| Exploring |
| Central Kentucky |
| Woodson Bend |
This is Woodson Bend, via Garland Bend
Road. The resort is on the land inside the bend. To get to the
cliff side, you go south from Somerset on 27 and turn off on
Garland Road, and go up a short distance to a little gravel
turnoff on the right. It goes to the train tracks, and there is
room to park without being close to the tracks. There are two
tracks now, and one is used as a parking siding. It would not be
good to be on the cliff side and come back and find a train
parked there. I rarely go there any more. I've been there a bunch
of times and made a lot of pictures already, and some video. It
is an interesting place, with high cliffs, and some lower ledges.
I've been to the bottom and found a little cave, when the river
was down.
This kind of looks like a wolf came home and found me in his cave, but it is the dog I had at the time, a Malamute/Shepherd mix.
I've seen other openings at the bottom, but never got to them. They are farther around. I saw one about half way down the cliff on around to the right. I made my way down to it and found only a short tunnel. It was a little hairy getting to it. Wouldn't do that again.
From the parking place, you can cross the tracks and go a short distance to the cliff. A trail goes along there, parallel to the cliff. One goes down to lower levels too. From the parking place, a RR road goes along the tracks. I've seen people driving on that road, but it is probably not allowed. I've walked on that road until I came to an area of flat bare rock on the cliff side of the tracks. It is low, relatively; just a little higher than track level. You can step up on that and walk to the cliff and get a nice view, like in the first picture here. That flat section of rock is fairly long. At the right end, you go up, on the trail I mention before. If you go straight across from the parking place and get on the trail, following left along the cliff will take you to that bare rock.
This picture shows some of that rock area, but more back this way, toward the parking place. There are trees on some of it. The Garland Bend Road bridge can be seen just over the train cars.
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This gnarly Cedar reminds me of Bristlecone Pines in California. I've seen pictures of the latter. I've walked most of the way around that ridge to the right.
In spring, Redbuds are plentiful along the train track at Woodson Bend, and along Garland Rd.
The cliff at left is near that trail. The scene at right is the same cliff, farther down. I shot this with a zoom lens from the ridge that goes around to the right. I think the fall color picture below it was made from that part of the cliff, or close to it.
I found this little ledge below a few years ago and haven't found it again. Not sure how I got there. Fall is pretty at Woodson Bend too. Lots of colors around there.
The picture just below was made from one of the
lower levels. That was as far as I could go . One Christmas day I
was there and I saw what
Galen Rowel called "Glories." I think that's what they
were. I had never seen that phenomenon before. Looking toward the
sun, I could see two roundish areas, one on each side of the sun,
and they had a rainbow look to them. One was a little stronger
than the other. I was really amazed at what I was seeing. The
fact that it was Christmas day made me wonder even more. It was
not long after that I found Galen Rowel's book, Mountain
light in the library, and in the book he discussed that kind
of phenomena. Galen and his wife Barbara had a web site at http://www.mountainlight.com.
They were killed in a plane crash last month. That was a big loss
to photography, as well as to their friends and family. I was
saddend to read of their departing. He made many wonderful
pictures, many of which can be seen at their website, and in the
book.
I think the picture below left was made from the same ledge as above. There are two different levels below the top. All together, it is an interesting place, and I have enjoyed many times there. This place, like all cliff areas, has its risk factor, and people need to be cautious.
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