Western Waterlands

And so, my journey begins in the Western Wetlands.  Located between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, the western-most part of the state is famous for its water activities: skiing, fishing, tubing, kayaking, and swimming (among others).

The Western side of the state is home to both Lake Barkley and Land Between the Lakes.   Both are known again for their outdoor activities, with LBL being comprised of 170,000 acres and possessing an Elk and Bison reserve (among other things).

I have to be very honest, I like water activities in limited quantities. Normally, I get very apprehensive about activities in and around water.  It has nothing to do with fear of the water; I am actually a very good swimmer.  I think, for me, that the connection with water is that there is normally a swimsuit requirement that goes along with it.  Any time a swimsuit is involved, I automatically want to find a reason not to do it.

If not for that, I would LOVE to stay in the water.  Water is very freeing.  The sound it makes as it laps across a shoreline is a lullaby to which I could fall asleep every evening.  I always say that I am not a beach person (only due to the aforementioned swimsuit and the lobster condition that normally occurs when I go out in the sun), but I could handle living in a beach house and swimming on cloudy days.  It is one of the reasons I am most excited about our cruise.  I cannot wait to sit on the deck of the ship and listen to the water, as well as swim in it in some of the most beautiful locations in the world.  By that point, the meal plan should have helped to make me a little less apprehensive about that swimsuit requirement.

The Western Waterlands region is also home to Paducah.  If you are looking for local crafts and antiques, then Paducah is a must visit stop. Quilting is one craft activity that I have always wanted to learn and for which Paducah is well known.  My mother and I have made attempts to do it, they have just never come to fruition.  Like many traditions, quilting by hand has largely been lost to the faster, more efficient machines that can do the same work in less time.  It is the loss of these traditions that saddens me.  While no one in my family quilted, cooking is another story.  There are recipes that were known only to the cook and were lost before I was old enough to appreciate that I might want to have learned them.  My Great-Aunt Grady's fried apple pies were manna from Heaven, created with such loving care that cooking had to be a gift given to her from God.  To this day, I have found no equal.

Hopkinsville, aka Hoptown, is home to the Cherokee Trail of Tears Commemorative Park.  It is the site of an encampment used by members of the Cherokee Tribe during the atrocious movement of several tribes to the Western US.  Two Cherokee chiefs are also buried here, having succumbed to the conditions while being forced to leave their homes.

Hoptown is home to an annual Powwow, normally held in September (I was sad to learn that I had missed the event for this year...maybe next year?).  Native American dancers, singers, drummers, and arts and crafts vendors gather with both Native and non-Native people to celebrate their rich heritage and tradition.  I love that this is done.  To have a time set aside where the heritage and traditions of a people are celebrated is such a beautiful thing.  It makes me desire to find out more about my own heritage and what traditions I am missing.  I am slightly ashamed to admit that there is very little I know about my own family history, with the exception of some vague connections (I know my family is Irish on my mom's side).  Again, another journey for another time (but certainly one that would be worthwhile).

And while there is SO much more that could be detailed for the Western Waterlands, it is time to head East.

Tomorrow, it's Bluegrass (the music, that is), Blues, and Barbecue.