Wolfe County

When we left the house we knew we were going to go to Natural Bridge, head to Beattyville in Lee County and head on further south from there.  It didn't quite work out that way.  After we left Natural Bridge, we took Highway 11 towards Beattyville and crossed into Wolfe County.  Next thing I knew, we were stopping.  I'll fill you in as to why, after we get our history fix.

WOLFE COUNTY BACKGROUND

Wolfe County was formed in 1860 from parts of Breathitt, Morgan, Owsley and Powell Counties.  It was the 110th county created in the Commonwealth.  It was named for Nathaniel Wolfe, a member of the Kentucky Legislature.  The City of Campton serves as the county seat.

The original courthouse was a log structure, that burned in 1884.  The second courthouse was completed in 1885 but burnt in 1913.  The 3rd and current courthouse was completed in 1917 and is a beaux-art influenced design.

Unfortunately, after searching for quite some time, I have found very little information on the history of Wolfe County.  If you have any information or resource the could help us write a better background, please share them with us.

OUR VISIT

Like I mentioned earlier, we had no intention of stopping in Wolfe County on this trip.  But, as we were heading down Highway 11, we came across Torrent Falls Resort.  As we drove by it, all of us in unison said, "What was that?".  So we turned around to check it out. 

It turns out it is a rock climbing / rappelling adventure park.  We were met by a nice young lady that explained all of the programs and trails that were offered.  Knowing we were on a schedule, we picked up all the information we could and have added it to our "Gotta go Back" list.  She did allow us to walk around and see the property and get a closer look at some of the climbing trails.

I know it doesn't seem like much, but we decided this was enough to qualify as our visit to Wolfe County.  We have talked about this before, we are just going to have to sacrifice and limit our visits in some counties.  So, we headed on to Lee County.

But the story doesn't stop there.  When we left Beattyville, we came back up Highway 11 towards the Mountain Parkway.  Right as we were about to cross the county line from Wolfe County back into Powell County, one of the boys said, check out that waterfall.  I about wrecked the car trying to get it stopped and turned around.  It turns out it wasn't really a water fall, but the runoff for Mill Creek Lake.  It is a great roadside park.  We got out and the boys and I walked up and down the spillway and even skipped a rock or two.

Again, it seems like we really shorted Wolfe County, but we truly enjoyed our time there.  I wish we didn't have to make sacrifices, but if we want to finish this project, we really have no choice.

The good news is, with the visit to Wolfe County we are 20% of our way through the 120 in 12.  Before we write about Lee County, I will be posting a video of all the pictures we've taken on the second set of 12 and a posting a little bit of reflection on where we've been and where we're headed.

Powell County

We set out on this weekend, planning on seeing four or five counties.  But as I've said before, our plans have a way of changing.  We knew we were going to go to Natural Bridge, which is in Powell County, head south from there and see where we ended up.  The thing is, we didn't get very far.  But every part of this day was a tremendous experience that you have no way of planning.  So, after we cover a little background on Powell County, I'll fill you in on the way the day started.

POWELL COUNTY BACKGROUND

Powell County was the 101st county formed in Kentucky.  It was formed by an act of the Legislature on January 7th, 1852 from parts of Clark, Estill and Montgomery Counties.  The county is named for Lazarus W. Powell, the 19th Governor of Kentucky and later represented Kentucky in the United States Senate.  The county seat is Stanton, which was known as Beaver Pond until 1852 and was incorporated in 1854.  The name was changed to honor U.S. House of Representative Richard M. Stanton from Kentucky.

The Powell County courthouse was burned by CSA guerrillas in 1863.  The second courthouse was built after the Civil War and was torn down in 1890 and replaced by a 2-story Victorian style building.  The third courthouse was demolished in 1977 and replaced with the current building.


Powell County is home to one of Kentucky's most well known landmarks, Natural Bridge.  It is a sandstone arch that stands 65 feet tall and 78 feet long.  The property surrounding the bridge was acquired in 1889 by the Kentucky Union Railway which later became a part of the Louisville Nashville Railroad.  In 1926 the railroad donated the lands to the state park system and Natural Bridge became one of the four original Kentucky State Parks.

