- 24,553
- Frankfort, KY
- GTP_FoolKiller
- FoolKiller1979
Quick background: For those who are unaware, I am awaiting a heart transplant. You can read details here in my medical saga thread (last few pages are just about the transplant), which is in much need of an update. Anyway, one thing with being on the transplant list is that I am not allowed to be more than three hours from the hospital that would perform the surgery. That means that I am supposed to stay within three hours of Louisville, KY.
It isn't exactly centrally located to awesome. Or is it?
This past weekend we took our second trip of my transplant travel limitations (The first was Cumberland Falls, which I had done before). And this time I have to say that it is an experience I wouldn't have likely had without my limitations. We went to Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest and Natural Bridge in the Natural Bridge Kentucky State Park. I have never gone because it is a favorite spot for the hikers, climbers, and general back-to-Earth hippies. Anyone who knows me well knows that those are not my kind of people.
That stereotype proved to be true. I only saw one bit of litter on the trails, "cigarette" butts. Everyone was dirty, sweaty, and all wearing hiking boots. Oh, and nearly every car was tiny eco things. The ones that did have SUVs or trucks still had hybrids. I had not seen a hybrid Chevy Silverado until now.
Anyway, due to my physical limitations we couldn't do most of the trails to see a lot of stuff. There is even a 256 mile hiking trail. We stuck to quarter mile or less, and preferably stroller accessible.
The first thing we went to was called Chimney Top Rock. As we start I am still not sure what makes this place so great other than being a protected forest that allows people to hike and camp pretty much anywhere inside it. As we start on this trail there is a sign warning about cliffs and their dangers. Like many people would, I wonder how dangerous it can be. Steep wooded slopes aren't uncommon in these mountains, and as we walk I see some treacherous ledges along the sides, but not these massive cliffs.
But as we walked I began to notice the soil give away to some sand, then full on sandstone. Sandstone? We're full of limestone in this state. Then I step through an opening in the trees and see this:
And to the right is an open area that allows you to access the cliff's edge. And yes, this is a cliff in ever sense of the word.
And while up there we received a visit from a local, just reminding me that we are in nature's territory now.
And from our vantage point we could see other cliffs all around us, some with people on them. We could also occasionally hear a tarzan-like yell. My first thought was these guys are all being douches. But then, I saw a guy climb the side of this, take off his shirt and yell. Then he followed the hiking trail back down. I decided anyone who did that and yelled had earned the right.
And just to give an idea of where I was, this is a scenic shot of Chimney Top from the valley at the visitor's center.
So, I learned my lesson. This place provides a glimpse of geological wonder that most people associate with the western US. But this was a 90 minute drive from home. I never once thought that I would stand and look down to see an eagle swoop over the tree tops, below me, so long as I was stuck in Kentucky.
But that was just the beginning. Back in the car I pulled out the map and checked out the hiking trail lengths. My passive observer role was gone. Another stop and hike we could make was Whistling Arch.
At first I questioned the name of this feature as all you see on approach is this huge overhang.
For the sense of scale you can see the family that was hanging out and picnicking there. But I did not call that an arch. That seemed poorly named until we walked around the back and found this:
And it is odd, because it funnels all the wind that hits the overhang through that hole. It was a day that felt absolutely calm, but standing in the hole felt like a 10mph wind was blowing through. I can easily imagine that howling or whistling when there is actual forceful wind blowing.
I should also add that the scale on that picture is an optical illusion. The ground slopes, so as you walk in it never gets smaller. I walked through it without ducking down and I am almost 4 inches taller than my wife.
From there we stopped by the visitors learning center, which was really just a bunch of stuff about the wildlife in the area, and an explanation of the sandstone collision, uplift, and erosion process that created the gorge.
After that we then headed on down the road to a feature known as Nada Tunnel, which was an old logging train tunnel that is now a road. It is one-lane and you must have your headlights on so that oncoming traffic can see you and wait.
Since I wasn't prepared with a camera here is someone else's video I found on You Tube.
And then it was time for dinner. We stopped by a place that everyone said we have to stop at. It had great reviews online, so we stopped in at Miguel's Pizza.
