The #1 thing that people want to see when they come to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is the Pinnacle. Who wouldn’t want to see the Pinnacle – it is the top thing! As part of our training we had to get thoroughly acquainted to the Pinnacle – able to tell how to get there …
Stay in Your Lane
Every morning when we drive to work, we pass through the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. Emblazoned on signs overhead are the words “Stay in Your Lane!” They don’t want you changing lanes through the tunnel for safety reasons. It is an interesting message for our lives as well. Stay in your lane. There are times when …
Thomas Walker State Historic Site
Last week Tom and I drove to the Thomas Walker State Historic Site. Dr. Thomas Walker is the most famous guy you never heard of, as Tom likes to say. He was the first non-Native American to explore, map, and name places in the Cumberland Gap. He is the one who named Cumberland Gap and …
Volunteer Julie Bahr Makes Friends
One of the first people Tom and I met when we got to Wilderness Road campground was our next door neighbor, volunteer Julie Bahr. Julie has been a volunteer at CUGA for eight seasons. Because she has been here for so long, she is a Jill of all trades: working where she feels she needs …
Dutch Treat Country Store in Rose Hill, Virginia
Tom and I had only been at Cumberland Gap for a few days when someone told us we had to go to Dutch Treat Country Store. They recommended we go on a Thursday and have the sandwich of the day, a BLT that was the best ever. We filed it away but didn’t wait long …
Hensley Settlement in Cumberland Gap NHP
Tom and I had the opportunity to tour Hensley Settlement in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park on our second day of orientation. All the new rangers had to take driving training in order to lead tours a Hensley Settlement. Why driving training? Because the road to Hensley Settlement is up a mountain road requiring a …
Wilderness Road State Park in Ewing, Virginia
Tom and I explored Wilderness Road State Park on one of our days off last week. Wilderness Road State Park is part of the Virginia State Park system and is just south of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The park and the Visitors Center is open every day, but Tom and I were most interested …
Exploding Toilet and No Water
Last week, Tom and I carefully planned our days off. We would get all our domestic stuff done one day – laundry, cooking, cleaning, blog posts. The next day we would take a longer hike to see some of the park. The third day we would head east on US 58 and check out historical …
Oriented to Cumberland Gap NHP
Tom and I have been working at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park for two weeks now and we are getting oriented to the park and how it operates. Some places we’ve worked had formal orientation training (Fort Union Trading Post, Pipe Spring, San Juan Island, Grand Portage). Others are more informal. Cumberland Gap’s orientation program …
Three States Before 9 a.m.
Because we are living in the Wilderness Road Campground, Tom and I have to drive through three states in order to get to work. We have to report to work at 8:30, which means that we have driven through three states before 9 a.m. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is located at the conjunction of …