I awoke before seven, dressed, and went for my morning walk around the grounds of the lodge, enjoying the views of the treeline along the Licking River shrouded in heavy fog. By the time Klep was up and enjoying his coffee on the deck, the fog had lifted, leaving us a cool blue morning filled with the sound of birdsong.
On our way to the first covered bridge of the day, we stopped at an Amish store, Yoder's Country Market, just knowing they would have fried pies. They were all sold out, so we got a couple of sandwiches made with bread baked there, slices of country ham with Swiss cheese and fresh Kentucky tomatoes to have for our picnic.
one like this remaining in Kentucky.
We backtracked to find the road to our next two bridges. Grange City Covered Bridge is several miles south of Hillsboro. Eighty-six feet long, the design of this one is "multiple king post truss", a design where the bracing is done with a series of upright timbers all inclined toward the center post.
We drove though rolling hills carpeted with green soy beans to find our last covered bridge of the day, Ringo's Mill Bridge which had the same design as the Grange City. It was 89 feet long and was named after a grist mill that was located on the creek. Although it is closed to traffic, we could walk through it. This is where we ate our lunch sitting on a shady bench under a big hickory tree with the sound of cicadas.Our terrain changed drastically between morning and mid afternoon when we arrived at the Red River Gorge Loop Road that runs through the Red River Gorge, a canyon system on the Red River of east-central Kentucky. Most of the gorge is inside the Daniel Boone National Forest and it is a National Natural Landmark which gives it protection from development or major change. It features sandstone cliffs, rock shelters, waterfalls, and natural bridges. More than 100 natural stone arches are found in the Gorge, worn by nature and time. Kentucky's Natural Bridge, a state park, is one of the largest in the gorge.
We entered the loop on Kentucky 77 and the views were spectacular even before we got to Nada Tunnel. The tunnel, built between 1910 and 1912 by loggers, is 900 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 13 feet high. Needless to say, it is one way. The driver just has to be sure no one else is in the tunnel when he enters.
We paralleled the Red River for miles through sheer cliffs and massive trees before we came to the Gladie Historical Site where we found a log cabin from the early 1800's and exhibits in the Visitors' Center. U.S. Forest Ranger Wetherington (originally from Dublin, Georgia) was extremely helpful, pointing out a road that would take us to a short hike where we could see an arch up close. He also showed us a short movie that gave some of the history and geological information of the Gorge. I was amazed at the cross section of a chestnut tree (now all gone from this region due to a disease that came from the Orient by way of New York) that was 187 years old when it died.
After the center, we wound our way to a smaller road that went up to 1100 feet where we walked to the Princess Arch which spans approximately 40 feet. Our walk took us through a narrow trail with rhododendrons and mountain laurel. It would be beautiful in the late spring! We were serenaded with the sound of thunder walking into the site and some of the raindrops got through the tree cover as we walked back.The loop road continued about three more miles before we left the National Forest. We found our motel, Lil Abner, checked in, and went in search of food which we found at the Natural Bridge State Resort Park. The pizza place looked full, Rosie's was closed, and the state park was the other choice! Fortunately, the state runs a good restaurant!
We have done our planning for tomorrow and feel that we can call it a day!
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