Now, I have to say, I don't see what all the fuss is about. The pizza was OK, but they used pre-made crusts and so the onjly thing I could see that was great was the variety of unusual toppings, but that opesn teh door for disaster if you aren't smart. We got a black beans, rice, and cilantro pizza, which made the woman stop and look at it, as if that combination was new to her, which leads me to believe their typical customer isn't that creative.
Who is their typical customer? Well, mainly rock climbers, hikers, and the like. I know, because they sold all the equipment in the restaurant.
I also, figured out why it was so popular, since that equipment can be bought at almost any sporting goods place. You can camp out back for $2 a night.
That tells me one thing about these people though, they are only kind of outdoorsey. See, the real guys park somewhere central and then strap tents, bed rolls, and supplies to their backs and disappear for three days. I didn't see those guys, mainly because they weren't eating pizza made by a restaurant. They were eating god knows what cooked over a fire.
And after that we were done for the night. It was closing in on my daughter's bedtime and I was to a point where I would push myself too far if I kept going.
Next day, we headed out to the Natural Bridge portion of the gorge, which is owned by the state. I had two choices to get there, skylift or 8 mile hiking trail along a ridge line. OK, I had one choice. Skylift it was, and what a ride.
I love the free for children under three years of age to ride. I am not so fond of the, 'your arms are their safety restraints,' policy. But we made it incident free.
So, from there we have a short hike where we come out to see we are on top of the Natural Bridge formation.
And it quite literally is a massive stone formation bridging a gap between two ridge lines. Nothing on the sides to keep you safe from falling hundreds of feet.
And looking out you can see other rocky cliffs, much like I did from Chimney Top.
What you see there is a rocky outcropping on Laurel Ridge, which is the hiking trail you can take to get to Natural Bridge. Back by the skylift we found the end of that trail, which led us to that very same rocky outcropping.
Here you can see along Laurel Ridge, right to where the Natural Bridge begins.
And from there you can look to the left and see, Natural Bridge and get a true scope for how massive it is when you can see people walking across it.
After that our day was done. We were worn out and it was time for a nap.
We had seen geological effects at their finest and discovered exactly why this area is called the eastern Rockies. Most of the Kentucky mountains are fairly new mountains made of granite and limestone, some shale, and filled with coal. The majority of our bedrock is cave laden limestone. But here, in this small patch of forest geology coughed up some sandstone and let the water and air have its way with it.
And a few tourism pictures as my iPhone camera doesn't do enough justice.
It isn't exactly centrally located to awesome. Or is it?
This past weekend we took our second trip of my transplant travel limitations (The first was Cumberland Falls, which I had done before). And this time I have to say that it is an experience I wouldn't have likely had without my limitations. We went to Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest and Natural Bridge in the Natural Bridge Kentucky State Park. I have never gone because it is a favorite spot for the hikers, climbers, and general back-to-Earth hippies. Anyone who knows me well knows that those are not my kind of people.
That stereotype proved to be true. I only saw one bit of litter on the trails, "cigarette" butts. Everyone was dirty, sweaty, and all wearing hiking boots. Oh, and nearly every car was tiny eco things. The ones that did have SUVs or trucks still had hybrids. I had not seen a hybrid Chevy Silverado until now.
Anyway, due to my physical limitations we couldn't do most of the trails to see a lot of stuff. There is even a 256 mile hiking trail. We stuck to quarter mile or less, and preferably stroller accessible.
The first thing we went to was called Chimney Top Rock. As we start I am still not sure what makes this place so great other than being a protected forest that allows people to hike and camp pretty much anywhere inside it. As we start on this trail there is a sign warning about cliffs and their dangers. Like many people would, I wonder how dangerous it can be. Steep wooded slopes aren't uncommon in these mountains, and as we walk I see some treacherous ledges along the sides, but not these massive cliffs.
But as we walked I began to notice the soil give away to some sand, then full on sandstone. Sandstone? We're full of limestone in this state. Then I step through an opening in the trees and see this:
And to the right is an open area that allows you to access the cliff's edge. And yes, this is a cliff in ever sense of the word.
And while up there we received a visit from a local, just reminding me that we are in nature's territory now.
And from our vantage point we could see other cliffs all around us, some with people on them. We could also occasionally hear a tarzan-like yell. My first thought was these guys are all being douches. But then, I saw a guy climb the side of this, take off his shirt and yell. Then he followed the hiking trail back down. I decided anyone who did that and yelled had earned the right.
