Cumberland Gap and Cumberland Falls

I have been meaning to start this blog for some months.  As so many of my friends know, we picked up and packed up, lock stock and corgi, and headed south from the wilds of Northern Michigan to the wilds of Southern Kentucky in July.  We have worked very hard the past few months on the house and the barns and getting settled.  There is still a lot to do and a lot of things to blog about.  But we decided to take a day off this week and took a day trip to Cumberland Gap and Cumberland Falls in Eastern Kentucky.  (You can look these places up on Wikipedia to read more about them).  I have been to the Gap a few times and adore it.  And there is so much more there to see and we will be going back and touring the cave, the Hensley Settlement and the trails in the future.  But I wanted to give Jerry a taste of Kentucky that he hadn't seen. Well, ok, he's actually seen very little of the state as I have.  So we will enjoy exploring it together and since we are near the Tennessee state line, will be making trips down to that area, too.  So sit back and enjoy our day trip!

Here are photos of Cumberland Falls, the largest ones this side of the Mississippi and below Niagara, I hope I have that correct.

Here is Jerry with Promise who does not look too happy about the second trail name:

 This is the Cumberland river just above the falls:

 Jerry and Promise at the entrance of the Park:

 During a full moon, you can see a "Moonbow".  We have a full moon right now.  Maybe we will go see it next spring:

 Cumberland Falls:

 Looking down the river after the Falls:

 Jerry, Promise and Trinity near the edge of the Falls:

 Looking at the falls from downstream.  I kind of like this photo:

 Looking downstream again:

 This neat rock formation is across the river:

 This is such a pretty waterfall!

Me in front of the Falls with Promise and Trinity:

 Me, again:

 Jerry looking very serious:

 Neat photo looking down from the path that winds around the area:

 Wild Holly trees!

 Yet further downstream.  For some reason this reminds me of photos taken at Yellowstone:

 Trail that goes down further from the Falls:

 The corgis did not want to go on the Trails, though:

 Cumberland River just approaching the Falls:

 After we spent a couple of hours here, we drove on over to Cumberland Gap.  What a wonderful place, and so much to do there but we basically just went up to the top of the Pinnacle and then went to the Visitor center and hit the bathroom.  Of course, I spent a few minutes in the gift shop and got a few small Christmas presents.

View from the Pinnacle:

 Looking to the right of the Pinnacle:

 

 Jerry loves this view!  Just wait til I take him to see Clingman's Dome!

 It's one of my favorite places in the world!

 Jerry stands with his left foot in Tennessee and his right foot in Kentucky.

 The paths are now paved with asphalt since the last time I was here.  Very nice!

 Cannon on the site of Fort Lyon.  This didn't look like a Civil War cannon to me, but more like something more modern used in World War II:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Gap_National_Historical_Park
http://www.nps.gov/cuga/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Falls