Ol' Kentucky: Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace

We stayed with Forrest's dad and brothers for a couple of weeks in July last summer about 45 minutes outside of Louisville.

I'm just going to come right out and say it: if you're not really into horses, there's not a whole lot to do in Kentucky in the middle of summer. It's too hot to do anything outdoors except swim (for this PNW girl at least) and there aren't any clean rivers or lakes nearby (less than an hour drive). We did go to Kentucky Kingdom, a waterpark located right outside of Louisville, but the only day we could go ended up being one of the coldest days of our entire trip (~65-75).

Forrest had been promising me forever to go and see Abraham Lincoln's birthplace when we went to Kentucky. We somehow didn't get a chance when we were there six months before, but this time I was determined. We chose an extremely muggy day to go with even a few scattered showers. Notice that I am in jeans because it was even a little chilly that day! There weren't very many people there (maybe because of the weather) but I can't imagine that it's ever very crowded.

The cabin is protected inside a large mausoleum.

I couldn't actually get a picture of the whole cabin because I only brought my 50mm lens and it was pretty close quarters inside. But you get the idea.

Abraham is the baby.

"Here over the log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born destined to preserve the union and to free the slave. A grateful people have dedicated this memorial to unity, peace, and brotherhood among these states."

There is a lovely grotto built around the old well or the Sinking Creek as it is called. Once you step down inside the walls, all you can hear is the trickling water. There are trees all around the top and it is very serene and gorgeously green.

It only takes an hour or so to watch the introductory video at the visitor's center (worth watching in my opinion), have a short chat/tour with a ranger up the trail, see the cabin, and walk the whole trail around which is about half a mile. Forrest and his brothers had already been to Lincoln's birthplace and warned me that it wasn't very exciting, but obviously I wanted to see it anyway. From there, we traveled the few miles to Abraham Lincoln's childhood home (which doesn't exist anymore). Basically it's a big field with another little cabin (below) that may have belonged to a neighbor which was moved to where the Lincolns' cabin was thought to have been.

This building above was some sort of historical tavern/visitors center that is no longer open. I think it had a renovation sign on the front and they are intending to fix the floors and the structural integrity of the beams, if I remember correctly.

And this is one of the fields belonging to the Lincoln's farm. 

The most interesting thing I learned from this expedition was that Abraham Lincoln's family was not destitute as we are all taught (born in poverty). Rather, his father was actually a semi-wealthy farmer belonging to the middle class! You had to have money to buy your own 300 acres of land (duh). This was a little bit of a shocker to me, but when I saw the cabin up close, it's really not that small, especially if there was a loft (the ceiling is really, really tall!). Seeing the cabin once is good enough for me, but I'm really glad I got the chance to visit.

If ever you're in Kentucky, this is a pretty good afternoon out!

The Isle of Skye: Neist Point Lighthouse

The Isle of Skye is one of the prettiest places I have ever been. I definitely over-romanticized it in my mind before we left on our trip but the beauty of the island was even greater than I was expecting.

We took the bridge across to Skye. There is also a ferry from Maillag but the bridge made more sense for us at the time. Also, it's a really pretty bridge.

The bridge and a little bit of Skye once you cross over to the island:

We decided to go right to Neist Lighthouse and scout out places to pitch a tent along the way. If I remember correctly, there's really only one main road that goes around the island so it's not very difficult to find your way around.

The weather, once we got to Neist Lighthouse, was awful. The rain was a steady mist and we were drenched within 10 minutes. The walk to the lighthouse is pretty steep in places but it's paved which is much easier to walk on than, say, mud.

The lighthouse is on the other side of that big hill and we had already walked down the giant hill from the parking lot.

All of those things sticking up by the water are stacked up rocks. The compulsion is real.

I didn't do a ton of research before we came to Skye, but I had assumed that the lighthouse was open for visitors. I was a little disappointed to find out that it isn't, but the views (and the sheep!) were definitely worth the visit. 

The lighthouse was built in 1900 and is now automated which is why they don't allow tours, I suppose. There is a cottage or two around the base of the lighthouse but they seem to be deserted/abandoned. 

Of course, once we climbed back up the steep path and got back into the car, the rain stopped and the sun peeked out. We were very thankful for we do not enjoy setting up a tent in the rain.

I took a (misty) picture of Dunvegan Castle as we drove by it. We were too late to stop by the castle, but a lady who claimed to own it (or her family owned it?) wouldn't let us camp on her land a few miles away when we ever so politely inquired. Then she told us not to put anything in her garbage bins. Theoretically, you are legally allowed to camp anywhere in Scotland for one night (and when most of Scotland is private land, well, I would assume that many people don't ask permission) so it was slightly disheartening as the sun dropped lower and we still didn't have a place to rest our tired bones.  We thought finding places would be easier since Scotland (and in particular, Skye) is such an outdoorsy place and wild camping seems to be encouraged and endorsed online.

It is sort of hard to be disheartened though, when views like this are around every single bend in the road.

We were giving up hope of ever finding a spot when we chanced upon an open gate (!) into an empty lot and found many old fire rings. We took this as a sign, picked our favorite ring, and plunked our tent right next to it. Nobody came by and told us to leave or arrested us or anything so I guess that's what one would call a success.

I took this last picture specifically for Megan because I thought she would be impressed. ;) We camped by a lot of trees. (Not pictured: the millions of mosquito bites I got before the bug spray.)

Also:
Eilean Donan
Glenfinnan House and Viaduct
Loch Lomond/The Highlands
Hadrian's Wall
Peckforton Castle