The Red River Gorge is also situated in Powell County.  The Gorge is a part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.  While natural bridge is probably the most famous of Kentucky's natural arches, Red River Gorge is home to over 100 sandstone arches.  There are literally hundreds of trails, arches, rapids, cliffs and waterfalls in the Red River Gorge.

OUR VISIT

I would assume it's pretty easy to guess, that our trip to Powell County included a trip to Natural Bridge.  That was going to be the only thing on our trip, but on our way there, mom said we might as well swing into Stanton and see downtown.  It must have been divine guidance, because we were really glad we stopped.

Across the street from the courthouse, they have constructed a very nice memorial to our Armed Services.  It's a small park area that has large monument wall and individual statues representing each of the various branches.  It also has a 10 Commandments monument as well.  Here are a couple of pictures from the park.

We walked over to see the courthouse and the historical markers that were there.  But, I have to be honest.  Not that there is anything wrong with the courthouse there, I just really like the old 100+ year old courthouses. 

After we left Stanton, we headed out to Natural Bridge.  We love it there.  This was our second trip there already this year.  We had been there earlier in the summer, before we decided to start the 120 in 12.  So instead of cheating, we thought we needed to go back.  As always though, we were fighting the clock.  So instead of hiking up to the bridge, we decided to take the chair lift.  Which is not cheap, by the way.  Being aggravated by the price didn't last very long though.  My youngest son rode with me and we had the best time both riding up and coming down.  We whooped and hollered and tried to hear our echos.  We spoke to everyone that passed us either way.  It was one of the few times on this journey that he said he had a great time. 

When we reached the top, we hiked over to the bridge looked around for a few minutes, snapped a few pictures and we were on our way.  I'm not sure I can say this enough, there is just not enough time!  The thing is though, we had a great time and unbeknownst to us, we were about to have few more. 

For those of you keeping track, Powell County is number Twenty Three.

Don't give up on us now, we're about to make an unplanned stop in Wolfe County.  See you on the road...

Anderson County

After a long and eventful day, we finally made it to the stop we had been waiting for.  We planned our outing around the Burgoo Festival in Lawrenceburg.  We knew we were going to want to eat while we were there, so we set it up so that we would end up there in the late afternoon.  Mom got her burgoo, but it wasn't all that easy.  I'll fill you in after we cover a little history.

ANDERSON COUNTY BACKGROUND

Anderson County was formed by the Kentucky Legislature in January of 1827 and was the eighty second county formed.  It was created from parts of Franklin, Mercer and Washington Counties.  The county is named for Richard Clough Anderson, a noted Kentucky legislator, U.S. Congressman and  minister to Columbia.  The City of Lawrenceburg serves as the county seat.

While doing research for this post, I have not been able to find much history on Anderson County, but I have found several "claims to fame".  The first of which is, it is the home of Wild Turkey Bourbon.  Wild Turkey has a heritage that goes back over 150 years.  The cantilever railroad bridge running into the distillery was built in 1889 is known as Young's High Bridge  and is one of the oldest still in use in the country.

Four Roses Bourbon, established in 1888, is also produced in Anderson County. 

The City of Lawrenceburg and Anderson County were the sets for several scenes in the well known 1967 film The Flim-Flam Man.  The infamous courthouse scene was filmed at the Anderson County Courthouse.

OUR VISIT

Well, we planned our entire day around the Burgoo Festival.  We finally made our way to Lawrenceburg after seeing 3 other counties earlier in the day.  Mom had talked about getting burgoo all day long!  The entire Lawrenceburg downtown was set up for the festival.  Main Street had lots of different vendors while a parallel street had all the food vendors and there were rides and games set up in a small park.  We wound our way around taking it all in before we comitted to buying anything.  The bad news, we only found one vendor that was selling burgoo!

