A person or more are traveling by automobile on Interstate 75 and in no particular hurry. Should they be in a hurry why didn’t they take to the air? Maybe it was just to avoid the hassle of boarding an airplane. There are many detours one can take between Miami and Michigan so I shall mention only two or three, so come with me and let’s explore a bit.

We leave I 75 and take US 25E. There are junctions in southern Kentucky and in northern Tennessee. Suppose we are headed to Cincinnati. As we move along the highway notice the pastoral scene. We’re in Powell Valley. We pass many family farms with crops and dairy cattle. Notice the red cedar trees. They grow almost everywhere that there’s no competition from plough or hoof. The trees are beautiful; they remind me of Christmas.

We will soon be at the state line. That will be Cumberland Gap. That’s where Daniel Boone crossed the mountains to explore Kentucky. They have built a tunnel under the mountain at that location, but we’ll take the old road over the mountain and explore the mountain-top.

The topmost point is called the Pinnacle. We’ll get out and look around. The view is spectacular looking across the valley and up the mountain range. There’s a town down there, Middlesboro. Follow me along this trail. Here we are. If you stand on the spot where the marker is you will stand in three states at one time: Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.

When ready we’ll go on up the road about fifteen miles or so. We’ll see a sign directing us to Pine Mountain State Park in Kentucky. If we follow the directions we’ll find a parking lot and trails leading into the park. Be aware that the trails have stretches of steep grade, so if that is a problem we can confine our hike to a short easy walk. We can spend as much or as little time as desired.

Let’s take this trail. It will take us through some interesting places and to a chained rock. Notice the small plants on the ground under the trees. Depending on the season they will have blossoms such as jack-in-the-pulpit or columbine. Here is a spot where the forest is less dense. See the lovely green bed of moss. Care for a nap?

Farther up the trail we see the forest thin, replaced by shrubs. These are mainly mountain laurel and rhododendron. They bloom in spring and early summer. The mountain laurel produces a unique pink blossom. They appear in clusters of tiny Chinese-lantern like flowers. The flower was the inspiration for the Mountain Laurel Festival held each May in the nearby town of Pineville and in the park.

Follow me over here. The trails and footbridges were made by CCC boys about eighty years ago, so some things have changed in that time. Here they found a tree that had apparently been blown over against a cliff. Some enterprising person thought to make a living stairway by making the tree a part of the trail. Notice the steps cut into the wood, the concrete tread and the added handrail. We can continue on the trail via the tree or take the path around it. Either way we’re headed for the chained rock. Let’s go.

There is the rock just ahead. Let’s sit for a moment and catch our breath. Look at the size of that chain. How many mules do you suppose it took to drag that thing up here? I’ll bet they had to search the whole county to find enough for the job. Let’s go and take a closer look at the rock and chain. The rock is well embedded into the side of the mountain, and there is an overhang that can be seen from the valley below. The overhang is what makes the rock look so foreboding. Thus the chain is fastened to the rock where the overhang is visible from below. From here we can see the whole business district of the town of Pineville, so it’s a sure thing that the rock and chain can be seen from there, and it’s a sure thing that the Chamber of commerce saw it before it was chained. Well, it makes a good picture whether or not there is any truth in it.

We’re ready to head back down. We’ll follow the same trail for a way and then split off to a different trail to conclude our trek. Enjoy the scenery on the way down.

As we emerge from the forest we are surprised by the scene. Heavy boards sit in rows between big rocks. It’s an amphitheater. Look ahead. The aisle between the seats leads to a footbridge across a little stream that flows along the front of a stage that has a spectacular backdrop, which is a high sandstone bluff. Notice that the bluff is multilayered and shrubs grow between the layers. Much of the shrubbery is mountain laurel. When in bloom it dresses the backdrop in a gown that puts royalty to shame.

This is the place where the main event of the Mountain Laurel Festival takes place. Young women from colleges all over the state compete for queen of the Festival and one is crowned by the Governor.

The last leg of our little journey leads us down a very pleasant walk along the stream that marked the front of the stage that we just visited. It’s just a short easy walk to the parking lot. Just follow the highway through Pineville and on to the junction with I 75.