for the Kentucky Derby are bred in the Bluegrass Region. This part of Kentucky includes Lexington, Frankfort (the state capital), and the group of Kentucky cities bordering Cincinnati in northernmost portion of Kentucky. These are the rolling hills, the green pastures, and the white fences. There are horse barns galore, a race track with just as much history as Churchill Downs (Keeneland in Lexington), and also its fair share of bourbon distilleries. This is a wonderful region to just get in the car and ramble down the scenic by-ways well off the beaten track.

So ends part 1. In a few short paragraphs we have covered about half the state. Mountains and coal, hills and hollers, fields and farms. (Incidentally the areas covered here are also mostly Eastern Time Zone, the next three are mostly Central Time Zone.) Up next are the western regions: The Pennyrile (or Pennyroyal), The Western Kentucky Coal Fields, and The Jackson Purchase.

Books, books, books

If you are anything like me, you love to find out about new places by both being there and by reading about it. I good book can be invaluable in discovering those unknown bits about a place. Kentucky is no exception to this. There are so many diamonds in the rough about this state. Little places to visit, great places to eat, and outstanding scenery to witness. Here are a few books that might be helpful in your discovery of the 15th State:



This is a wonderful look at some of the best hiking trails around the state. There is a wide variety of trails, from urban and easy to hilly and hard. The hikes span the state and include many of the greatest natural and historical aspects of Kentucky. It has an easy to follow format and is broken up unto regions, depending on which part of the state you want to explore. Often, the authors will highlight a single trail within a park but will still provide an overview of all the trails in a park. This is a great resource to have in your Kentucky tourist collection.



OK foodies, this one's for you! When I am traveling around the state, I don't want to have to spend precious time looking for something other than deep fried fast food funkiness. This is one of the best companions to have! The author has toured around Kentucky looking for those restaurants that quintessentially local. The requirements for the restaurants are that it has to be local (i.e. not a chain) and must have great food. Sometimes they are very cosmopolitan and chic places to east, sometimes they are just holes in the wall tucked at the end of a gravel road. Whatever the case, these places are great. To add something to the experience, take the book with you and get it signed by the owner/manager/chef of the restaurants you choose. Directory and diary all in one!



This book and the next are two guides to those parts of Kentucky that you didn't already know about. Everyone knows about Mammoth Cave, Bourbon, The Kentucky Derby, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Off the Beaten Path and Kentucky Curiosities give more of an insider's look at all the things that are interesting about Kentucky. Off the Beaten Path is the more standard type of guidebook for the state. It takes a look at all of the regions and gives a pretty good description of the attractions to visit. It lists contact information and some rough maps to help guide you around. This is part of a larger series of books that cover most states. My wife's Aunt edited the same series for Nebraska. This series is written by people who not only love their states but want everyone else to love them as well.



Last but not least, Kentucky Curiosities. This is the book to tickle the funny bone. The author has found some of the most absurd facts and figures about this wonderful state. Did you know that Louisville was home to the creator of the "Happy Birthday" song? Did you know that Bourbon County is dry but Christian Country is wet? (For those outside of the Bible Belt, dry meaning no alcohol is sold, wet meaning it is.) Did you know that Kentucky boasts a city built in the center of a meteor crater? More than just the home of Colonel Sanders and Maker's Mark, Kentucky is full of surprises. This book will keep you laughing and thinking, "No way is this true!" Trust me, it all is! Have fun wandering!

Falls of the Ohio

One of the best things about living in Louisville is that you are so close to so many wonderful places, both natural and man-made. Louisville exists where it does because of a major obstacle in the Ohio River: waterfalls over a very large and impressive fossil bed. The limestone bed that makes up much of the area around Louisville and southern Indiana is littered with fossils. At this particular location, the beds are close enough to the surface to effect the river and make it incredibly shallow. When Louisville was founded, a portage existed around these cascades. Supplies and cargo coming downstream from Cincinnati and Pittsburgh were offloaded in Louisville and brought around to waiting ships in Portland (now a large neighborhood on the western edge of Louisville). The cargo would be restowed and sent on its way to the Mississippi River.

Today, the Falls of the Ohio is a wonderful place to visit. Strolling around the fossil beds transports you back in time to when this entire part of the United States was covered by an inland sea. Coral reefs teemed in the shallow waters. These corals comprise a bulk of the beds today. I love going to the Falls and walking around, trying ot discover some interesting piece of coral, a broken bit of brachiopod, or simply enjoying the forests that edge the river.

Areas like these make me appreciate how much Kentucky has to offer. There are mountains in the east, plains in the middle, and lowland marshes in the west. The rolling hills around Lexington have some of the most beautiful horse farms in the world. The buttony Knobs that form a horseshoe around the eastern, southern, and western edges of horse country are the heart of Bourbon making. The largest cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave, sits within a three hour drive of almost all Kentuckians. The list goes on and on. I love being a tourist in my own state!

Welcome!

-(Photo by Kevin Steller) Blackacre Nature Preserve, Louisville, KY, June 5th, 2006

This is not my first attempt at blogging but hopefully this will last longer and be of more interest. I guess the purpose of this blog is twofold. One, it will show my perspective of the world, a perspective through the eyes of someone who was born and raised in Kentucky. The second is to maybe provide a little entertainment, diversion, knowledge, insight, what-have-you in the process. There will be lots of photos involved (I enjoy taking pictures but am by no means professional) mostly because it is fun for me and helps to give visual interpretation of the subject at hand. There might be short stories and maybe a little poetry. If there are any suggestions for improvement or questions for a Kentuckian, let me know. If you get enjoyment from this blog, pass it along. If there is wit and wisdom, I can assure you that most of the wit is appreciated and most of the wisdom is accidental. Enjoy, have fun, and meander at your own risk.