As you can imagine, after seeing what burgoo is, the boys had NO interest in eating any.  So, mom and I got a bowl to share and the boys got roasted corn on the cob and a hot dog.  We found a spot to sit down and made quick work of the bowl.  It was really good, we were just hoping to sample several different kinds.  But it wasn't in the stars.  After we finished eating, we let the boys play a few games, in the carnival area and then it was time to head home.  Had we known we weren't going to sample several different varieties, we probably would have reversed our route and stopped in Anderson County first.

Even though we were a little disappointed in our meal, the over all trip was good.  We had had a very interesting day, and learned quite a bit of history.  We had already started planning our next outing.  Our plan is to head a little southeast.  Keep an eye out for us!

See you on the road...

Washington County

Well, we've been to Nevada, seen the site of the bloodiest battle in Kentucky history, now we are standing in Texas!  Every time we leave the house on the 120 in 12, we never know what to expect.  The amazing thing is, we have yet to be disappointed.  So, here we are in Washington County on our way to Anderson County (mom is really hollering for some burgoo).  Washington County, oddly enough has deep roots with our 16th President Abraham Lincoln.  But, I'll cover all of that in more detail in our history lesson.

WASHINGTON COUNTY BACKGROUND

Washington County was formed in 1792 from parts of Nelson County.  It was the 10th county in the order of formation but was the first county formed after Kentucky became a state.  The county is named for none other than George Washington and the city of Springfield is the county seat.  The courthouse, built in 1816, is the oldest courthouse still in use in Kentucky.

Washington County is known for its tie to the Lincoln family history.  President Lincoln's grandfather, Abraham, Sr. relocated his family to Washington County in 1782 and settled about five miles north of Springfield, in an area known as Beechland.  Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, the presidents parents, were married in Washington County by Jesse Head, a Methodist minister in 1806.  The original marriage records are still located in the Washington County Courthouse.

At the Lincoln Homestead State Park, they showcase a replica of the log cabin in which Bersheba Lincoln, the president's grandmother raised her five children.  It is located on the traditional site of the original cabin.  The park also boasts The Berry House.  Nancy Hanks, the president's mother lived in this original home.  It is believed that Thomas Lincoln proposed to her in this house standing before the huge fireplace.

There is also a memorial to Nancy Hanks Lincoln on the property.

It is interesting to note that Jacob Beam, founder of Jim Beam Whiskey, sold his first barrel of whiskey in Washington County.

OUR VISIT

Our visit to Washington County started with a brief stop in Texas.  I guess it only seems appropriate, seeing how we had just left Nevada.  We actually missed it the first time.  I was driving pretty fast down U.S. 150 and we passed a little crossroads and I said, "Did that sign say Texas?".  So we turned around and went back.  Sure enough, we had flown right through Texas.   We stopped jumped out, snapped a picture and headed on to Springfield.

The first thing we did was stop at the old courthouse.  There is a memorial there to all the soldiers past and present from Washington County.  The funny thing is, I got a picture of the memorial but none of the courthouse.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I completely missed it.

Right across the street is the new county courthouse.  and out front is  a ten foot tall sculpture of President Lincoln.  The back of the statue has a plaque giving a brief history of the Lincoln family in Washington County.  You will find a picture, earlier in this post.  After reading all the information there, we decided to find our way out to the state park.

When we got there the park was about to close, so we did not pay for the tour.  Instead, we walked around on our own, again taking in all the literature that was available.  They had several pieces of furniture and other belongings that they claim were made and owned by Thomas Lincoln.  It's pretty cool to actually touch a piece of history.

As usual, we had miles to go before we slept, so jumped on the road towards Anderson County.  Mom was finally gonna get the burgoo she had waited for all day.

See you at number twenty-two.

Boyle County

We had no intention of visiting Boyle County on this outing.  But like I mentioned in my last post, we HAD to visit Nevada and Texas on this trip.  All it takes is a quick look at a map and it's not hard to figure out, that if you're in Nevada and want to go to Texas, you have to go through Perryville.  We knew we didn't have the time go to Danville, but Perryville would make a good stop for us, so we decided to check it out.

