Walking Tour of Lexington, Kentucky

I was done with class by noon today, and it being the beautiful day that it was, I decided I would take some time to pole around Lexington a little bit. I finally made it to the beautiful Lexington Cemetery which is the final resting place of Henry Clay
and Adolph Rupp amongst others. From there I headed over to the Gratz Park area where I walked around a neighborhood that faintly reminded me of parts of Old City Philadelphia. I took a look at the Paterson Cabin,
the Hunt-Morgan House and the Carnegie Library. Finally I finally visited Thoroughbred Park
which I ride past daily on my bicycle on the way to work. It's a nice little park and the sculptures there are really amazing! (It's too bad the park is an island surrounded by busy roads.)

Pickett State Park: Hidden Passage Loop

Well today I got in my first long hike in a long time. I had planned to hike the Hidden Passage Loop trail which according to my guide book is just over 8 miles long. It was a great hike past arches,

along cliffs, near waterfalls,

and with some nice views. I made two side trips: to Double Falls

and an old railroad tunnel.

It felt so good to be out on the trail again. After my Hidden Passage hike, I got in the car and drove to Cordell Hull State Historic Park near the Tennessee/Kentucky border.

There is a great, short hike to the interesting Bunkum Cave entrance there.

There are also some great artifacts associated with Cordell Hull (Secretary of State under F.D.R.) on display in the museum. A nice out-of-the-way place to visit.

Big South Fork: Hippy Cave and Pickett State Park Arch

Since school started It's been difficult finding the time for adventure (other than the bike ride to school in which I'm almost hit by inattentive motorists daily). With Friday's colloquium session cancelled, I was finally able to get out of Lexington for a little outdoors time. After my science test, I hopped on the ol' Hard Rock and headed home where I packed up and hit the road. I made it to Pickett State Park by 3:00, reserved a campsite, and headed to a spot marked on my map as "Hippy Cave".

Hippy Cave turned out to be not all that exciting,

but at least I was outside in the fresh air,

on one of the most beautiful days of the year.

After Hippy Cave I went back to the campsite. It was still relatively early so I decided I would hike one of the trails that begins near the compground. I chose to hike the Lake Trail. It was a good decision, as I got to see the rumored second natural bridge of Pickett State Park. This one was a true natural bridge with part of a lake underneath. 

After the hike, I made some dinner and did some reading before going to bed.