Fort Boonesborough State Park (KY)

Aug 6-8, 2012
(Playing catch up but still having way too much fun.)

Richmond, KY
Fort Boonesborough State Park (KY) site 135

This state park isn’t far from I64 or I75 so it was a convenient stopover for a couple of nights.  We had no trouble getting adjoining sites during the middle of the week.  It was nice to have 50 amp again and water at the site, even if we did have to share a pedestal and use extra water hose.

One of the nice features of this park is the working Fort Boonesborough.  It is a reconstruction of the 1775 fort established by Daniel Boone as the second settlement in pioneer Kentucky.  It was nice to have air conditioning in the cabins.  We are spoiled.  There were several artisans showing us how things were done in pioneer days.  It was a hard life but the people had to work from sunup to sundown.  One of the bigger blockhouses was a representation of a Tavern or Mercantile.

 

There was a cabin with looms to make cloth and a woodworking cabin.

 

There was a cabin for the whitesmith or metal working shop and another for making candles.

 

In the courtyard was the blacksmith and a community garden.  We also saw a very heavy canoe that was made from a huge tree trunk log.

Some of the artisans were at their stations and gave nice presentations of their crafts.  A woman was busy spinning yarn and another one was making lye soap.  She said that the pioneers only bathed about once a months. 

 

The last artisan that we spoke with was the cobbler.  He said that the leather soled shoes back then only lasted about 6 months so most people went barefoot during the summer.

It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours on a hot summer afternoon.  Back at camp, we all decided to go for a ride in the Suki after supper to see some of the beautiful rolling hills and rock walls in the Kentucky countryside.  It was a great way to wrap up our travels with Dan and Tricia.  They planned to go a little further west the next day while we were headed southeast.  We’ve enjoyed tagging along with them.  It has made me more comfortable with route planning, driving and picking a good campsite.  It’s kinda like they were our training wheels.  We will miss our fellow Pelicans but know that we will get back together before you know it.

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.