BOYLE COUNTY BACKGROUND

Boyle County was formed in 1842 from parts of Lincoln and Mercer counties.  It was the ninety-fourth county formed in Kentucky.  The county seat is Danville.  The county is named for John Boyle a prominent Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Congressman, and U.S. District Judge. 

Danville is considered "The City of Firsts" for being the first in many different areas.  Some of these are, it was the location of the first courthouse in Kentucky, had the first U.S. Post Office west of the Alleghenies, home to the first college in the west and was also the first Capital of Kentucky.

Boyle County / Danville is also home to Centre College.  Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders and was officially charted by the Commonwealth in January of 1819.  The school gets its name from being located in the geographical center of Kentucky.  Centre boasts a literal Who's Who in America among its alumni.  Today they offer 27 majors on a 152 acre campus containing 66 building, 14 of which are on the National Historical Register.  Please visit this page for a complete look at the history of Centre College.

Perryville is the site of the largest Civil War battle in Kentucky.  It has also been described as one of the bloodiest battles in modern times.  The Union suffered 4,421 casualties with a force of 22,000  -  28,000 men.  They were as follows: 845 killed, 2,851 wounded and 515 captured or missing.  The Confederacy employed 16,000 troops, of which there were casualties of 3,396.  Those losses were as follows: 510 killed, 2,635 wounded and 251 captured or missing.  Writing a brief narrative of something so monumental to American and Kentucky history is next to impossible.  I encourage you to visit the official webpage of the battle.  You can find it at http://www.battleofperryville.com/ .

OUR VISIT

We anticipated a short visit to Boyle County on our way to Texas.  A quick stop at the Perryville Battlefield and then move on down the road.  I was vaguely familiar with the Battle of Perryville, but didn't know many details.  Before we went to the battlefield we stopped in town, because I saw one of the painted wall advertisements that I like so much.   After a quick stop there, we made our way towards the battlefield.  It was a lot further outside of town than I expected. 

The entrance to the park is impressively unimposing.  From the entrance, you would have no idea you were about to visit a place that saw the death of over 1,300 men.  Once you find yourself inside the park, it is hard to imagine that such a horrible tragedy happened in a place as beautiful as this.  It is a prime example of the rolling hills of the bluegrass.  The park offers memorials to both the United States and Confederate soldiers who died or were wounded that day.  Just like in my last post, I would not be doing the memories of these fine men of both sides any justice if I did not show you pictures of the memorials.

 We ended up spending a lot more time there than we had anticipated.  We found ourselves reading and studying all of the markers around the park.  When you're standing there it is hard to even conceive a battle the size of the one that took place there.  On top of all the men that were killed there that day in early October, 1862, almost 5,500 men were wounded.  The devastation was so great and the losses so big, the Confederacy never returned to Kentucky in great force again.  With this battle the state stayed firmly in the Union.

Time was running short and we had two more counties to see.  So we loaded up jumped on U.S. 150 for the quick ride to Texas on our way to Springfield in Washington County.

Campbell County

The visit to Campbell County was a no-brainer.  We make this every year on the same day.  The Sunday before Labor Day.  We love the City of Newport and always make the trek there to watch the WEBN Fireworks.  We have made this trip probably 15 of the last 20 years.  And as always it was a great trip.  And as much as I want to tell you about it, first we have to cover the history.

CAMPBELL COUNTY BACKGROUND

Campbell County is one of three counties lining the northern tip of Kentucky south of Cincinnati.  It was formed in December of 1794 from parts of Scott, Harrison and Mason counties.  The county's namesake is Colonel John Campbell a Revolutionary War hero.  One of the unique features I noticed about Campbell County during my research is the number of times the county seat has been moved.  It was originally in Wilmington then moved to Newport, then Visilia, back to Newport and finally ended up in Alexandria.  Along with moving the county seat, in 1883 the Kentucky Legislature created a special law that allowed Campbell County to form a courthouse district.  This change in the law allowed the county to conduct county business in Newport, in addition to its legal requirement to conduct business in Alexandria.  As far as I can tell this is the only place in Kentucky where this is done.

