2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 3 – June and July

The month of June 2023 kicked off a very busy couple of months of travel including some big road trips and a long-awaited and long overdue trip to Florida and the Gulf Coast (see post here).  The month started off with a visit to Grayson Lake State Park in Kentucky and the area around it including Carter Caves State Park.  We had visited  both of these places in the past, so I am not posting much from that first week.

However, in mid-June Julianne and a friend went kayaking near Magnolia, Kentucky  While they did, I made my to Hodgenville, Kentucky and the Lincoln Heritage areas nearby.  Hodgenville has a couple of nice Lincoln statues in the town square.  And they have a fairly well known hole in the wall eatery known as Laha’s.  Well-known for their original sliders, the place is always packed at lunch and it is really small inside…maybe seating for about eight people.  I was lucky to grab a seat!!

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
The old cabin is stored inside this building
The National Park offers a few rustic cabins for rentals
Lincoln’s General Store in Hodgenville, Kentucky
Inside the Lincoln’s General Store…typical offerings
Lincoln Lodge RV Park in Hodgenville

The Lincoln Statues in Hodgenville Town Square are a big centerpiece and tourist draw.  The six foot tall bronze statue features Lincoln sitting on a large chair atop a marble stand.  It was sculpted by artist Adolph Alexander Weinman and the statue was dedicated May 31, 1909 despite actually being created to commemorate the centennial of his birth in February 1809.  Also in the square is another statue of the Boy Lincoln depicted as ab boy shortly before his 8th birthday.  It shows him reading from the Webster’s Elementary Spelling Book.  The statue was created by California firm Daub-Firmin-Henderson and was dedicated to commemorate the bicentennial of his birth in 2009.  The statue faces the older Lincoln statue in the square

Abraham Lincoln Statue in Hodgenville, KY
A rear view of the head of Abraham Lincoln’s statue
The Young Abe Lincoln statue in Hodgenville’s town square.

Just across the street from the town square sits Laha’s Red Castle which has served sliders to clients since 1934 from the same location.  I don’t know much about the history of the place, but I can tell you it is small and it draws a crowd.  Their burgers are hand made.  Order a double and they smash two burgers and fry them up.  They also have yummy chili dogs and very good onion rings.  Swallow it all down with a Ski soda.  Ski is a citrus-flavored soda manufactured by the Double Cola Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Laha’s Red Castle in Hodgenville, KY
Welcome to Laha’s
Standing room only in Laha’s. Only a few places to sit.
Laha’s family staff hard at it keeping up with the orders
Lots of sliders cooking on the grill
A Laha’s Slider – actually quite yummy, but one is certainly not enough.
A Laha’s Chili Dog – Grilled and then topped with Slider toppings…quite yummy
Wash it down with a Ski Soda

Of course, in the Hodgenville area there are more fun things to see.

An old Rock City Barn near Magnolia, Kentucky on US 31E south of Hodgenville
Old Smith Drug Company neon sign in Hodgenville
Hodgenville mural
A second section of a mural in Hodgenville

Earlier in the day I had dropped Julianne and her friend off at Lynn Camp Creek near Magnolia to go kayaking.  I took a drive in the countryside while they kayaked.  Beautiful wheat fields and scenery were in abundance. It was a wonderful day for all of us.

The Lynn Camp Creek launching site near Magnolia, Kentucky
And off they go in their kayaks on the Green River
A lovely day for kayaking on the Green River
Driving US31E near Magnolia, Kentucky
Unique road name, but it led to some nice scenery
The narrow but scenic Round Bottom Road that curves along the Green River near Magnolia
Round Bottom Road near the Eve Highway (KY 566)
This wheat field was at the end of Round Bottom Road. The Green River flows along the east, south and west surrounding the field.
A vine-covered silo at the end of Round Bottom Road
A lovely Red Barn as seen from Round Bottom Road

Not far from US31E, we came to Powder Mill Road, also near Magnolia.  We had ventured here to find our way to another place, but came to a dead end on Charlie Cobb Road.  But it turned out to be pretty cool as there was a house with a white picket fence covered with handmade and hand-designed bird house creations.

Bird houses on Charlie Cobb Road near Magnolia, KY
A USA Flag birdhouse on Magnolia
A Cow-shaped birdhouse in Magnolia, KY

We didn’t have any other travel to speak of in June.  But, we the busy travel month of July with a nice trip south to Tennessee.  Julianne would take a kayaking trip in Picket CCC Memorial State Park, which borders the Big South Fork National River Park.  July 2-4 would include a number of kayaking and hiking adventures for Julianne and some new backroads adventures for me.  We have visited Pickett State Park on numerous occasions, but this would be Julianne’s first venture there on a kayak.

