Where are Cheryl and Dennis?: Land Between the Lakes and More Civil War Battles

Tuesday March 28 – Lexington Ky to Land between the Lakes KY

We were in no hurry to leave as the trip to Land Between the Lakes is 248 miles, about 4 hours of driving time. And will will gain on hour when we cross back into central time. The road we took is I-69 which is also referred to as the Bluegrass Parkway. What a wonderful road! It is a divided limited access highway and this day there was very little traffic. I also noticed the lack of billboards which was really nice. The Redbuds were in bloom and where showing there stuff the entire route. Our destination was Hillman Ferry Campground in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) and we arrived there mid afternoon which gave us plenty of time to find our site and settle in before dark.

Where we are parked: Hillman Ferry Campground in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area KY, Area C, Site 19, $22/night ($28 minus $6 with the Geezer card), water and 50 amp electric, no sewer but they have a dump station. All the sites are gravel however there is a lot of elevation changes through out the park with many pads perched on the side of hills. We were able to get a first come first served site on the water. However the lake was drawn down so the water level was low.

Wednesday March 29-Land Between the Lakes - temps: High 70º, Low 54º

Today we went into Calvert City to get some parts for the camper. We have been having problems with the hydraulic system for the slides and level up system. The pump has been shutting down while operating the slides and landing gear. Dennis reached out to the RV Facebook groups and they suggested some things to check and a possible fix. We headed into town to get some hydraulic fluid since it was low and a electric breaker. Also stopped to pick a few groceries. We went a different way back to the camper which took us past the LBL visitor center. We stopped there and spent some tome going through the museum on the history of the area.

The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a natural paradise bounded on the west by Kentucky Lake which was created by damming the Tennessee River and on the east by Lake Barkley which was created by damming the Cumberland River. It is 170,000 acres of forest and open lands with camping, hunting, fishing, off-highway vehicle riding, horseback riding in addition to miles of trails for hiking and biking. There is approximately 300 miles of shoreline within the park boundaries. The park has dedicated itself to restoring some of the natural flora and fauna of the area including reintroducing bison and elk to the area.

We left the visitor center and traveled a short distance down the road to the Elk and Bison Prairie. It cost $5 to enter. A paved road takes you through the prairie. There was a small herd of bison right next to the road and eagle eye Dennis spotted some elk way off in the distance through the trees. We returned to the camper via the Woodland Trace road which runs the entire length of the park from north to south.

Bison

Redbud Flowers

Thursday March 30- LBL - temps: High 76º, Low 49º

Today we planned to visit another Civil War battlefield located at the southern end of LBL. I made a pot of soup in the pressure cooker then we headed out. Our destination was the Fort Donalson Battlefield located near Dover TN. This was another pivot-able battle in the war. Fort Donalson along with Fort Henry were constructed by the Confederacy to guard the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers from Union invasion. Fort Donaldson was especially strategic as it guarded the Cumberland River and access to Nashville which was a major supply hub for the southern armies.

In the beginning of February 1862 the Union Army sent troops and steel gun boats to attack Fort Henry which was taken easily. This fort is no longer visible today as it was submerged with the creation of Kentucky Lake. After the capture of Fort Henry the gunboats steamed down the Tennessee River and up the Cumberland River and arrived at Fort Donalson in mid February. The gunboats started firing on Fort Donaldson however because of it's height above the river the gunboats were ineffective. The battle for this fort would be fought on land over the next two days and was ultimately won by the Union Army. With the capture of Fort Henry and Donalson the Union now had control over a major portion of Tennessee and could severely disrupt confederate supply lines.