Double Turtle Rescue

I brake for turtles! I'm constantly scanning the roadways for signs of these little hobos, carrying their home on their back. Turtles generally don't need any human intervention or rescue. However, I always feel like I've saved a life when I help them reach the other side of the road. Last week, I had the opportunity to save two within a dozen miles of each other.

Shy box turtle

While traveling down rural HWY 7 from Little Sandy to West Liberty in Eastern Kentucky, I spotted this tiny box turtle in the road. I pulled over in front of an abandoned filling station and hopped out to rescue him. By the time I'd returned to my car, the owner had driven over to see what was going on. Turtle rescue, sir. Just trying to save the day. I dropped the little box turtle in the grass on the other side of the roadway & continued my drive.

The fine art of turtle spotting

To my great surprise, I spotted another turtle trying to cross HWY 7. This was several miles down the road, and thankfully had a generous shoulder to pull over and park. As I got closer to my mark, I realized it was a snapper. Ugh! Not to be deterred, it was small enough that I could flip it on it's back and carry it across. The drop off on the other side of the road was steep, so I walked him down to a lower lying area near a creek bed.

This snapping turtle looks like he just emerged from the bottom of a pond.

The smile on his face is all I need for thanks.

April blooms in Frankfort

Spring has finally arrived and the capitol city of Kentucky is blooming. This is the most beautiful time of year to spend an afternoon in Frankfort. I walked around the Old Capitol grounds and enjoyed the flowers and fresh growth on the trees.


Girls play in front of the Old Capitol.


Frankfort is host to numerous flowering trees, including the native red bud and dogwood. A walk around the area promises to reveal magnolia, cherry and crab apple blossoms. While the modern Kentucky State Capitol building always hosts a fine display of tulips this time of year, the Old Capitol was dressed with the showy blooms of a pink dogwood.


Flowering dogwood



The Capitol Annex, home to the Cabinet for Economic Development


I drove around some of the downtown Frankfort streets looking for blooms, circling out to Buffalo Trace Bourbon Distillery. Buffalo Trace is always a solid bet for beautiful seasonal landscaping. Even from the distribution entrance, the flowers didn't disappoint. The tulips caught the light just as the sun began to set.


Spring blooms at Buffalo Trace



Orange tulip



Warehouses filled with bourbon barrels

Devils Market House Arch

Having spent many weeks in the field with the guys, I decided to try my own hand at arch hunting in Daniel Boone National Forest. I headed to Menifee County in Eastern Kentucky for my first solo run. I began by walking along old county roads which have long been decommissioned, and are now simply dirt trails. Using GPS, I was able to locate two large arches in close proximity to each other but not without getting turned around once or twice.


Devil's Market House Arch


Devil's Market House Arch is certainly unique, as it stands isolated from any cliff or ridge. It appears to have dropped from the sky, arising seemingly from no where in the middle of the forest. Perhaps that unexplained element is how the arch was given its name. Each angle of the Devil's Market House presents a new view and myriad smaller arches and windows, making it very fun to explore.

Posing from the other side of Devil's Market


Although spring flowers were still scant, many butterflies were enjoying the warm temperatures and gentle breeze. I was thrilled to see several enormous butterflies, about the size of my hand, floating around the rocky outcropping. For a while, they followed me along the trail.

Yellow Tiger Striped Swallowtail

View of the Cumberland Mountains, from above the arch.


A rookie day in the field is not without mistakes, of course. Initially, I walked far beyond where I should have turned off trail believing that the Devil's Market Place would be visible from the old road. GPS cleared that up quickly. Harder to find was Sprat's Arch. I nearly gave up, deciding that the the view of the mountains from the peak was as good as it was going to get on this trip. Then I realized I was standing on top of the arch!

Sprat's Arch

Posing for scale

National Forest Boundary


Although I found two large arches, there were several others nearby. I had the coordinates roughly translated, but couldn't get my topographic maps to line up. Had I been more patient with myself, I'm certain I could have found them. As it is, I have another challenge for a return trip.

Colby Cumberland surveying Devil's Market Place