Dorgans' RV trips: In Appalachia

The drive was only about 225 miles, but what a difference in terrain!

The day began in an area of horse farms and tobacco fields, just southeast of Louisville.

Backroads connected us back onto I-64 which we took through Frankfort and Lexington. East of Lexington, we took the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway southeast.

This started as a well-paved divided highway, though it soon became clear that we would not be going through any populated areas. Eventually it was down to a two-lane road. Any exits off it were for crossroads with just a gas station, possibly with a convenience store attached. Finally the parkway ended and we were on US 460 and US 80, windy mountain roads.

Most of the homes we passed were trailers, and the area was clearly depressed. The only town of any size was Pikeville, where we stopped briefly to restock propane canisters and beer. After miles of curves that seemed to be almost 180 degrees (so why weren’t we going back to where we started?), we got into Breaks Interstate Park which straddles the Kentucky/Virginia line.

This is an older park. It includes a hotel and restaurant, a pool/water park area, and the campground. The site we reserved was not suitable at all, on a slope with almost no space for our 25-foot rig. We pulled into the next site over, and the office staff was helpful and willing to make a changed. (On a Monday night, the park is only about 5-10% full, though they are expecting a crowd on the upcoming Labor Day weekend.)

Ranger and I explored the campground loops a bit; then dinner and a campfire. This is a VERY remote area, so I am surprised to see that for the first time in two days, the cell phone signal is strong enough to allow decent Internet access. I should be able to post some of the photos of the past few days.