Yesterday Tom and I took a trip to see the Campus Martius Museum in Marietta, Ohio. I have been wanting to go to Marietta ever since I read David McCullough‘s book, “The Pioneers.” You can read my review of the book here. I read the book in 2019 and was waiting to go until my …
From National Parks
Battle of Cumberland Gap Commemoration
On September 13, the last day Tom and I worked at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park this year, we had a Battle of Cumberland Gap Commemoration. That title makes it sound very well defined and notable. The event was much more informal and loosely organized. Ranger Layton was in charge of the Battle of Cumberland …
Rangers at Cumberland Gap
Tom and I had a great time at Cumberland Gap National Park this last summer and most of that is because of the great rangers we got to work with every day. Getting up in the morning was easy because I knew I would enjoy seeing the rangers when I got to work. We learned …
Cumberland Gap Wildlife
One of the fun things about living in a National Park site is the wildlife. The Cumberland Gap wildlife has been abundant and fun this summer. And no, I don’t mean the locals partying at the Pinnacle at midnight. These are the animals I have seen at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park this summer. Although …
New Every Morning
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 This summer, on the mornings that I don’t work, I walk to Middlesboro, Kentucky. I usually head out sometime between 7:30 and 8 and it takes me about 45 …
Saving a Hoary Bat
A couple of weeks ago I was instrumental in saving a hoary bat. I was walking to work on a Saturday morning and saw what I assumed to be a curled up leaf on the road. It was a big leaf, so I stepped a little closer to see it. When I came up to …
Middle Creek National Battlefield
Tom and I recently stopped by to visit Middle Creek National Battlefield in Prestonburg, Kentucky. We were heading to Ohio via US 23 and looking for interesting things to explore. Pikeville, Kentucky was our first stop. Pikeville is the county seat of Pike County. Despite only having 8,000 residents, it is the biggest city around …
Hanging Out in the Tri-State Area
One of the things that Tom and I really enjoy about the Tri-State Area is all the opportunities we have for hanging out. We recently had a ranger who left because of “Appalachian Isolation.” He had some reasons to feel that way, but it isn’t something that Tom and I have experienced. We are more …
Teacher Workshop and a Busy Weekend
Last weekend we had a teacher workshop on Saturday at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. That, alone, would have made the weekend busy, but there were many other things going on as well. On Thursday the Levitt Concerts in Middlesboro returned. This is a 10-week series of free concerts held in downtown Middlesboro. This first …
Cumberlands Everywhere
I recently had a visitor tell me she was so glad to be here in Cumberland. Could I please tell her how to get to the tunnel that had a canal through it? This part of the world isn’t known for its canals, so I asked a few questions, hoping to understand what she wanted. …