And just to give an idea of where I was, this is a scenic shot of Chimney Top from the valley at the visitor's center.
So, I learned my lesson. This place provides a glimpse of geological wonder that most people associate with the western US. But this was a 90 minute drive from home. I never once thought that I would stand and look down to see an eagle swoop over the tree tops, below me, so long as I was stuck in Kentucky.
But that was just the beginning. Back in the car I pulled out the map and checked out the hiking trail lengths. My passive observer role was gone. Another stop and hike we could make was Whistling Arch.
At first I questioned the name of this feature as all you see on approach is this huge overhang.
For the sense of scale you can see the family that was hanging out and picnicking there. But I did not call that an arch. That seemed poorly named until we walked around the back and found this:
And it is odd, because it funnels all the wind that hits the overhang through that hole. It was a day that felt absolutely calm, but standing in the hole felt like a 10mph wind was blowing through. I can easily imagine that howling or whistling when there is actual forceful wind blowing.
I should also add that the scale on that picture is an optical illusion. The ground slopes, so as you walk in it never gets smaller. I walked through it without ducking down and I am almost 4 inches taller than my wife.
From there we stopped by the visitors learning center, which was really just a bunch of stuff about the wildlife in the area, and an explanation of the sandstone collision, uplift, and erosion process that created the gorge.
After that we then headed on down the road to a feature known as Nada Tunnel, which was an old logging train tunnel that is now a road. It is one-lane and you must have your headlights on so that oncoming traffic can see you and wait.
Since I wasn't prepared with a camera here is someone else's video I found on You Tube.
And then it was time for dinner. We stopped by a place that everyone said we have to stop at. It had great reviews online, so we stopped in at Miguel's Pizza.
Now, I have to say, I don't see what all the fuss is about. The pizza was OK, but they used pre-made crusts and so the onjly thing I could see that was great was the variety of unusual toppings, but that opesn teh door for disaster if you aren't smart. We got a black beans, rice, and cilantro pizza, which made the woman stop and look at it, as if that combination was new to her, which leads me to believe their typical customer isn't that creative.
Who is their typical customer? Well, mainly rock climbers, hikers, and the like. I know, because they sold all the equipment in the restaurant.
I also, figured out why it was so popular, since that equipment can be bought at almost any sporting goods place. You can camp out back for $2 a night.
That tells me one thing about these people though, they are only kind of outdoorsey. See, the real guys park somewhere central and then strap tents, bed rolls, and supplies to their backs and disappear for three days. I didn't see those guys, mainly because they weren't eating pizza made by a restaurant. They were eating god knows what cooked over a fire.
And after that we were done for the night. It was closing in on my daughter's bedtime and I was to a point where I would push myself too far if I kept going.
Next day, we headed out to the Natural Bridge portion of the gorge, which is owned by the state. I had two choices to get there, skylift or 8 mile hiking trail along a ridge line. OK, I had one choice. Skylift it was, and what a ride.
I love the free for children under three years of age to ride. I am not so fond of the, 'your arms are their safety restraints,' policy. But we made it incident free.
So, from there we have a short hike where we come out to see we are on top of the Natural Bridge formation.
And it quite literally is a massive stone formation bridging a gap between two ridge lines. Nothing on the sides to keep you safe from falling hundreds of feet.
And looking out you can see other rocky cliffs, much like I did from Chimney Top.
What you see there is a rocky outcropping on Laurel Ridge, which is the hiking trail you can take to get to Natural Bridge. Back by the skylift we found the end of that trail, which led us to that very same rocky outcropping.
Here you can see along Laurel Ridge, right to where the Natural Bridge begins.
And from there you can look to the left and see, Natural Bridge and get a true scope for how massive it is when you can see people walking across it.
After that our day was done. We were worn out and it was time for a nap.
We had seen geological effects at their finest and discovered exactly why this area is called the eastern Rockies. Most of the Kentucky mountains are fairly new mountains made of granite and limestone, some shale, and filled with coal. The majority of our bedrock is cave laden limestone. But here, in this small patch of forest geology coughed up some sandstone and let the water and air have its way with it.
And a few tourism pictures as my iPhone camera doesn't do enough justice.
It's nowhere near as beautiful as where you went though!
