8 May Land Between the Lakes

We spent the day exploring the Land Between the Lakes. Formerly the Land Between the Rivers, it was a narrow ridge of land between the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. In the 1940s – 60s the rivers were dammed to create Lake Barkley and Lake Kentucky, and the residents of the area were relocated (sometimes forcibly) to make way for both the lakes and the new recreation area.

In the morning we visited the Woodlands Nature Station, home to animals, reptiles and birds who have been injured and rehabilitated but are unable to be released back to the wild. We met Bobcat, who was found with a broken leg at only 2 months old. He thinks he’s a domestic cat now and loves a good belly rub.

The Station is also home to owls, eagles, vultures, wild turkeys, deer, turtles, coyotes, a groundhog, and opossum and two red wolves (endangered). They were all pretty laid back in the heat.

The gardens were stunning, with native species coming into flower, lots of shade trees and bushes for the numerous birds. They even have bat habitats up on big poles in the garden, and a note not to eat blackberries because the bats poop on them.

The afternoon we spent at Homeplace 1850s Working Farm and Living History Museum. There were houses, barns, a blacksmith shop, gardens, a tobacco barn (with tobacco hanging from the rafters, storehouses, a smokehouse, and an assortment of animal breeds from the period. 

We said hello to some very vocal (and itchy) black pigs, Leicester sheep, mules, Ayrshire oxen with wide span horns, black Cayuga ducks and Dominique chooks.

People in historical dress were working on the farm and happy to answer questions and show us around. We stopped by the vege patch and talked to the women about the heritage seeds and plants they were tending.

We are camped up on the shores of the Lake Kentucky. This is our last night on the road, tomorrow we had to Memphis for a couple of days of cleaning and prepping the van to go back into storage. Then we fly out on the 12^th and back in Aus on the 14^th (lose a day over the date line).

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/17D9So/36.77404N/88.13409W