danielboonenationalforest – Midlife Creative

On day 5 of our road trip across the U.S., we arrived in Kentucky. This state boasts of impressive rock walls, waterfalls, caves, and the Appalachian mountains. We heard that Cumberland Falls was beautiful and found a campsite nearby after a quick search on Hipcamp.com.

Since we haven’t had much experience with camping and weren’t sure what to expect, we chose to stay in a cabin with a bathroom and electricity. The property was owned by a Kentucky native, Patrick. When we arrived, we were greeted enthusiastically by the neighbors, Alan and Linda, staying in the cabin next to us. Their granddaughter, Reagan, instantly grabbed onto Malia and Ivy, taking them down to the river to skip rocks. We learned that Patrick’s Point has 3 cabins as well as tent and hammock sites. In the summer, kayakers start their 14 mile paddle from there, through the Daniel Boone forest, to Cumberland Falls.

This video shows the view of the Cumberland river from our cabin.

We grilled burgers on Patrick’s grill, played ping pong, and visited with our neighbors until it got dark. We were fed sweet potatoes over the fire, introduced to rattler snake green beans, and asked to try fresh milk in a glass jar that was purchased from the Mennonite farmers down the road.

Malia was especially curious about the Mennonite children in their long dresses and head coverings, so we went and bought some strawberry jam and apple butter from their roadside stand.

Our sleep was on and off again in the cabin, since the air mattresses were horribly uncomfortable, and every time someone rolled over, the rubber made a loud squeaking sound. Mark finally decided sleeping in the van might be more comfortable. You’ll have to ask him to expound upon the lack of sleep situation in his own words.
The next morning, Patrick explained to Mark that there was a short cut to Cumberland Falls. The directions were obviously misunderstood because we ended up on a narrow, gravel road on the top of a mountain leading to nowhere.
When I started to panic, Mark finally agreed to turn around and backtrack to where we could get cell reception and follow google maps along a paved and well marked highway.

The Cumberland Falls are located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The falls’ claim to fame is its moon bow which can be seen on a night of a full moon, when the light is falling just right onto the water.

Here is some video from Cumberland Falls.

And a few more photos of the area around the falls.