The Kentucky Trip: Day Four

Thursday, July 21, 2016 - Hiking around New River Gorge National River


Wow, what a relaxing morning doing my blog, and drinking coffee! Left the Super 8 at 10, got to the Sandstone Visitor Center at 10:30 - they have a cool inlay-map on the floor:


I had a nice view at a picnic table while I planned today's stops:


My first stop was going to be Sandstone Falls - south 10 miles to Hinton, over the bridge, then back up the west side for 9 miles. There are a couple of nice turnouts/views on the way south, but the real fun starts when you are down on the River itself. This is the Brooks Falls area, about halfway up to Sandstone Falls:


What a BEAUTIFUL DAY!


I got to Sandstone Falls around noon:

Using MapMyWalk, I walked (not "hiked" - the elevation gain was only 37 feet) 1.61 miles.

As you cross a bridge to the island, you see the first set of smaller falls (but still Pretty Nice):


The main hiking trail is an elevated boardwalk:

while the Island Loop Trail is a scruffy path (more of what I am used to):


The Boardwalk takes you to a good viewpoint for the Sandstone Falls:

but you have to scramble on a rocky side-trail to get "up close and personal"


Of course I had to have my swim at Brooks Falls on the way back:


The West Virginia Highway Department does not mow some areas - this allows wildflowers to grow. This beautiful field is at the exit from I-64 I took to Grandview:


Grandview (also a part of the New River Gorge National River system) is very aptly named:



I like having people in my photos - I think it gives some perspective to what you are seeing.

There are also some fun trails at Grandview. This is Castle Rock Trail looking north:

and then further on the trail looking back south:


And a final view as I hiked back to the parking area:


I hiked 2.32 miles at Grandview:


For dinner, I just walked up the hill to Outback Steakhouse - french onion soup and an order of steak quesadillas. Thank you GOD for a Great Adventure Day today! 101 miles driven today.

Music today:
Van Morrison - The Best of ..., Vol. 2, 1993


Creedence Clearwater Revival - Chronicle, Vol. 1, 1976

It put a big smile on my face driving down along the New River, listening to Creedence sing "rollin', rollin', rollin' on a river".

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done all 48-of-48 thru July 2016!!)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/

The Kentucky Trip: Day Three

Wednesday, July 20, 2016 - Another 2 museums, and my first State Park of this trip!

Because I was not due at the Huntington Museum of Art until 10, I had an easy morning, leaving around 8.

Last week I had emailed the museums I planned to visit, seeing if the specific pieces of art that I was interested in, were "available for viewing?" Notice that I did not say "On display?" - I have had some wonderful surprises when pieces-in-storage have been brought out just for my viewing!! Chris Hatten is the Senior Curator at the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia and, although they had a Board Meeting at noon, he was able to meet with me in the morning. So I got there at 9:59 AM!

David Johnson - October, Cos Cob, Connecticut, 1878

(from storage)

William Stanley Haseltine - Venice Boats, 1870s, watercolor


Childe Hassam - Lincoln's Birthday Flags -- 1918, 1918


and there were three early watercolors from Andrew Wyeth! Where is my "Wyeth Watercolors" book when I need it!

March Light, 1938

Young Fisherman in a Dory, 1935


I then went an hour down the road to the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences in Charleston, West Virginia. Their Art Gallery is the Juliet Museum of Art, which houses the museum’s Permanent Collection. Neither painting by Jervis McEntee or William Sonntag were on display, but I enjoyed seeing two by Frederick Waugh:
Late Afternoon, n.d.


Breaking Surf, n.d.


I then had 4 more stops to make (it started as only one, but I LOVE having the flexibility to stop-and-look when I see something cool!)
The first stop is Kanawha Falls on the Kanawha River:


The second stop I just drove right by, and had to loop back to see, is Cathedral Falls in the town of Gauley Bridge:



The third stop (the only one I planned) is Hawks Nest State Park. Um, I am literally the only person here - no Rangers, no employees, no customers, no nobody except little old me!


