WEST VIRGINIA

"Almost Heaven....West Virginia".   What beautiful scenery waited for us as we journeyed through scenic West Virginia.  And more national treasures awaited us there too.

A trestle bridge going across New River Gorge

A beautiful but deadly invasive species......KUDZU....aka
Virginia Creeper

Gauly River is one of the two most popular white water rafting
spots in the country.  The other in Colorado.

A little shop in a downtown spot in W. Virginia

Our gorgeous campsite overlooking the stunning lakes and
mountains.

A nearby campground.

That's all for now.  TTFN until we leave in February for the south again.  

KENTUCKY

We headed up north to beautiful Kentucky.  Our first destination was Mammoth Cave National Park.  We loved exploring the immense underground caverns.  This is longest cave system known in the world.  

The spelunkers!

My Caveman

My old Kentucky home!!

As we toured around Kentucky we couldn't help noticing all the sinkholes in the land.  Many areas looked like the surface of the moon with all the craters scarring the land.  

Kentucky is a major producer of tobacco.  There were many tobacco farms in the state and unfortunately many restaurants and public places allowed smoking within.  

Our next stop in Kentucky was Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park.  

Lastly in Kentucky we visited Kentucky Horse Park and saw so many amazing horse related places and memorials.  This area was stunning with the beautiful horse ranches surrounded with the beautiful white fences.  We also went to a huge and wonderful horse history museum right on the property of Horse Park. 

Alysheba

We learned that only the head and heart of a horse is buried.

The final resting place of Secretariat

Final resting place of Man Of War

Our next Kentucky visit was Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill....or Shakertown.  It is America's largest restored Shaker village.  

Next we head north to Cincinnati to meet up with high school friend Lori Arkin and her lovely husband Chuck

.Lori put together this beautiful care package for us to enjoy during the next part of our trip through West Virginia and Pennsylvania Amish Country.

Pam's Perfect Little Red Wine

For Princess Glass O'Wine