Land Between the Lakes Tennessee and Kentucky

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The Land between the Lakes (LBL) is a National Recreation Area. Their website is: www.lbl.org. The two lakes are Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley and both are manmade. At the south welcome station they have a lot of displays about the area before, during and after the formation of the lakes.

We toured The Homeplace which is a working 19th century farm. They have people dressed in period clothing and doing the daily chores and activities that were appropriate for that time and season. During the year they will have special events and festivals to highlight the spirit of this era. The farm consists of 16 original and restored log structures that are from the surrounding area.

I didn’t expect to see elk and bison on our trip, but there is an area where they roam. It is appropriately called The Elk and Bison Prairie and is 700 acres. The land has been restored to the habitat that would have been present during the time of Daniel Boone. There is a gently winding road (not of that era) that goes through the area and there is a small fee to enter. Once the gates open and your car pass into a transition area, there are lots of warning signs to read. Basically these are wild animals and stay in your car if they are within 200 feet. There is an example of how far 200 feet actually is, so you can’t claim ignorance. After reading all the signs then you drive through another opening in the fence and over a cattle grate. I did comment that I was getting the feeling we might be entering Jurassic Park. I wondered if we would actually be able to see any animals and if they would be close enough to take pictures. As you can see in the photos, we saw both elk and bison. It was so interesting that we did the road a second time.

The Woodlands Nature Station is also located in LBL. The wildlife there can’t survive in the wild for various reasons. Besides the birds that we photographed, we saw a Bald Eagle and a Red Wolf. The rangers were all very helpful and knowledgeable. I wonder how many times a day they get asked the same question. They do a good job of keeping their answers fresh.

I did escape from the LBL on Saturday which was a rainy day and ventured into Paducah, Kentucky. Quilters will know about Paducah. Before reading the literature, I only knew that there was a big quilt show in late April and that there is also a big fabric store. I was disappointed that the quilt show was next weekend and I would miss it entirely. I did discover The Museum of the American Quilter’s Society (MAQS) and went in to tour it by myself, so I could see it at my own pace. George stayed home with the dogs to protect Lizzie from any thunder and so I wouldn’t need to head home to do that. The museum was great! There was a variety, including traditional and art quilts. There were quilts from the 1800’s as well as new ones. Unfortunately photography was not permitted, so I have no photos to post of anything inside the museum.

We’re heading home.

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Photos

Horned owl
At the Nature Center there are several raptors that spend their days outside on perches. We were there when they were heading back inside for the night. The rangers explained about each bird and it was a great time for photos!

Horned owl 2
It's easy to see why this owl is called a horned owl. The "night owls" spend their in nights inside in areas where they can fly. Their days are spent snoozing outside on their perches.

Red tailed hawk
This is the type of hawk that we have often seen perched on the utility poles along the roadways.

Screech owl
This little owl is known for it's ability to screech. We didn't get to hear it, which may have been a good thing. While we were talking with the ranger another bird flew high overhead. This little owl was very concerned about an ariel attack from the other bird.

House at The Homeplace
It was a cool damp day when we were here and there was a fire in the fireplace. It's the dog-run style of house.

Quilt Museum
Museum of the American Qulters Society located in Paducah, Kentucky. It is dedicated to promote, preserve and perpetuate quilting.It was great to tour it and see the wide variety of quilts on display. They had both old classic quilts and madern art quilts. No photos were allowed inside.

Paducah, Kentucky Statues
These statues are outside the quilt museum.