Fall Hiking

We love the beauty of Kentucky - especially the fall.  Each year, to get to the beautiful fall colors, we go on this really long and far away drive; like 1/4 of a mile from our house we start to see the beautiful woods.  We then continue our drive making a loop around a small section of our County (Boone County).  Woods are all around our area.

These were taken close to Church.

This year, almost every night, I have taken an hour or so walk from our home to a nature trail next to our subdivision.  Our subdivision sits on a bluff.  When we come to the nature trail, it goes down into a canyon.  It's nice going down it.  It's ... exercise coming back up it.  Once down, the trail follows the creek at the bottom.  When the water is low, I'm able to cross the creek and walk up the other side of the canyon and along the ridge for awhile.  The first time across, I was walking quietly along the path and came out of some trees right in front of some deer - we scared each other.  Generally, I only see does on this trail, but one time a buck came walking on the path right in front of me.  I guess I'm not very intimidating.

On one recent walk, I had a little adventure.  We have been without rain for such a long time, even though the weather man has promised it several times, that when I noticed the very dark clouds, I scoffed and continued on.  Down in the canyon, you know, as far from home as possible, it started to rain.  I was drenched by the time I returned.  But I still enjoyed myself.

The pictures do not do it justice.  Sections of the woods are totally bathed in rich yellows accented by some bright oranges.  It's truly heaven and I hate to think that shortly it won't be anymore.

Daniel Boone - In person

After enjoying the presentation of the siege of Boonesborough, we decided to visit the place where it actually took place.  Boonesborough is about an hour and a half from our home.  On the drive down and back we enjoyed the beautiful fall colors and listened to more of Undaunted.  The location of the original fort was very near the beautiful Kentucky River.  A re-creation of the fort is near, but higher up the hill. 

I was surprised how large the fort is.  As you enter it, you are directed to a well-produced orientation movie that explains why the fort was built and about the siege.  Then you can move from room to room around the perimeter of the fort.  The first showed what a room might have looked like shortly after the fort was built - dirt floor, straw bed right on the dirt, a fireplace - and nothing else.  That would have been primitive lodgings.  The next room showed a period a little later: there was a wood floor, a little nicer bed; but not much more.  The next two rooms showed what it would have been like in later periods as wagons brought more niceties from the east (nicer beds, chests and dressers).  It was interesting to watch the progression from hovels to ... well, even the nicest rooms were a far, far cry from the Marriott.

The rest of the rooms housed demonstrations of different activities that would have taken place during the period when the fort was used.  We spoke with a weaver as she made cloth.  She talked about the different looms, materials and weaves.  We also spoke to a gun maker / tool maker.  He showed different items he had made by hand; including a club similiar to what the Indians might have used to beat (if not kill) individuals that had to run the gauntlet - it would have been awful to have been hit by something like that.  Finally, we spoke to a tinsmith and watched him make a pewter cup.  He thought he was the only working tinsmith employing methods of the 1700's.  We also saw rooms for woodworking, blacksmithing, candle making and soap making.  I also enjoyed the gift shop; purchasing a book that is a compilation of the journal accounts of those who experienced the siege.  I think I will really enjoy reading their own words about the event.

As we were close by, we visited the Cassius Clay mansion.  He was an emancipationist from the 19th century who lived in the south - as you might imagine, it got him into a lot of trouble.  He was also a friend of Abraham and Mary Lincoln; there is even an original signed document from Lincoln on displace.  The mansion is truly beautiful.

We had a great trip.  Wish you all could have been with us.

Pioneers

On our drive to and from the Temple each month, Barbara and I listen to books-on-tape.  The one we are currently listening to is Undaunted by Gerald N Lund.  It is the story of Mormon pioneers migrating from Southern Utah (i.e. Cedar City - one of our favorite vacation destinations) in order to establish a new community in southern Colorado.  It is a fascinating story; full of humor, drama and faith.  We like it so much, that we can't wait for our monthly trip to the Temple.  Therefore, we have been listening to it at home after work. 

My mother said that when she was a young girl, her grandmother Neibaur told her migration experience when she was just a very young girl.  She said that she walked beside her family's wagon all the way from the Salt Lake, Utah area to Paris, Idaho.  Undaunted tells in a compelling way about the details of planning, organizing and the actual pioneer migration.  In addition to the trials of camp life for the pioneers, it speaks of whole towns turning out as the migrants came near their town in order to cheer them on and even held evening socials with them.  I wonder if my great-great grandmother had similar experiences.

I'm grateful for the book that in an indirect way told about the life of one of my ancestors.  I highly recommend that book -- or book-on-tape.

Daniel Boone

This week, Barbara and I attended a presentation at the Boone County Library about Daniel Boone.  The man who portrayed him was a historian at the Boonesborough Stake Park.  His hour and a half reenactment of Daniel Boone was sensational - he looked like what you would expect; he spoke like you would expect.  Fortunately, he didn't smell like someone from that period of weekly baths (if that often).  We sat on the front row, two feet away from him.

He related a story from the American Revolution.  Boone was captured by the British-supported Shawnee Indians and held semi-captive for about 5 months.  While there, he learned that the Shawnees, assisted by the British, were planning a major assault on all of the American settlements in Kentucky.  When he escaped, he returned to his home in Boonesborough to warn them of the coming battle.  While they petitioned the assistance of the American Army, they prepared to fight the battle themselves.

Against about 450 enemy, the 40 or so men in Boonesborough held off a siege of their fort for about a week.  During that period there was a lot of gunfire and many attempts to burn down and get into the fort.  But the Americans held firm.  It wasn't until after the siege had ended that a small number of Army regulars showed up.

We are very blessed to have ancestors who didn't rely upon the government to bail them out of their problems.  I hope that Americans today can once again start to rely upon themselves and not the government like Daniel Boone and his fellow citizens.