Mikey on the balcony at our room.

The view, through the balcony railing, from our room.

Mikey pumping the water out of his fishing boat after the overnight rains.

Mikey and his boat launching buddy.

He’s off on his adventure.

Sadly, the fish are not biting for anyone but we are still enjoying our time here.

This is a US Coast Guard tug pushing some equipment. Again, taken from our deck.

Got boats?

A boat being dry docked.

A special display at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah.

The National Tribute Quilt (picture below) Courtesy 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Gift of the American Folk Art Museum, New York, In honor of the Steel Quilters: Kathy S. Crawford, Amber M. Dalley, Jian X Li, and Dorothy L. Simback with the help of countless others in tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America.

Description: Quilt composed of more than 3,000 fabric squares creating a large mosaic that depicts the lower Manhattan skyline with the Twin Towers. The quilt is titled The National Tribute Quilt and is composed of six panels, with the individual blocks containing international flags, patriotic symbols, and many with the name of a victim. Panel one, on the far left, is dedicated to the victims of the four hijacked flights. The four panels in the center are dedicated to the World Trade Center victims. The panel on the far right is dedicated to Pentagon victims.

Historical Notes: After 9/11, four women in Pennsylvania mounted a grassroots effort to create a quilt that would honor all who were killed as a result of the attacks. Employees of the United States Steel Corporation, the women called themselves the Steel Quilters. Their effort was partly a response to the death of a coworker's son, Lawrence Don Kim, who worked at the World Trade Center. By March 2002, the Steel Quilters had stitched or received nearly 3,500 fabric squares from contributors in all 50 states and five countries. Most of the squares bear names of 9/11 victims, functioning as individual tributes within the collective memorial.

Along Water Street, from Broadway south to Kentucky Avenue, Paducah’s rich and vibrant river history is portrayed in a full block of colorful images, displayed chronologically beginning with the early native Indian heritage to present-day river activities. Paducah’s original establishment at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers remains a vital part of the city’s success and productivity. The thriving river industry, which stayed mostly hidden behind the 12.5 mile earthen and concrete floodwall for decades, is becoming more visible. There are a total of 50 murals so I’m sharing just a few of my favorites. \240They all are beautifully painted and very well done.

This Mikado type steam locomotive is dedicated to Illinois Central men and women, past and present, and to the importance of the railroad to Paducah's history and commerce. No. 1518 is the last "Iron Horse" owned by the ICRR. Engines built or rebuilt in the Paducah shops many years until 1960, played a prominent role in the age of steam.
Locomotive donated by Illinois Central Railroad.

We are off to Bowling Green, KY and the National Corvette Museum. \240Bowling Green is home to the world’s only General Motors Corvette Assembly plant. \240Lots of really nice cars and some that are really bizarre. Just took a few pictures of ones similar to what a person may have seen on the streets of Doo-Dah over the years.

The National Corvette Museum made international news headlines on February 12, 2014 when a sinkhole collapsed in the Skydome of the Museum in the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, no one was in the building when it happened, but security cameras were rolling to catch the incident on camera. \240Corvettes are eye-catching, even when they lay mangled in the bottom of a 30 foot sinkhole. \240“Some tears were shed,” is how Museum Executive Director Wendell Strode described the news of eight Corvettes falling victim to the sinkhole.

All eight of the “sinkhole Corvettes” remain on display. \240two Corvettes were restored by General Motors. The other six cars look just as they did after being rescued from the sinkhole. The 1962 Black Convertible will undergo repair in the museum’s new Maintenance and Preservation Department.

It turned in to a rainy afternoon and some attractions closed early. So we were unable to go to the Mammoth and Lost River caves.

The marina at Lighthouse Landing.

The sunsets and the lake/river activity as seen from our deck continues to amaze this Kansas girl.

I took the long way back to the cabin and enjoyed some new scenery along the way. The reds and oranges are starting to pop through the greens and yellows in a few places.

Took a nice drive up north to a ferry location that shuttles vehicles across the Ohio River to Illinois. There was really no reason for us to cross so we didn’t wait to get a turn and also didn’t get any pictures.

On the drive back, came across an Amish country store and of course we had to stop. We left there with a couple of things for our sweet tooths.

Enjoyed our last sunset from our cabin deck at Lighthouse Landing. Couldn’t help but think that this special sunset was a result of Seany Boy’s birthday party in Heaven The sunsets here have rivaled our great Kansas sunsets. I think this is the first time I’ve ever said that on any of my travels.

