Sunday, November 5, 2023 I grew up in Lee County not far from where the three forks join to form the headwaters of the Kentucky River. My grandfather Lewis fished the river for years with great success. I've fished bits of this section myself, although the last time was probably 30 years ago. Since 1989 I've lived not too far from the confluence of the river with the Ohio and have spent a bit of time fishing the pools between Frankfort and Monterey, and between Gratz and Carrollton. For those not familiar with the Kentucky River it hasn't been free flowing for over 100 years. It is artificially divided into pools by 14 locks and dams. Lock 14 is in Heidelberg (Lee County) just a few river miles below Beattyville where it forms. Lock 1 is near Carrollton in Carroll County just a few miles from the mouth. Only locks 1-4 are still functional, and even those are only operated seasonally on weekends for pleasure boaters. Commercial traffic ceased sometime in the mid-90's w...
December 15, 2020 Today's hike was just to climb the rest of the way out to the south rim. I took very few pictures because my past experience told me it wasn't worth the bother. In winter the top of the BA is continually shaded and the contrast between the sunlit and shaded canyon is just too great for either my camera sensor or my limited editing skills to overcome. If ever there was a scene that begged for the latitude of C41 print film this is it! I have hundreds of photos coming up BA from my previous trips and all either have blown out highlights or blocked up shadows. The geography of this particular place is such that midday in summer is the best time to photograph it because the sun is high enough in the sky to light it evenly and fully. But, for the sake of completeness here are a couple of photos from near the top. I did quite a bit of fiddling with the second photo to preserve as much detail as i could. Upon reflection I can't say that bringing the 10mm lens wa...
December 14, 2020 Today I headed up the Bright Angel Trail to camp at Indian Gardens. The first time we came to the canyon we hiked BA all the way to the rim, but we weren't carrying camping gear or heavy packs. I wasn't in any hurry so staying at IG makes the trip a lot easier, and it gives you the bonus of being able to hike out to Plateau Point which IMO is the best view in the canyon. The first two miles are actually not on the Bright Angel Trail. When you cross the silver bridge you are on the River Trail until it ends at the base of BA. This is looking back toward the campground and Phantom Ranch. You can see the silver bridge and then the black bridge beyond it at the base of the SK. The water pipeline of the south rim crosses the river under the silver bridge. Another view from the River Trail. Here's where the BA trail begins. After about a mile you arrive here, and this is where the real fun begins. This is the bottom of a section called the Devil's Corkscrew...
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