Thanks to John

Just want to say that I could not have made it without the interactive maps on the outrageous website created by John and friends ...I would not recommend someone making this trip without the interactive maps, even though I have studied the maps from home there are some tricky places that I May have passed up where it not for the interactive maps.

I appreciate the work that John and friends have completed already and thanks for the encouragement along the way.

In March 1775, Daniel Boone departed the Long Island of the Holston River with a party of 30 axe men and two women camp keepers. They had been hired by Judge Richard Henderson of North Carolina to mark a trail for settlers to follow into the Transylvania Purchase, an expanse of 20 million acres between the Ohio River and the Cumberland River leased to the Transylvania Company in a treaty just completed with Cherokee leaders at Sycamore Shoals along the Watauga River in today’s Elizabethton, Tennessee. The party ventured through the valleys of the Clinch and Powell Rivers in today’s Southwest Virginia, stopping briefly at Martin’s Station (Wilderness Road State Park in Ewing, Virginia) to prepare for their journey into the Kentucky wilderness. With their provisions carried on pack horses, Boone’s party proceeded west, passing through the natural gap in the imposing barrier of the Cumberland Mountains. Their adventure had begun.

You can explore their story and follow in their footsteps by visiting specific sites in the Boone Trace Corridor. Sites include educational opportunities at wayside exhibits and museums. Recreational opportunities include hiking and canoeing and viewing the landscape across which the Boone party passed. Both are important parts of the historical experience you can have from visiting sites along the Boone Trace Corridor.

New sites will be added as they are developed by the communities who make up the Boone Trace Corridor. Here are some of them, listed from south to north in the order Daniel Boone encountered them in his 1775 trek from Cumberland Gap to Fort Boonesborough across 120 miles of Kentucky wilderness.

http://www.kentuckytourism.com/boonetrace/map/

To see the video of my interview at Cumberland Gap go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JZIv35HB9A&t=344

Made it to my destination.

It is a very surreal feeling right now. It has been a long journey and I finally made it.

I have always had a fascination with Daniel Boone. As a young child I remember when I got my first Daniel Boone gun and coonskin hat. I did not know then that Daniel probably never wore a coon skin cap. What I knew came mostly from the TV episodes that were portrayed by Fess Parker. Although, much of the stories that were told in the films and in folklore are fanciful, today I have no less admiration for Daniel Boone. In fact, I probably have more. The more I read about the true historical accounts and after having somewhat retraced his steps, I can't help but admire the people who made such a treacherous journey, with all the perils they had to endure.

Today was a good day. The rain stopped around 11.30-ish. It was cloudy but not too cold. The clouds actually help with picture taking. The last four or five miles of the trip I turned off all my electronic mapping apps in order to honor the early pioneers. I knew my destination was just ahead as I followed the Kentucky River. It was a welcome sight when I finally saw the sign "Fort Boonesborough" .

I had mixed emotions when I pulled in to the park and saw the monument for the first time. I am not sure if the early settlers said a prayer of thanks for their arrival or not but I imagine they did, as did I.

Though this is the end of my trip and I have arrived at my destination, it is not really the end of my journey. Lord willing, there will be more experiences and relationships to come. My final destination is beyond the clouds.

For more pics of this trip go to:
http://www.tripcolor.com//user/84601/trip/87547-Boonetrace

For more info on the Boone Trace go to:

www.boonetrace1775.com

http://www.boonesociety.com/

http://www.boonetrace1775.com/links/hiker-to-trace-steps.php

http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/tour-builder/tours/show/id/27#.VRDZpvnF-EM

http://www.kentuckytourism.com/boonetrace/

http://bythewaywebf.webfactional.com/dboone/tours/show/1

Day 6 Kingston KY Historical Marker

Day 6 Highway 421 Kingston KY Busy road with no shoulder presents dangers for bike riders...

Highway 421 is a very busy road with no shoulder. Presents dangers for bike riders. Google maps says that I am 21 miles from my destination for Boonesborough State park!!!

Day 6 In between Berea and Richmond...Blue Lick Road. A good place to stop and reflect.

Expect great things from God, Attempt great things for God! - William Carey

Larry Penix

For more pics of this trip go to:

Day 6 Berea, KY Signs along the way I'm in the right direction... Gods house