The Adventures of Larry Penix

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

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.

Monday, March 23, 2015

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

Friday, March 20, 2015

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

Day 6 Waynesburg, KY Waynesburg Farm and Lumber

The actual Boone Tavern... Part of Boone's history and the history of Berea College...

Day 6 - Berea, KY Boone Trace Tavern

This marker placed by the DAR in 1916. Boone Trace Tavern. It reads Daniel Boone Trail. North Carolina to Kentucky 1775 directed by the Kentucky Daughters of the American Revolution 1916. Thank you ladies!

Day 6 Final Day of destination

This morning the rain has stopped about 10 AM here in Berea. I did not want to head out in the rain. Getting a late breakfast with my sister, and going by the Boone Tavern marker this morning, and then I will be on my way.

Another highlight of this trip has been eating at some of the local stores and restaurants along the way. I had hoped to lose quite a bit of weight on this trip, but I don't think I have! I may be the only person in history to ride 200 miles in a week on the bike and actually gain weight!

Day 5 comes to a close

My how quickly the weather can change. Earlier this week it was sunny and warm. Today, It was cold and rainy all day. On the bright side, I stayed relatively dry. My pants and jacket are 100% polyester. I also wore a poncho. The toboggan I wore kept my head warm, in fact the last few miles I had to remove it because I was so warm I was sweating. My feet stayed dry because I had waterproof shoes. The only thing that really got cold was my hands because the rain soaked my gloves on the last few miles of the trip. I will probably get me some leather gloves tonight. In case you're wondering why I am putting so many details about things like clothes, I am doing this for the fellow bikers that may decide to do this trip at a later time.

At the very beginning of my trip I made a wrong turn. Had I paid attention, I would've known. The printed directions that John Fox created says to turn Right at stop light when get to (McDonald's on corner) and remain on US 25- 5.6 mile

I went a couple miles in the wrong direction before I realized it, and I had already crossed at least two or three pretty big hills. I then turned around and came back the same way I came.

The little Community of Renfro Valley is just outside of the town of Mount Vernon. It is a nice little area as you can see from a few of the pics, however it is closed at this time for the season. That was fine with me, it meant less traffic.

Scaffold Cane Rd. was a very nice road that took you along the countryside away from the busy traffic. In fact I hardly saw a vehicle the whole time I was on the road. That probably varies depending on the time of day or time of year that you're on it. Yes, it would have been more enjoyable on a sunny day in May, however March is the month that Daniel Boone, Joshua Penix, and others made the famous trip into Kentucky. I am sure they had many cold, wet, and long days.I would describe my trip today as gloriously miserable. My discomfort is a reminder of the terrible conditions that our ancestors must have endured to make this great journey.

The miserable, wet conditions made seeing the Motel at Berea such a welcome sight.

I don't suppose Daniel Boone and his party had the privilege of staying nice and dry during the night under journey, nor taking a nice hot shower. But I suppose he would have if he could've.

Life is a journey, and along the way we meet many people and have many experiences. Part of the reason for this trip was not just to connect to my historical past, but also to connect with the present.The people that I have met along the way have touched my heart. It makes me realize that there really are some wonderful people in this world. With all the news attention that focus on the evil people in the world, it is easy to become discouraged and to feel like the whole world has become evil. This trip has helped in someway restore my faith in humanity. People who were perfect strangers helping me by given me a hand by taking the time to get to know me. These are people I never would have met if I would not have taken this journey. For this reason I am thankful that I did.