Wednesday, August 10, 2016  Cumberland Gap to Cumberland Falls

The driver side front wheel on this old truck in front of us wobbled so bad we were worried it would fall off!

Cool enough last night to sleep with windows open, with the roar of cicadas providing a soothing white noise.

We left Cumberland Gap campground and drove through the tunnel under the Gap where we then took a shortcut over the mountains west to stop at the Kentucky Welcome Center on I75 for additional information about Boone National Forest.  We became one in a long caravan of vehicles led by coal trucks moving between the coal mines near the top of the mountain and the train loadings at the base.

This road was full of hairpin turns up and down.  Often oncoming trucks had to back up to let another one get around the bend.

Pretty views from near the top of the mountain

Kudzu everywhere - we often saw just chimneys sticking up out of the kudzu.

Yukky tent caterpillars everywhere, too!

Dramatic outcropping in the distance

After we got through the coal trucking areas, we saw some poor Appalachian homesteads.....mostly mobile homes surrounded by the kudzu with trashed cars and junk everywhere.  A few small towns had buildings boarded up and the few that may have been open did not look viable.  I suspect this is one of the areas where the folks live that the media talks about that are angry and disillusioned with America and looking for political outsiders to make things better.

Cumberland meandering towards the Falls

After stopping at the Welcome Center that had no information about the Boone National Forest, we headed north and west to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park (within the Boone National Forest).  Got an okay campsite a few miles from the Falls.  After a nap, we drove to the Falls and spent time walking along the overlook.  These are considered the largest Falls (125 feet wide) east of the Mississippi after Niagara Falls.

A thoroughly enjoyable day with the interesting backroad mountain driving, rewarded with a beautiful waterfall.  Wish we could be here during a full moon as this waterfall produces a Moonbow - the only one in the Northern Hemisphere.