Have you ever had an entire State Park all to yourself?? It is pretty awesome! Hawks Nest consists of a hike up to a run-down building:

and a hike out to a beautiful overlook of the New River:


Then, as I was driving to the Super 8 in Beckley, I saw a sign for Canyon Rim Visitor Center!! So I had to go there! It is the main visitor center for the New River Gorge National River (like a National Park). Although the Canyon Rim Visitor Center is north of this map, this is the area I will be exploring tomorrow (staying 2 nights in Beckley):


Of course, with a name like "Canyon Rim", you expect some GREAT VIEWS!!


I went to the movies tonight! It was a lot of fun!


Chick-fil-A dinner afterwards. Thank you GOD for a Great Day! 283 miles today.

Music today:
I tried listening to some new music on my silver nano - East Of Eden by Taken By Trees, but the music is just too quiet for windows-rolled-down highway driving; I soon switched to rock-and-roll:

The Doors - The Doors, 1967


Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II, 1969


I've got to start writing this stuff down, because I forget the rest of today's music.

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done all 48-of-48 thru July 2016!!)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/

The Kentucky Trip: Day Two

Tuesday, July 19, 2016 - My first 2 museums of this trip!

The Eiteljorg Museum has a wonderful exhibit: The Grand Canyon (Thomas Moran paintings); and I have never visited The Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky (Cole, Panini, Piranesi, McEntee, Hubert Robert).

Left New Stanton a little before 7. Beautiful morning in the Great Midwest:


It took 5 1/2 hours to get to Indianapolis - I don't like going this long in the day without visiting a museum. Having said that, The Grand Canyon exhibition is wonderful!!
Thomas Moran - The Grand Canyon, 1917

This had not been on display when I visited in November 2014!

Thomas Moran - The Grand Canyon, 1911

This is from the Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection, which is not in my app (which just sent me down another rabbit-hole for an hour or so).

William Henry Holmes - Panorama from Point Sublime, Part I (of 3), 1882, lithograph

To quote the info display card:
In 1880, Holmes accompanied Clarence Dutton on a geological exploration of the Grand Canyon. His panoramic views gave readers of the Dutton report a breathless view from the edge of the canyon. The images are among the most important topographical illustrations ever created. Holmes combined aesthetics and science to create precise views of the sublime West.

Don't forget a favorite from their permanent collection
Albert Bierstadt - Morning Thirst - Mount Hood, n.d.


Then two hours south to The Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Favorites include:
Hubert Robert - A Loggia Overlooking St. Peter's Square, Rome, 1760s:


Giovanni Paolo Panini - The Wedding at Cana, about 1725

I'm sorry, but I have been to Cana, in Galilee, and it does not look anything like this.

George Inness - The Close of the Day, 1863


Last week, my friend John Daniel told me about a guy in Kentucky who made a full-size replica of Noah's Ark!! I said "I'm going to be in Kentucky next week, so I'll send you a picture." Well, it is less than 2 hours from Louisville (and less than 1 hour from my Super 8 in Lexington), so I saw it (it is open until midnight for the first 40 days [until August 15, 2016]). There were cars from California, Alaska, and even Hawaii in the parking lot! The Ark itself is REALLY BIG!!


The inside is also constructed:

and the restaurant next to it has dioramas!

Hey, if you are within a couple of hours of it, I recommend the visit. As I wrote Ellie, every man should have a hobby - mine is climbing 4000 footers and visiting Art Museums, his is building Noah's Ark! (Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY)

8 PM check in at Super 8 Lexington Kentucky - pizza and sudoku. Thank you GOD for a Great Day!
Note: the twisty/turny road (KY 467) I took to get to Ark Encounter was a Lovely Drive, with grasslands/hills/streams.


Music today:
Yesterday I heard Miles Davis do All Of You twice - live, different nights at The Plugged Nickel. They sounded really good, so I wanted to start this day (cooler in the morning, so windows rolled up, meaning I could hear the music better) with his Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965 8-cd set

I made it through 2 and 1/2 cds before it got warm enough to drive with all the windows down, so I switched to rock-and-roll:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes, 1979


and then, because I'm going through the Great Midwest:
John Cougar - John Cougar, 1979

(fourth track is "The Great Midwest")

John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow, 1985


John Cougar Mellencamp - The Lonesome Jubilee, 1987


John Cougar Mellencamp - Big Daddy, 1989


I've got to start writing this stuff down, because I forget the rest of today's music.

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done all 48-of-48 thru July 2016!!)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/