Campbell County is home to Northern Kentucky University.  NKU is located in Highland Heights just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati.  The school started as an extension of the University of Kentucky in 1943.  After merging with the Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 1971, the school finally became known as Northern Kentucky University in 1976.  In recent years NKU has spent close to $100 million in expansion and building projects.

There are numerous cities and small town located in Campbell County.  However, none are as infamous as Newport.  It used to be said "before there was Las Vegas, there was Newport".  Newport used to be home to upscale casinos on Monmouth Street.  When investigations and charges of racketeering forced the casinos out, peep shows and strip clubs took over.  But revitalization efforts in the 1980's and 90's helped create a family friendly atmosphere.  In May of 1999 the $40 million Newport Aquarium and Newport on the Levee entertainment complex was opened.  Today it is a hot spot for kids and adults alike.

Campbell County and the community of Southgate were thrust on the worlds stage on Memorial Day weekend  1977.  The famous Beverly Hills Supper Club caught fire and burned to the ground that night.  The Club was a notorious nightclub and illegal gambling house since the 1930's.  It is believed that close to 3,000 patrons and 182 employees were inside the club on the night of the fire.  Before the night was over, 165 person were killed and over 200 were injured.   The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire is the 3rd deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history.  This tragedy changed building code enforcement nationwide.  It was also the first disaster case tried as a class action.

OUR VISIT

Our visit to Campbell County started as a drive north on US 27 out of Pendleton County.  As we were driving, looking at the map, I noticed the Campbell County Lake not far off of the highway, so we decided to check it out.  We had never even heard of the place and didn't know what to expect.  It turns out that there is all kinds of road construction in the area and I gave the GPS fits trying to get to where we wanted to be.  But we finally made it.  The lake is owned by the Campbell County Fiscal Court and the area serves as a recreation center for numerous activities, including fishing, soccer, golf and frisbee golf.  The facilities were very, very nice.  It makes me wish we had something like that here at home.  As you can tell by the picture, Roadkill loved the place.

After we left the lake, we decided we should stop at NKU.  We have seen so many other colleges and universities we thought we should see this one too.  That stop was one of the best decisions we've made since we started this adventure.  None of us had ever been the NKU campus before and expected it to be similar to all the others.  We were wrong!  It is a clean, beautiful, modern campus.  Being a holiday weekend there were not many people around, so we had the place to ourselves.  As you can see, we made some new friends.  Then, when it was time to leave the boys didn't want to go.  That has not happened much on the 120.

We got back in the car and jumped back on US 27.  Our final destination was Newport.  As we were driving along, I saw the Highway Marker for the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire.  I slammed on the brakes, did a u-turn and headed back to see it.  I was 7 years old when the fire happened and I remember the stories on the news and the attention that it drew.  I never really knew where it was, so I was interested in seeing for myself.  Today though, the driveway is gated and is grown over with weeds and bushes, but I got a picture of the marker and now know where it happened.

It had been a long day and we had not eaten lunch yet.  Everyone was starving!  The good news for me is, I can't hardly go to Newport and not eat at the Hofbrauhaus.  It is one of my favorite restaurants ever.  Surprisingly the wait wasn't too long, to be the afternoon of Riverfest.  The downside was it cost $20 to park.  Hofbrauhaus is such a fun place.  Everyone has a good time and the German food and music are top notch.  We sat there and enjoyed the food and atmosphere for almost an hour and a half.

