The second quarter of 2023 was not a super busy travel period for me. I was still recovering from my shoulder injury, but was thrilled to begin “breaking in” the new (to us) GX460.
Our first trip was once again associated with the Sheltowee Trace as we traveled to McKee, Kentucky. While Julianne hiked, I drove into the countryside and made a few new discoveries. After her hike we did our traditional Mexican Food restaurant visit, this time hitting up the El Dorado Restaurant in McKee. It was our first visit here.
On April 16 Julianne biked the Heidelberg section of the Sheltowee Trace, which is located near Beattyville, Kentucky. This is a pretty section of the trail, but predominantly road hiking, so taking a nice bike trip on it makes it quicker and more enjoyable. At this time of the year the wildflowers are in abundance. I was very excited to see trillium on the side of the road among the numerous wildflowers. On the way home through Ravenna, Kentucky we also enjoyed some splendid views of huge fields of what is called Butterweed or Tansy Ragwort.
We made our first out of state trip for the quarter with the bike in tow for a visit to our son’s home up in Liberty Township, Ohio. From their house we ventured to a nice little bike park in Lebanon, Ohio. According to the sign it was the Premier Health Atrium Medical Center Bike Park and it had two short trails and three different bike loops. None of the trails exceeded a mile in length. After the biking fun we all booked it over to the Northstar Cafe in Liberty for a late lunch. The menu offered some fun and unique items.
The next day was a lacrosse day for our grandchildren, so we went to attend the game. But, before we went, Julianne and I made our way to the Essen Kitchen in the Over-the-Rhine District of Cincinnati where we got brunch. This is basically a small hole-in-the-wall place with a totally plant-based menu. There is no indoor seating, but there are a couple of picnic tables in the front. We chose to get it to go and ate it in the car on our way to Lacrosse. It was actually quite good!
After lacrosse, we began our return trip home. As always, I wanted some backroads travel so we took a side trip through Miamiville, Camp Dennison and Milford. Julianne took the bike on the Little Miami Scenic River Bike Trail at the Milford Trail Head. She had a nice ride and I got a few nice photos to add to my ever-growing collection of travel pics. As both a mural enthusiast and a bird photographer, I was especially excited to see the lovely bird mural in Milford. It was painted by the local ArtWorks group to commemorate the internationally known naturalist and wildlife artist John Ruthven who was often called the 20th Century Audubon. The 2,500 Square Foot mural was painted by a number of artists in 2021.
A couple days later, on May 9, we made a trip up to Frankfort, Kentucky. More murals and colorful things to see.
In mid-May Julianne again trekked on the Sheltowee Trace, this time near Salt Lick and Clear Creek Lake, Kentucky. The wildflowers were still in bloom in many areas. While she hiked, I visited the Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery near Morehead to do a bit of bird watching. We spent the night in Morehead and had dinner at the Melini Cucina Italian Restaurant in Morehead. It was really good and they provided plenty of food! On that Sunday, May 21, Julianne and I took a leisurely return trip home and checked out some of the covered bridges in northeastern Kentucky.
Our first bridge was the Ringos Mills Covered Bridge near Hillsboro, Kentucky. This 81-foot long bridge was built in 1869. From Hillsboro we went to Wallingford, Kentucky to see the Goddard White Bridge. It is of special note as this is the only remaining covered bridge in Kentucky that utilized what is known as the Ithiel Town Lattice design wherein the timbers are joined with wooden pegs. This 63 foot long bridge was restored in 1968.
We next drove through nearby Flemingsburg, a quaint little town. Then it was on to Mayslick and Mount Olivet, where we saw our third covered bridge of the day. The Johnson Creek Covered Bridge is a 114-foot truss bridge about four miles from Blue Licks Battlefield State Park. Mount Olivet is also home to one of only a few Advertising Barns remaining for Rock City. The See 7 States from Rock City white paint on black barn advertising used to be an iconic way to advertise.
Our trip continued into Cynthiana, which has become famous because of The Walking Dead television show. Author and creator Robert Kirkman grew up in Cynthiana. The town now has a lovely mural depicting the characters. Cynthiana also has a number of other murals and some lovely historic buildings. After the drive through Cynthiana, it was back home to Lexington.
April and May were filled with fun as we mainly traveled to numerous locations in Kentucky.
Did you enjoy what you saw here? My books cover so much more.
LESS BEATEN PATHS OF AMERICA TRAVEL SERIES
Book Six will be all about murals from all over the country!! Watch for them later in 2024.