The Nada Tunnel, a one way tunnel, is known as The Gateway to The Red River Gorge so, of course, we had to drive through it. \240The tunnel is 12 feet wide, 13 feet high and 900 feet long. \240The Nada tunnel only used to be 12 feet by 12 feet, but there was once a train load of logs that tried to pass through and got stuck.The train had to be blasted free, which then created an extra foot of height at the top (not my picture).

Angel Windows Trail, Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest

Chimney Top Trail, Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest. The scenic overlook towers 400 feet over the Red River.

Cave Run Lake is an 8,270 acre lake providing flood protection and clean water supply. \240Reportedly the best Muskie lake in the south.

Patiently waiting as the reds and oranges start peeking out

Most of today was occupied by the Natural Bridge. We rode the sky lift up and hiked our way down. It was a bit of a wild ride in places.

We encountered another one way “tunnel” but this one was for humans.

Mikey doesn’t look quite so tall standing by this boulder on the trail

\240

From our balcony this evening.

We stopped on the way back to enjoy Cumberland Falls, which is known as the “Niagara of the South” and were greeted by a rainbow. \240The falls are 125 feet wide and drop 60 feet into the boulder-strewn gorge below.

We were able to snap one unusual photo — a three-horse drawn wagon. It isn’t the greatest photo because I wasn’t fast enough to catch up with them. The Big South Fork NRRA caters to the equine community. \240There are special accommodations at some camp sites for horses. The BSF has the largest network of public horse trails east of the Mississippi River. \240There are 180 miles of horse trails in the Big South Fork NRRA. \240Almost all of them offer spectacular rides through scenic wonderlands. \240There is even a lodge that is only accessible by horse or foot.

The view from the Cumberland Falls lodge’s large patio. A little fog settled in the valley.

Here’s the cabin.

An historic farmstead preserved in the Roan Mountain SRP.

Other random shots driving through the park.

Watauga Lake, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest, is 1,959 feet above sea level. \240Watauga Lake (6,430 acres) is only accessible by winding mountain roads. \240Because of its relatively difficult road access, Watauga Lake is lightly touristed. Even though there is 105 miles of shoreline, development is limited by the steep shoreline. \240MIke was able to fish for a short time from a pier. Still only fishing, no catching.

We made our way back to the cabin on an incredibly scenic byway which was actually in North Carolina. Along the way, we came across this ice cream stand (not my picture) in Valle Crucis, NC for a quick treat. We were concerned about getting back to the cabin before dark and didn’t stop to take pictures on the drive but we did get our ice cream.

We had seen other deer in Roan Mountain SRP, but these guys were the ones that were there to tell us bye right after we checked out.

A shot of Gatlinburg taken from in front of Ripley’s aquarium and some Shocker frogs in the aquarium.

The view from our VRBO home for the next four nights. \240Our stay comes with a stocked fishing pond which MIke quickly put to the test. No big ones yet but finally a couple “catches”.

Off to explore Fall Creek Falls State Park. It is one of Tennessee’s largest and most visited state parks. The park encompasses more than 29,800 acres sprawled across the eastern top of the rugged Cumberland Plateau.  Cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber can be found in the park.

Fall Creek Lake (345 acres) provides catches of Largemouth Bass and is home to state record catches for Channel Catfish and Bluegill. Anglers enjoy bank and wade fishing in creeks throughout the park.

Fall Creek Falls, at 256 feet, is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. Other waterfalls in the park include Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls and Cane Creek Cascades.

Continuing through the park on the scenic loop drive. Wonder how a “loop” qualifies to be “scenic”. I feel like we’ve been pretty much on a continuous scenic loop for a few weeks now.

MIke rented a jon boat to fish on Fall Creek Lake today. So today’s pictures were taken on the water from the jon boat. \240Not the best weather day as it started out cloudy and rainy. It was breezy all day but the sun did come out in the afternoon.

…and he caught a largemouth bass!

This schoolhouse remains from before the Fall Creek Falls State Park was established.

We weren’t the only ones arriving today. There is a Major League Fishing tournament starting on Thursday. Supposed to be around 240 competitors.

Part of one of the marinas on Pickwick Lake.

MIke is fishing with a guide this afternoon. I entertained myself by seeing firsthand how a professional fishing tournament works. Once the fishermen dock their boats, they take the fish from the live well and put them in a carrying bag with water. Once they are weighed in, each bag is taken to the live release boat. This boat collects the live fish and returns and releases the fish back to the lake. \240The “fishing is tough right now” theme continues. Some did not catch any. Many only had one fish in their bag. There were a few that had five. Each fisherman can only weigh in their best five fish.

And finally, some catching for MIke. \240A great way to wrap up a fabulous trip and start the trip home tomorrow.