Land Between the Lakes

Saturday, October 22, 2011

We slept in this morning and ate a leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, hash browns and biscuits, at 11:00.  Maybe it was brunch.  At any rate it was good.  After breakfast we set off for the elusive passport book cancellation stamps that were lurking in the area.

Wilma, Betty and Barney at our camp table.

What a great breakfast!

We headed south on the main north/south road in the Land between the Lakes (LBL).  The road is called “The Trace”, which we are told means “path” in French.   Our first stop was at the North Visitors Center, where we were able to capture the first of the elusive passport book cancellation stamps of the day.  We looked around and picked up a few additional pieces of handout literature.  We continued south on The Trace to route 79 then east to Fort Donelson National Battlefield near Dover, TN.  The battle for Fort Donelson was a fairly important Union victory that changed the course of the Civil War.  The Confederate General Simon Buckner surrendered a garrison of approximately 13,000 troops to a former West Point classmate, Ulysses S. Grant.  We watched a very well done video and collected several stamps for the passport books.  The ranger at the VC was very knowledgeable and very helpful.

Betty reading some history about the fort

General Buckner served at Fort Donelson

Many of these tiny buildings kept the soldiers
from freezing

They even had a small fireplace.

We went on to Dover, TN to the Dover Hotel, which is part of the National Historical Site.  It was there that the surrender documents were signed.

The Dover Hotel

We headed north on The Trace and stopped briefly at the south Visitors Information Center then on to the Golden Pond Visitors Center.   There was a good deal of information on the “Trail of Tears”, which was the relocation of Native Americans from their native lands, east of the Mississippi to the “Indian Territories”, west of the Mississippi River.  Part of the “Trail” came through this area of Kentucky and Tennessee.  The VC also told of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the way they moved families and whole towns from their land to clear the area where the reservoirs now are located.  It’s a pretty sad commentary on how the government treats individuals.  There was also information of the iron works in the area that was quite interesting.

Great Western Furnace built in 1854 to produce industrial iron.

The up side is that the Land between the Lakes is a beautiful area that is open to all sorts of outdoor recreational opportunities.

Then back to the Canal Campground where we are staying in the “Primitive Area”.   We have water and electric hook-ups, a restroom with showers, and a lovely view of an inlet on the reservoir.  We aren’t sure why it is called “Primitive” unless it is the fact that our sites are in a forest of oak and ash trees.  Oh well, another mystery of life.

Good night from the Bedrock Bunch.

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