Holiday at the KOA

Camping at the KOA

Holidays on the road are always a dilemma for David and me.  Do we brave the popular national or state park campgrounds with hundreds of our soon-to-be closest friends or do we stay in a commercial campground in a city with hundreds of our soon-to-be closest friends?  Neither option is very good.  And if you don’t have a reservation on a holiday weekend, you just may be camping on the side of the road.  (We may try that for the Fourth of July…)

This Memorial Day we were planning to be near Bowling Green, Kentucky so we made a reservation a few weeks before at the KOA.  There was another campground in the city but it was next door to an amusement park and we didn’t think we were up for that.  It was a given that campground would be too crowded and noisy.  Not that we thought the KOA would be a lot better.  And it wasn’t.

 

The Black and White Queen
Maya plays chess at the KOA

 

Oh, well.  We did our chores and had some good Mexican food at a Chuy’s.  As we found out when we went east two years ago, Austin-based Chuy’s has expanded to the east and wonder of all wonders, there was a location in Bowling Green.  (I am not sure this was just happenstance.  I have suspicions that my husband planned this…)

 

 

Most of the campers were friendly and many were with extended families.  There were loads of kids and dogs.  Maya actually enjoyed this more than we did.  By the end of the first day every kid in the place knew her name and said, “Hi, Maya,” every time they circled our campsite as they rode their bicycles around the campground. Maya was completely worn out by the countless pets and hugs from children and smells from other dogs.  By sunset the campfires were roaring and the sheer numbers of them in such close proximity filled the air with choking smoke.  All of us were happy to go to bed early.

 

A well-played game of chess
To Maya that means all the pieces have been rounded up and put in the corner

 

The playground, miniature golf course and swimming pool made the kids happy, but it wasn’t a true camping experience.  Camping in these sort of places is really more city than nature.  At least there was a pond where the kids could fish.  To be fair there are many definitions of camping and at a minimum the kids were outdoors, in a way…  On the plus side, we didn’t get any ticks, but we did see poison ivy.  I think maybe more than one kid went home with a rash.

 

Cumberland Falls

 

Bright and early on Memorial Day we left the KOA behind and drove to Cumberland Falls State Park to finish our holiday with camping a little more our style – most of the crowds gone home and peace, quiet and nature all around.   

The beautiful Cumberland Falls, known as the ‘Niagara Falls’ of the south, is the showcase of the state park but there are several other falls and a network of trails too.  We had a leisurely afternoon strolling along the falls area and then later, a pretty sunset and a very peaceful night’s sleep – a nice way to end the Memorial Day Weekend. 

 

The Cumberland River along the Sheltowee Trace Trail
A very rocky river in places

 

The Sheltowee Trace is marked with a turtle sign

 

Still hoping for that long hike, the next morning we hiked a portion of the Sheltowee Trace Trail.  “Sheltowee,” meaning big turtle, was the name given to Daniel Boone when he was adopted as the son of the great Shawnee Indian warrior, Chief Blackfish.  At over 315 miles long, most of this trail is in the Daniel Boone National Forest of Kentucky with 45 miles in Tennessee.

 

One of the many 'tunnels' made by the rock cliffs along the
Sheltowee Trace Trail

David cools off in a small waterfall

 

The part of the Sheltowee Trace that we hiked followed the Cumberland River. That meant some climbing on the rocks and cliffs near the river bank – beautiful, but a bit of a workout.  The poison ivy wasn’t too bad so we kept at it until the heat and humidity took their toll.  And nobody got a tick!  All in all we managed over 6 miles which is our second longest hike so far this season.  Not that big of a deal compared to previous years on the trails, but we declared it a victory.

We were saddened to hear about the flooding in Texas and Oklahoma and concerned about all our friends and family there.  So far everyone we've heard from is fine but the rains are still coming.  You guys hang in there…

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  2     
Total Miles Hiked:  7.73   
Ave. Miles per Day:   3.87  
Total Elevation Gain:   1,110 
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:   555 

Mountain Laurel



A dogwood still in bloom near the falls