Once we decided to leave, we headed over to Newport on the Levee.  A lot of the businesses had started to close in preparation of the night's festivities.  So, since we had a good parking spot (and had paid $20 for it) we headed back to the car and people watched until it was time for the fireworks.  With about thirty minutes to go we got out and headed toward the river.  After being run off by the police from our first spot we decided to grab a spot on the wall on Saratoga Street.  Launch time was 9:05.  We had a great view plus we were able to make a quick exit when it was over and beat the rush.  Like I mentioned earlier, the fireworks this year were the best I had ever seen.  They had over 7,000 shells and shot a third of those in the last 3 minutes.  The total show lasted a little over half an hour.  This trip is one of the highlights of our year, year in and year out.

When the show was over, we jumped back on US 27 and headed towards home.  Since Monday was a holiday, we were going to take advantage and try to see at least 4 more.  Stay tuned and we'll fill you in on Nicholas, Fleming, Rowan and Bath counties.

See you on the road...

Pendleton County

It seems like it has been forever since I set down here and posted something.  Time is the enemy even when we aren't on the road.  I can't seem to find time to write. 

But we finally made it out on Sunday afternoon over Labor Day weekend.  The problem is we didn't really get out of town until after 2:00 pm, so we started out short on time.  But we managed to get two counties in.  The first stop was up US 27 in Pendleton County.  I'll fill you in after we cover a little background.

PENDLETON COUNTY BACKGROUND

Pendleton County was formed in 1798 by act of the Kentucky General Assembly from parts of Bracken and Campbell Counties.  The county was named for Edmund Pendleton a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the Continental Congress and Chief justice of Virginia. 

Falmouth is the largest city and the county seat. The city was founded where the South and Main Forks of the Licking River meet.  As a result, Falmouth has been known for its natural disasters.  Major damage was done to the cities of Falmouth and Butler when the river flooded 19 feet above flood stage in April of 1964.  Then in March of 1968 a large tornado caused extensive damage totaling nearly $7 million.  The worst devestation took place in the flood of March 1997.  That year, the river crested at 52 feet which is 24 feet above flood stage.  This left nearly 80% of the city under water.  In that disaster, five people lost their lives and over 600 homes were flooded.

Falmouth is known as the landing spot for Colonel Henry Byrd of the British army.  Col. Byrd commanded British, French and Indian force numbering close to 600 as they marched Ruddle's Station in Bourbon and Harrison Counties.

Pendleton County was one of the first counties in the Commonwealth to raise tobacco.  It was a heavy burley known as twist-bud and was used for chewing and snuff.

The Falmouth Outlook has been serving Pendleton County since 1907.  You can visit their website here.

The county is also home to Kincaid Lake and Kincaid Lake State Resort Park.

OUR VISIT

The first thing we did was visit a subdivision that some friends of mine developed in the mid 1980's.  Nothing really exciting to see there, just wanted to point it out to mom and the boys.  After that, we headed downtown Falmouth.  We spent some time checking out the courthouse and the surrounding square.  It is laid out differently than any other county seat we have visited so far.  It's very unique and has several different monuments and memorials there.

When we vere finished downtown we took a drive over one of the small bridges across the Licking River.  The problem was, it had us going the wrong way, so we turned around and headed back towards US 27.  We had a date to keep in Campbell County.

A little planning

Last weekend, we had every intention of visiting at least 3 counties.  The plan was, to head east.  But we ended up heading west.

West on I-64 until we reached the Kentucky State Fair.  For those of you that don't know, the State Fair hosts an exhibit they call "Main Street".  This year, 67 counties were represented.  So we had the opportunity to get information on 67 of Kentucky's counties.  We had a good time and met a lot of nice mpeople that we will try to look up on our travels.  Several of the counties went out their way to offer us ideas on what to do when we visited.  Some even gave us ideas that were not on the "beaten path".  We found out things to do in some places that only locals know about.

So, while we got a little behind because we didn't visit any counties, we now have the information we need to do some much needed planning.  But look at the mess of information we ended up with.

I do have one question, though.  Should we count the State Fair as our visit to Jefferson Couny? (By the way, my vote is NO.)

See you on the road...

