Month: June 2017

Once we got set up we were hungry and in no real mood to cook, so decided to head into town for some pizza.

Downtown Charlestown, Indiana is only 5 minutes form the State Park so off we went.

Unbeknownst to us, the city square was celebrating the Founders Day Festival with live music and food booths.

As they were just in the process of setting up we went to the Charlestown Pizza Company.

What a good choice that was. Excellent pizza, a beer menue spanning several pages and including German and Belgian beer as well as local brew. We decided on a local KY Kölsch and asked the proprietor what other local beer was available. He returned with 2 small glasses of Milewide IPA, brewed across the river in Louisville, Kentucky.

After the excellent pizza (of which half went home with us) we walked around the small city square were time had stood still.

Heading home to digest the pizza, Kölsch and local IPA. But not before taking a short walk along the Ohio River, so we headed to the boat ramp at Charlestown State Park.

And then we encountered the Ranney Wells, a left over of the Indiana Army Ammunitions Plant that predates the State Park.

Today’s drive took us from the hills of southern Kentucky throught the the northern part of Daniel Boone National Forest and into the hillsides of Lexington, KY.

Up I-75 and west on I-64 through the manicured pastures and beautiful stables of Kentucky’s thoroughbred horse farms and past one end of the bourbon trail, Kentucky’s other famed product.

I-64 west took us past the state capital of Frankfort, Kentucky the namesake of the German town (Frankfurt) where Kirsten and I first met.

Through the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky and the Drumanard Tunnel, crossing the Lewis and Clark Bridge over the Ohio River and into Indiana.

And into the Charleston State Park, our home for the next two weeks.

With the Daniel Boone National Forest, the Cumberland and Laurel River this is a paradies for boaters and fishermen.

Apart from that there is not much do to. We enjoyed the drives and walks through the forest and sitting by the lakes.

Bubby’s BBQ has a fantastic buffet if you like southern BBQ cuisine, referred to us by the locals and definitely worth it.

Otherwise we had two busy weeks, as expected in June. We met Roxane and Wayne from Oklahoma, both retired and RVing for 4 years more or less full time and on their way to the Northeast.
We enjoyed some lovely conversations and hope that our paths cross again.

We had to change sites at the KOA due to a faulty electric pedestal and enjoyed the last week more than the first as the first site was more an overnight stop with camping trailers, fifth wheels and RVs hooking up every evening and night and unhooking at all ungodly hours in the morning.

After the switch we had more of a quite site and due to the rains that started Monday and did not stop until the night before we left it was easier on us.

All in all, the KOA Corbin/Laurel Lake can only be referred as an overnight stop, a lengthier stay is not recommended at this campground.

After severe weather was forecast for the area Sunday to Monday night, we prepared the RV and outside accordingly before going to bed.
Still, Kirsten had a difficult night as somebody arrived just after midnight and their lights shone into the front windshield of our unit, which was not completely down – lesson learned!

The neighbors, whom we had talked to the previous night and turned out to be from St. Augustine (what a small world – you meet in Corbin, KY), started breaking camp at 06:45h in the morning.
His 3 kids were not the quietest last night and did not change at that early hour.
As soon as they had left we had no power. Turns out the breaker is bad (KOA comment: oh, yeah we have had that problem before and thought it was fixed).
So, either wait until the electrician comes over (you have to move in your slider because it is over the pedestal) or change sites for the last 5 days.
We decided for the latter and were rewarded with a larger site out of the way of the “overnight guests”. Why we were not placed here to begin with..??

This is the new spot:

This is where the KFC was born. After numerous jobs Harland Sanders was offered to purchase a Gas Station in North Corbin, KY and started serving food out of his living room next door.

He was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel in 1935 and this resulted inn the Colonel’s “famous recipe” Sanders.

He did not like the way chicken was fried and invented a method to pressure cook the chicken, rather than fry it.

Took a drive around Daniel Boone National Forest today and found Laurel Dam, a local “beach” and swimming facility. Not close to anything really, still almost 45 mins from Corbin, KY.
But the water of the Laurel River Lake that was created by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1977 is so clear it is unbelievable.

Cumberland Falls in Daniel Boone National Forest is also called the “Niagara Falls of the South”.

The whole National Forest is beautiful and not very busy. Easy to get to by car and easy to park, even on a beautiful Saturday in June, when other Parks are overrun.

There is a rafting/kayak tour in the vicinity that takes you right to the falls.

So it was finally time to leave the Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton’s “Dollyworld” and the moonshine behind and enter into the Kentucky mountains and Daniel Boone National Forest.

After 3 hours including a fuel stop we had reached the KOA.

Our home for the next 2 weeks.

For every German the Ferris Wheel and Pommes (French Fries) go together and bring back childhood memories.

When the fair was in town and we watched them set up the rides, the Ferris Wheel always had something magic. Every summer the fair was in town for 2 weeks, bumper cars, shooting galleries, food of all sorts and of course bratwurst and French fries (Pommes) were to be had.

This is the Tennessee version with beautiful views of the Smoky Mountains every time we hit the top

Pommes, derived from “pommes de Terre” or apples of the earth, is what french fries are called in Europe. Interestingly enough there is a shop right next to the Ferris Wheel who sells just that. Sausage and French fries or Bratwurst and Pommes.

Poynor, the gentleman who owns and runs the restaurant, spent his childhood in Germany as an Army Brat and never forgot the food, or at least the French fries, bratwurst and rolls. According to his wife he spent endless hours and days on the internet until he had all the ingredients together to start the restaurant.

Another hike we had to make – 1.3 miles up the mountain on a paved Trail – until we reach Laurel Falls. I guess the Cub Scouts were not as exhausted as we were.