Drive day stretch Three

(Kentucky to Charlotte, North Carolina)

In case you are wondering how 2015 me got from Watertown to Kentucky, you will have to go back and check out part one and part two to this journey!

On the morning of our third day making the drive to North Carolina, we got have a fun and goofy start in our Kentucky hotel room. By that, I mean we spent the morning letting a young Rebekah entertain us. She kept our attention with some funny faces, naming both her feet (the right one Anna and the left one John because I know you were wondering), and playing with a little slide phone.

It was then time to hit the road and make it the approximately 2 hour drive through the rest of the state of Kentucky. While we did very little stopping, the views of the mountains we began driving through were tough to beat! According to my photos, we drove through Livingston, London, Corbin, Gray, Heidrick, Fourmile, and Pineville because I simply couldn’t stop taking pictures. Every angle I looked was so different from what we would see back home.

We crossed the finally stretch of Kentucky and the Cumberland Mountains to the very edge of the state border to a city called Middlesboro for our first pit stop of the day. We were going to take a small hike to the Cumberland Gap Pinnacle Overlook.

In order to enter the National Historical Park so that we could park at the Visitor Center, we needed to take a road up a mountain. Fun fact about my mom; she doesn’t like heights when approached at a slow pace. Therefore, I hopped behind the wheel to provide her with the space to silently panic as we rose in elevation. Even in the passenger seat, her exact words were “I’d rather give birth!”

Once safely parked (because yes, I did get us to the parking lot safely), we started making the nice and easy 200 yard hike on Overlook Trail. I never thought such an easy walk would be reward with some of the most stunning lush, green mountain views I’ve ever seen. Every sweeping curve along the mountain and valley was a soft, blanket of emerald. The silky clouds sunk down to whisper over the ridges of the peaks. Everything was so peaceful and serene, like falling into a painting where there are no problems or worries.

Not only was it filled with glorious views, but it was also filled with some fascinating history! Fort Lyon was a Civil War-era earthen fort. It’s one of several forts built to defend the strategic Cumberland Gap mountain pass during the war. It’s known for its well-preserved earthworks and its role in guarding the northern approaches to the gap. The mountain pass was crucial during the 18th and 19th centuries, serving as a gateway for settlers and seeing significant action during the Civil War.

Walking around the area, I was able to stand and admire the view with my feet in Virginia during one part of the trail, Tennessee in another, and of course we know that we started in Kentucky! It was an absolutely beautiful day with unbeatable views for a hike.

After snapping as many photos as we could within a reasonable amount of time, we made the drive back down the mountain for another short excursion. This time we made our way over to the Iron Furnace.

Back in 1750, a spring coming from a cave was discovered while journeying through the gap. It was noted that it would be sufficient enough to turn a mill. Then, in 1819, a blast furnace was built on the stream below the cave by stacking large, sandstone blocks, and the inside was lined with fire brick. The furnace was used to smelt iron.

Water from the stream powered large bellows and a massive hammer mill. Each day, 625 bushels of charcoal, 6 1/4 tons of iron ore, and 1,563 pounds of limestone were used to produce about 3 tons of iron. The furnace operated throughout the 1800’s.

It was then time to hit the road again to work on covering the remaining ground that remained between us and our final destination.

From our pit stop in Cumberland National Historical Park to Charlotte, North Carolina, it is about a 4 and a half hour drive. We had, understandably, spent a good amount of time at the Overlook and Iron Furnace, so if we were going to arrive at our Charlotte hotel at a reasonable hour, we needed to continue on our journey with minimal stops. This made Cumberland our big excursion of the day, and the rest of the day would be simply driving and stopping for food or bathroom breaks.

Fortunately, driving was still a stunner as we were driving through the lush green forests we had been able to see up from the Overlook. Being down with the mountains towering up was also a beautiful view, which made the drive feel fast and easy.

Other people must enjoy the views as much as we were because there were plenty of pull-off spots while driving to lookout or snag an unbeatable photo op. While it wouldn’t be logical to stop at every possible pull-off, we selectively chose a few to stretch our legs and capture some fun photos showing the amazing scenery that was quickly becoming common-place on our drive.

The sun and hiking must have wiped Rebekah and Tyson out because they became sleeping twins toward the home stretch of the journey into North Carolina. Along the way, we crossed through Tennessee, our 7th state in only 3 days.

As dusk began to inch its way in, we at last crossed the border into the Tar Heel state of North Carolina, our 8th state within a three day span. Once crossing into the state’s boundaries, we still had a while before making into Charlotte itself, but we made sure to stop and get a picture at the North Carolina state border sign!

By the time the Charlotte skyline bloomed into view, twilight was seeping into the horizon, allowing the tall buildings to contrast the misty blue sky. When we made it into the city center, blackness had painted the sky, and it was around 10:00pm, so the streets were more quiet and calm, allowing us to explore a little in an unhurried and relaxed fashion.

We mozied around, checking the large architecture, unique water features, and dazzling sculptures and statues, admiring how different this place was from our own environment back home. As fatigue began settling on all of us, we made our way to The Westin, our hotel during our stay. We were blown away by how luxurious and grand the hotel presented itself as! From the large disco-looking sculpture that greeted us out front to the eye-catching chandelier in the lobby, we felt like royalty!

By the time we checked in and got to our room, it was time for sleep, but we all slept soundly knowing adventure awaited us the next day now that we had arrived at our destination. Stay tuned!