Some thoughts after getting thru the first 12...

It's not taken long for us to learn a few lessons and to figure out just how the 120 in 12 is going to go.  We started this journey on August 1 and have to be finished by July 31, 2011.  In twenty one days, we have seen twelve counties out of one hundred and twenty.  I'm glad we have gotten off on such a good start, because life is about to slow us down.  School has started, soccer has started and basketball isn't that far off.  Our time is really going to be limited and we won't be able to see counties in groups of four or five like we have been.  The problem is, we have to average 10 counties a month.  Thats 2.5 per week and with all that is going on till the end of the year, we will be lucky to average 2 per week.  If that ends up being the case, we will be way behind by the first of the year.  But never fear, we will persevere and get through them all!  The map above shows the counties we have visited so far.

I'm not sure our rules for this project have been completely laid out, I will list them here, so as you read our posts you will know why we may have done what we did.

1. Put our feet on the ground in all 120 Kentucky Counties in 12 months time.
2. We don't have to visit anything in particular, just visit the county.
3. Take a few pictures to record our visit.

4. Lastly, we have to learn something we did not know about the county.

Pretty simple rules.  The down side is, some counties will really be shorted because of the time factor and others will see a lot more of us because there is so much to do or we have had something recommened to us.

If you've been reading all of our posts, I have been listing some of the issues we have faced so far.  The biggest issue is time.  Although it's not one of the rules, we want to take the road less traveled and avoid the Interstates or major highways as much as possible.  This truly allows us to see the counties we are visiting.  Unfortunately, traveling takes a little longer on these roads.

The other issue I have notice is, the first county we visit on a multiple county day gets the longest visit.  By the time we reach our last county we are out of time and have stop, look around, take a picture and head home.  Hopefully we will get better at planning our trips and distribute our time more evenly.  This will be a neccesity with the limited time we are going to have over the next few months.  My guess is, we will be making some short nearby county trips in the evenings to help keep our average up.

The last "problem" is the amount of time it takes to research the background info on each county.  I have up to two hours of writing time in each post.  A few of them are under an hour but the average is probably about 90 minutes.  I have to figure out how to become a better researcher.

Those are about all the issues we have experienced.  And those issues pale in comparison to the time we have spent together and the things we have learned.  I would rank this as some of the best Family Time we have ever had.

Just a few thoughts on the counties we have visited so far.  I have traveled a lot more than mom and the boys, so I have been to several of the places we have visited and will visit.  But there are a few that I had not been to and some things that have stood out to me.

One of the first things that comes to mind is, I had no idea there was a Federal Prison in McCreary County.  I had never been to the University of the Cumberlands campus.  I have been to Bell County and the Cumberland Gap, but I did not know that Middlesboro was built entirely in a meterorite crater.  Like I mentioned in my Laurel County post, I had eaten at the original Kentucky Fried Chicken before, but didn't mind doing it again with the boys.  That place is rightfully a National Landmark.  KFC is a huge part of American pop culture.  Living in Central Kentucky I have heard of Bybee Pottery and have even owned a piece, but had never been there.  I never realized the long history that they have.  What can I say about Rabbit Hash?  We loved it there!  It's places like that we wished we had more time.  Then there was the Jackass Farm.  How do we ever beat that?

Don't take it as these are the only places we have liked.  In fact, we have enjoyed each and every stop.  You'll notice on the right side of the page an ever growing list of places we will return to when this is all over.  I'm afraid by the time this over, that list will be over 100 items long.  This project could go on for years!

I hope all of you are enjoying this as much as we are.  I encourage you to sign up and follow the 120 in 12.  The response we have gotten so far has been amazing.  Everyone wants to know where we've been and where we are headed next.  I can't speak for the rest of them, but I love talking about it.  If you have any suggestions on places to visit, places to avoid, places to eat or if you want to join us sometime, please let us know.  For those of you who don't know us, I'm sure you'll recognize Roadkill if you see him.  If you do, come on over and say hello.

See you on the road...