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| Raccoon Valley RV |
Land Between the Lakes
We arrived at our destination in Grand Rivers, KY on Thursday May 23rd, Tween the Lakes RV Park is not
quite as we expected but is OK: cement pad, full hookup, convenient and inexpensive. There is
no office or pool, but there is an on-site manager. We have very few neighbors, not a lot of rigs
here so it is quiet and the WIFI mostly works OK. What more could we want?
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Tween the Lakes RV Park Grand Rivers, KY
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Our first venture was to the Information Center in Grand
Rivers where we collected a pile of information about the area here, known as “Land
Between the Lakes” (LBL), an area between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley which is a very busy tourist, boating, and fishing area.
Like Smoky Mountain National Park, residents were removed from their farms years ago to consolidate the land. But unlike Smoky Mountain NP, this area was consolidated in order to solve the seasonal flooding problems that had severely impacted the areas around the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. The two hydro-electric dams not only provide electricity, but the fishing and camping opportunities in this part of Kentucky are extraordinary!
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| Lake Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River |
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Kentucky Lake Dam from the Fishing Pier
on the Tennessee River |
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Although the temperature was in the 90's -
beautiful breezes made it a great day
touring Kentucky Lake |
Paducah, Ky
That same afternoon we drove to Paducah, about 20 miles from us, to the Kentucky Visitor Center, also known as Whitehaven, a beautiful old plantation home built just after the end of the Civil War. The lady at the Center was wonderful and really knew a lot about the western part of Kentucky. We left there with enough information to keep us busy for weeks.
Grand Rivers, Ky
Saturday we toured Grand Rivers and had a burger at Craig's Dairy Dream, a small local burger restaurant recommended by the tourist information lady at Whitehaven. Excellent burgers and fries.
We also went to the local viewing pier and watched a couple
of eagles hunting for fish on Kentucky Lake. Very nice area but not very busy
considering it was Memorial Day weekend.
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| We saw the eagles from this point! |
This past week we
visited a local meat and farm stand and tried some local sausage, stopped at a
couple of Farmer’s Market’s, and visited Casey Jones Distillery where we tasted some
local bourbon and a touch of moonshine. Pretty strong stuff!
Another day we toured
LBL area including a visit to the Barkley Lake Dam and a Bison and Elk preserve
where we did see some bison but no elk. Probably too hot considering every day
so far has been in the 90’s.
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| Buffalo taking a dust bath to cool off |
Fort Donelson, TN
Friday we explored Fort Donelson National Battlefield which is just across the border in Tennessee.We were amazed to learn the importance of Fort Donelson to the Civil War. The battle for Fort Donelson was General U.S. Grant’s first major victory of the war and exposed the Confederate Western Front to the Union troops and therefore control of the major rivers in the area. Seemingly it was this battle after which Grant's initials U.S., were said to stand from Unconditional Surrender!
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Ironclads behind the bend in the distance fired on Fort Donelson-
The last of the trench/dirt embankment forts |
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| Dover Hotel-Surrender Site |
Rods and Ribs - Central City, Ky
On Saturday we drove
to Central City, KY where we enjoyed a festival called Rods N Ribs. It was
about an hour drive but definitely worth the ride. Numerous nice old
car and trucks to view and plenty of BBQ to eat.
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| Tru Blu BBQ-won the past 8 years and were hoping for a 9th- We would vote for them. They're from Marion Ky |
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| These guys had a long line and a great name. They may have been Central City natives. |
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| Some guys were advertising their skills |
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| A COE - Cab Over Engine - Not too many of these babies still around! |
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| The paint job on this car is AMAZING! |
Central City Where the Music Never Stops
Central City is also
the home of the Everly Brothers, John Prine, and Merle Travis. We had not heard
of John Prine or Merle Travis but I’m sure my cousin Larry and our friend Stan
Jr. who are both musicians, would know of them. They wrote many songs we’ve
heard of but never thought about who wrote them.
We were pleased to learn that Don Everly lives in Las Vegas with his mother who is in her mid 90's.
Finishing off the week with a TV Golf Tournament
On our way back to the RV we stopped at another Walmart for
a few supplies and the corner liquor store to restock our wine supply. Sunday
we decided to sit around the RV and watch some golf and plan our next week.
John Prine was featured on CBS Sunday Morning recently. It's neat to go into these small towns who honor the music industry. IE... Merritt, BC where the Canadian Country Music Hall of fame is located. For LBL, we stayed at the very bottom of the park at Piney Campground. Sounds like you are off to a great start - we just arrived home and are starting to "load in" Belle. Still waiting for your reaction to the National Quilt Museum - can NOT go to Paducah and skip it... :-)
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