Riding the Roads with Papa...

Still trying to get Papa out as often as I can for a drive. 

August 26th we made a loop from Georgetown through Mt. Sterling to Frenchburg then north to Owingsville and out to Carlisle, then back to Paris and home on scenic Hwy 460. Nice ride on a beautiful clear day. This picture was taken from the side of the road on Hwy 36 near Carlisle. The yellow is tobacco getting ripe enough to harvest with the sun shining on it. Very Kentucky view. The barn would be a burly barn to hang the tobacco in to dry. 

September 1st we drove south from Georgetown through Harrodsburg and on to Lake Cumberland. From there we turned north through Somerset, Danville, back to Harrodsburg and then to Papa's home in Georgetown. This was also a lovely drive. 

We got caught at an interesting construction stop on the road over the top of the dam at Lake Cumberland. They had one of the automatic portable stop lights on either end of the dam. We were the only traffic on the dam but the light was red so we stopped as they only had one lane going over the top of the dam. There was a sign that stated the stop light would only remain red for 5 minutes. A few cars finally came across while our light was red and just after it turned green. Of course, they had to drive slowly...so...by the time they made it all the way across our light turned red again. Geez!! Being the obedient soul my parents taught me to be, we waited. There were no cars on the other side but clearly if any came there would be a green light for them and I didn't really want to back up across that big dam. I drive forward very well. Backing up...not so much. So we waited and took pictures and a short video.

Another guy pulled up behind us and he also pulled out his cellphone to take pictures. I posted my little video clip on Facebook with the caption, "If one must be stopped for construction, this is as good as it gets!" 

While we waited this time, we observed where the road came down from the hill on the other side of the dam. A huge truck was coming and it looked like it might have stopped. After a couple of minutes we could tell it was still coming, very, very slowly with another car behind it. Of course, by the time it made it across the light was green and then red again for us. There was no one on the other side. As soon as our light turned green one more time, we made out for the other side. Whew!!

When we got to the other side, I pulled to the side of the road and took this picture of the lake. I took one of the dam but, alas, it was very fuzzy.

Yesterday was Labor Day. I picked Papa up at Georgetown and we left his home at 2pm. We drove through Stamping Ground and found Hwy 32 which runs by our home. We followed it all the way to Sadieville. This was a very lovely drive in very rural Kentucky. The road changes from a line down the middle to a line on either side so you don't wander off the road. When this happens to a back road, Papa constantly tells me, "They must have taken a dirt trail and paved it!" No kidding! Fortunately these roads are not heavily traveled. We only passed 3 cars in the 30-45 minutes we were driving it. But Papa loves these roads and so we just go very slowly and enjoy the drive.

Papa has taken to pointing out the dead trees. He has gotten progressively more attune to them as the summer wears on. He just can't understand why some are so alive and right next to it a dead one. I tried to point out the trees have a life span and maybe, just maybe, theirs was up. Maybe a bug got into it and killed it. Maybe lightening or animals. None of these reasons seem to answer his dilemma. So I just listen to him wonder as that seems to be what he needs.