Pickett CCC State Park near Jamestown, Tennessee
The Pickett CCC State Park Visitor’s Center
Julianne is off on her kayak in the creek that leads to an arch
The creek becomes a lake, which is aptly named Arch Lake because of the natural arch that goes over the lake
Julianne on Arch Lake at the natural arch
Julianne also hiked the trail to Natural Bridge and the Hazard Cave in Pickett CCC State Park
The large natural bridge in Pickett CCC State Park
Another view of the natural bridge at Pickett CCC State Park

We stayed overnight at one of my favorite places in the area, specifically in Jamestown. Its cozy, convenient and the owners are very friendly.

The Jordan Motel in Jamestown, Tennessee
My favorite room at the Jordan Motel is Room 29.

After a good night’s reset I took Julianne out for another great adventure. She would kayak in Burgess Falls State Park near Sparta, Tennessee.  For her this was an amazing adventure and the waterfalls were beautiful, as you can see in some of her photos from below.  While she spent the day going to Burgess Falls, I went gallivanting around on some of the lovely backroads of this part of Tennessee. It was a great way to spend the Fourth of July!

Burgess Falls State Park in Sparta, Tennessee

Burgess Falls is a large cascade waterfall on the Falling Water River near Sparta, Tennessee.  In order to kayak to the 136′ waterfall, we had to go to the Cane Hollow Recreation Area, which does have parking and porta-potties.  But it is a winding drive down to get there. Julianne finally got off in her kayak and I was then on the road.

Cane Hollow is where kayakers launch to get to Burgess Falls
The lovely little road to Cane Hollow and Center Lake
Julianne launches to head to Burgess Falls
Julianne is off to Burgess Falls after launching at Cane Hollow.
Burgess Falls
Julianne at Burgess Falls

From Cane Hollow I made my way up TN 135 to US Route 70N towards Baxter, Tennessee with my real intent being to get to the uniquely named community of Nameless.  Along the way I passed a bus graveyard and a few other scenes.

Big Puckett’s General Store in Sparta, Tennessee. Sadly, it was closed on July 4
Ditty Road south of Baxter, Tennessee
US Route 70N near Baxter, Tennessee
Found a bus graveyard on Ditty Road
Another shot of busses on the Ditty Road
A lovely old red barn on Ditty Road near Baxter, Tennessee

Welcome to Nameless, Tennessee

Nameless Community Center, Nameless, Tennessee
The locally famous J.T. Watts General Merchandise Store (now a museum) near Nameless, Tennessee

The story of how Nameless got its unique name was documented by William Least Heat Moon in his 1982 Blue Highways: A Journey Into America book which documented his 14,000 mile journey along America’s back roads.  Basically, the community got its name when residents could not agree on one.  Ultimately, the U.S. Postal Service gave it the name of Nameless as a placeholder in 1866 and the Post Office operated until  1909. The community has never exceeded a population of 250.

Sumoflam in Nameless, Tennessee

From Nameless I made my way to Granville, Tennessee, the birthplace of U.S. Senator Albert Gore, Sr., the father of former Vice-President Al Gore.  The little town is surrounded on three sides by Cordell Hull Lake in a scenic little corner.  It is known as “Tennessee’s Mayberry Town,” in reference to Mayberry from the Andy Griffith Show.  Indeed, there are many references to the show in this quaint community. Interestingly, the town is like a small living museum operated by volunteers.  Unfortunately, when I got there on July 4 many of the places were closed, including the historic Sutton General Store.  Despite this, I did my own personal drive around the town which included the Sutton General Store, the Mayberry – I Love Lucy Museum, the Car Museum, the Tennessee Quilt & Textile Museum (which was open and had some great baked goods) and a few other places. The town is also dotted with wooden cutouts of Mayberry characters. Following are some scenes from Tennessee’s Mayberry.

Historical Marker about Granville, Tennessee
Welcome to Granville, Tennessee
Granville is “A Mayberry Town”
The hub of Granville is the T.B. Sutton General Store.
Andy and Barney pose outside of the Mayberry – I Love Lucy Museum along with Lucy
Can’t forget Floyd’s Barber Shop
A Mayberry Scene in Granville, Tennessee
You can get your face in Mayberry
Granville Car Museum and old Sutton Gulf Service Station
The Quilt Shop & Museum along with Bakery in Granville
The Granville Quilt Shop & Museum

Sadly, after a day of travel on some backroads it was time to go get my wife and head back home to Lexington.  It was a nice day for travel and Julianne had a great time.

I did travel one more big trip in mid-July with my daughter, her husband and my granddaughter.  I wrote about this Gulf Coast Trip in an earlier blog post which you can see here: https://lessbeatenpaths.com/2023/08/2023-gulf-coast-road-trip-the-overview/

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