Monday we packed up camp and drove about 3 hours east to the Cumberland Gap. The Cumberland Gap is the area pioneers crossed through the mountains as they moved westward. While in the Cumberland Gap we camped right within the National Park at a campground called the Wilderness Road Campground. It was by far the riskiest camping we've ever done because this campground did not accept reservations. It's first come first serve for 44 electric sites and 90 some non-electric sites.
Knowing we would be 10+ hours away from home without a for sure place to stop, I planned the trip so we'd arrive on a Monday figuring of all days, that would probably be the least busy for the week. I was right and I had nothing to worry about! There were probably less than 20 campers in the entire park when we arrived Monday afternoon. We basically had the place to ourselves! It was another great campground. We spent Monday getting our bearing straight and figuring out where things were an what we'd want to do in the area. And, we made a stop at the gift shop so we could stamp our National Park books and the kids could pester us about stuffed animals and other souvenirs they NEEDED!
Tuesday we hiked to the Cumberland Gap, went to Pinnacle Outlook, and a few other sites/hikes in the area. One of the most interesting things about visiting the Cumberland Gap (at least for me) was how they presented information and kept people engaged at the visitors centers and signs. At the Gap they poured concrete on the sidewalks and under a bridge. While the concrete was still wet they used horse shoes, kids bare feet, adult shoes, dog foot prints and wagon wheel ruts to create the image of people passing through. Then while you stood under the bridge reading signs that talked about the area, the people and how the Gap came to be formed and used they even piped in sounds of people and animals crossing around you. If you closed your eyes you could imagine yourself picking up your family and all of your belongings and moving across the country through this very spot. It was eerie and cool at the same time!
The Cumberland Gap is actually located in the very corner of Kentucky and from the Pinnacle Overlook you can see three states, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. One bonus of the campground we picked is that it was actually located in Virginia meaning during this trip we got to knock off THREE stamps in our National Passport books and TWO states on the side of our camper. See...I told you I was motivated by stickers. We have a map of the US on the side of our camper and we fill in the states we've camped in. Our rule is that in order to put a new sticker on we must sleep in the camper in the state. So, that means we can't just drive through...and we can't count states we haven't camped in. Living by those rules it sure will be hard for us to check off places like Hawaii and Alaska but it gives us something to dream about!
The Overlook (above) was really pretty cool. There was a switchback road that weaved us back and forth up the side of the mountain to get to the top. Once up there you could see all three states and a big tunnel we drove through. The tunnel was constructed in the 90's to help preserve the Gap and to more efficiently move traffic through the area. The tunnel was about a mile long and the kids really enjoyed the novelty of driving through it.
Tuesday, our final day in the Gap was rainy and cool in the morning. We used the opportunity to go to Walmart and stock up on things we needed for the remainder of the trip. Which, included Hazel's birthday present, a BIG GIRL BIKE!!! Ryan decided that the summer of 2019 would be the summer Abby learned to ride her bike without training wheels. Ever since the summer of her 4th birthday when Abby rolled down a slight incline for about 10 feet before bumping into a fence, Abby has been terrified of riding her bike. Last summer we had a glimmer of hope when she'd at least TRY getting on and riding. But 2019 is the year. So, as most things go with Hazel, as soon as Abby's doing it, she wants to too. So, enter a big kid bike for Fran. And, boy let me tell you what! I honestly thing she'll be riding without training wheels this summer too. In fact, she might actually beat Abby to it, which, I can't tell if that will motivate Abby, or piss her off! HAHAH!
I can't believe I don't have any pictures of Abby on her bike! I have videos but those don't upload well her and they definitely don't print out on the blog. So...I'll just tell you about it. While in the Cumberland Gap I'd say that Abby had her first real breakthrough with riding. After Ryan ran beside her for countless tries, and lots of shrieks and screams, along with the promise of $20 from both me AND my Dad, I think she might finally have broken through her fears. She certainly isn't itching to ride, and every time we ask her to try there is lots of whining and concern, but just a few days ago she rode without Ryan holding her through the grass in the backyard. I think I'll forever remember the Cumberland Gap as the place Abby learned to ride a bike.
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