~Sunday, June 20, 2021~
Day 371
❗️Happy Father’s Day❗️to my hubby and all the other awesome dads out there. Hope it is a day of complete and utter relaxation with your loved ones, along with an ice cold beverage in your hand! And Happy Summer Solstice!! I’m always sad when I know each day moving forward will be shorter than the last; that is until the Winter Solstice. The more sun, the better!!
Even with it being Father’s Day, we saw quite an exodus of campers this morning, leaving the campground virtually empty, with the exception of 2 others in our loop. It’s actually surprising though, with it being June and the kids out of school, that this campground isn’t more full. But, maybe it’s one of those campgrounds that flies under most people’s radar. But I’m telling you, the U.S. National Forest Service and ACE campgrounds (Army Corps of Engineers) are the way to go.
While I prepared breakfast, Jeff took Sadie down to the water for a little swim time and phone time with Hannah and Shane. Keeping with the Latreille tradition, an Eggs Benedict breakfast was on the menu for today’s celebration. I thought I’d change things up a bit where instead of using English muffins, I used a Brioche bun. Verdict: I like the English Muffins better, or maybe a really good dense French bread would be good. Brioche is a little too eggy and lightweight. Sourdough English muffins are better to offset the richness of the sauce and the egg. In the past I’ve added asparagus on top, but since that is out of season, opted for garlic sauteed spinach. Delicious!
After a big breakfast and knowing we were in store for an equally big dinner, it was good to get in some cardio today, even in this Kentucky sauna bath that it is. There’s nothing like a good sweat as long as you come prepared. After a quick stop at the Dollar Store for water and Gatorades, we parked at the eastern point of the Canton Bridge. This bridge, which crosses the Cumberland River,
was completed in 2019 at a cost of $128 million, replacing the old 2-lane narrow bridge that spanned here before. The bike path on the Lake Barkley Bridge Multiuse Path, is 16 miles long, connecting Canton to the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area. The trail is pretty flat, and follows quiet highway 65 for about 4 miles until Golden Pond. Golden Pond, which is now the site of the headquarters of Land Between the Lakes, used to be a town established in the 19th century, which drew people from all around to railroad and coal industries. Today, all that remains of the once vibrant town, is a small pond and 2 cement blocks, formerly used to mount horses or carriages. The city has been completely transformed into a huge recreation area, and highway system. With the Kentucky Dam construction from 1938 to 1944 and the Barkley Dam’s completion in 1966, valleys filled with water, leaving the “land between the lakes”.
Back to the bike trail. When I was searching for cool bike trails in the area, this one intrigued me, even with only 3 reviews; all of which raved about it. So we took a chance and we’re so glad we did. After stopping at the Golden Pond area, the trail turns from paved to dirt. We actually missed the transition, not by much. The off-road experience turned out to be the best part of the trip, and we are by no means mountain bikers. But what a fantastic ride with some hills and sharp turns likening it to a roller-coaster ride,
all through a beautiful, dense green forest; a fun and doable ride for even a few novices (see video). I don’t know, but maybe we’ve found a new hobby. We just need the right equipment. We also learned there is an elk/bison refuge nearby so hopefully we’ll have time to check that out before we leave the area.
After our humid bike ride, we were starving. Ah, a yummy cheese/cracker/olive plate and a few frothy ice cold margaritas should do the trick, all while enjoying the forest and lake views.
I must admit, it was a little hard to get motivated after relaxing for a bit, but I had a lot of work to do. Jeff insisted, even with Father’s Day, that he make the Filet Mignon and artichokes, while I whipped together the Jasmine Sage rice dish and Caesar Salad (thankyou Martha). And to top everything off…..my homemade apple pie. I’d say, it was a pretty good Father’s Day, though we missed being with family.