Tag Archives: Appalachian Mountains,

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 12

0
Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

November 2, 2026- Hana pointed at the United States, on the cloth globe, and babbled a question. I took the opportunity to point out Texas, then run my finger westward across the country and the Pacific ocean, to South Korea. I told her that was where her mother is from. One never knows what can settle in little minds.

My granddaughter got a good report from one of her doctors today. She is progressing very well. I pretty much come to the same conclusion, each day. She is fairly intuitive, likes compliments and has a feistiness about her, with a healthy sense of humour.

HANA’S NOTE– I was happy when I went to the doctor. He didn’t say much; just that I am strong.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: New Jersey- The Garden State gave me a wife and a stellar extended family. At Longmeadow Farm, in Pluckemin, my love for horses was rekindled and I came to know New Jersey as far more than a land of industrial cities and crowded beaches. Central New Jersey is as fine an equestrian country as any in the world.

The Turf: Northwest New Jersey is covered by the Appalachian Mountains, locally known as the Kittatinny Range. An area known simply as The Highlands falls east of the mountains, and includes the Ramapo Range. Piedmont runs south and east of The Highlands. This is prime horse country, and is where Longmeadow Farm was located. It is also where most of the state’s industrial centers are found. South and east of the Piedmont lies the Inner Coastal Plain, New Jersey’s Garden region. The outer coastal plain contains the Pine Barrens, a large wetland that is prime berry growing country. It also contains most of the Jersey Shore, with its celebrated beaches and barrier islands. New Jersey is drained by the Delaware, Passaic, Hackensack, Hudson, Raritan, Musconetcong and Mullica Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations: New Jersey is the ancestral home of the Unami, Minisink and Unalachtigo peoples, all regarded as Lenni Lenape. Most of the Lenni Lenape left New Jersey, following colonial expansion in the 1740s, yet small communities still live in Vineland, Bridgeton, Rancocas and Mahwah.

Where I most feel at home- Pluckemin, Princeton, Califon, Vineland, Barnegat, Teaneck, Morristown

Where I most feel at peace- Teaneck, Barnegat, Pluckemin

NEXT: New York

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 11

0
Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Travel

November 1, 2026- Hana was constantly pointing to the mantle of the living room fireplace. I took each item off it and showed her. It turned out that she was most interested in the pair of readers that I keep up there, to help me read the Baha’i prayer book in the morning, when it is still semi-dark. She loves to place her hands on the book, as I recite several prayers. If I put on the glasses, she wants to put them on , too. I tell her that I hope she never has to do that.

She doesn’t nap much on weekends, perhaps hoping to maximize time with Mommy and Daddy. As it happened, Aram had a Navy ceremony to attend this afternoon and Yunhee needed to take a rest. So, I proposed a walk in the park, which delighted Hana greatly. We made our customary loop past the Middle School and through the west end of Hoblitzelle. We found the Sourdough Bakery open, so I picked up some pizza sourdough. Mommy was waiting for us, when we got back, and we all had a light snack.

HANA’S NOTE- I got to wear Daddy’s Navy cap, when he came home. It is almost as big as I am.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Pennsylvania- There is no place like the Keystone State. It is almost as much home to me as Massachusetts and Arizona have been. I first passed through Philadelphia in 1969, on that train trip from Washington to Boston. In 1972, I first heard about the Baha’i Faith, after having hitched a ride from Havre de Grace to King of Prussia. Then came Bethlehem, Stroudsburg and Milton.Brother’s family lived in three PA locations, over the years. Now they are spread out in the suburbs of Philly. Dear friends live in Oley, not far from Reading, yet in a dreamlike place.PA was the first state that let caretakers use the restroom of their opposite gender charges, when we went across to New Jersey, in 2007. My solo years have also found me in Allentown, Scranton, Easton, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Du Bois, Clarion, Pittsburgh, Erie and blessed Bedford. I have enjoyed visits to Harrisburg and York, and been humbled by time in Gettysburg.

The Turf- Western Pennsylvania features the Allegheny Plateau, a series of ridges and valleys, extending nearly to Ohio. A lake plain runs along PA’s shoreline at Lake Erie. The Appalachian Mountains run from the southwest to the northeast of Pennsylvania. They include the Allegheny and Pocono Ranges Southeast of the mountains, the land is covered by Coastal Palin.

Pennsylvania is drained by the Delaware, Susquehanna, Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio,Schuylkill, Lehigh, Lackawaxen, Juniata, Lackawanna, Chemung and Shenango Rivers, along with their tributaries. The Allegheny and Monongahela flow into the Ohio, at Pittsburgh. In turn, the Ohio flows into the Mississippi, at Cairo, IL and its waters thus empty into the Gulf of Mexico, in southern Louisiana.

First Nations- Pennsylvania is the ancestral home of the Lenapehoking(Delaware), Shawnee, Erie, Munsee, Susquehannock, Haudenosaunee(Iroquois Confederacy), Honniasont, Saluda, Saponi, Tutelo,Tuscarora, and Wenrohrenon peoples. Through the deception of the Penn family, the Lenape were stripped of title to 1.2 million acres of hunting land (The Walking Purchase of 1737). Most Lenape now live in Oklahoma, as the Delaware Nation. The Susquehannock were slaughtered by the Paxton Boys, a vigilante mob, in 1763. The Erie (Erielhonan) were wiped out by the Iroquois Confederacy, in the Beaver Wars of the 1650s, which were instigated by European fur traders. The Seneca, members of the Iroquois Confederacy, were themselves deprived of significant portions of their land, by one of the less seemly projects of the New Deal: The Kinzua Dam, which resulted in the flooding of large tracts of the Seneca’s reservation land. The “trade-off” was the protection of Pittsburgh, downriver along the Allegheny from its constant springtime floods. There is no Indigenous reservation or recognized tribe in Pennsylvania. The Zimmerman Center for Heritage, in Wrightsville, documents what information is available about the Susquehannock people. The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania continues to preserve Lenape language and culture.

Where I most feel at home- Oley, Exton, Downingtown, Wilkes-Barre, Clarion, Bedford, Harrisburg,York

Where I most feel at peace- Oley, Exton, Bedford, Bushkill Falls, York

Future Five: Lancaster, Johnstown, State College, Erie, Bird-in-Hand

NEXT: New Jersey

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 7

0
Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 28,2026- Hana waved me off, as she was scooting along the perimeter of the playpen. She hadn’t done that before, so I sense she is building up a reserve of self-confidence. She has also been standing up without support, more readily. Taking steps independently is likely not far off.

She is adapting to the change in seasons, by taking longer naps in the afternoon, just as she did in the Spring. Of course, she is bundled up for morning walks and in the relative afternoon heat, we take her out in lighter clothing. The rainy season is about to return, so outdoor activities will be even more limited on several days.

HANA’S NOTE- Mommy ate the rest of her ice cream, and I still didn’t get any. I hope I can have some soon.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: West Virginia- The Mountain State has seen me pass through and make overnight stops, ten times. My first stop was in Morgantown, in 1972, for an overnight at West Virginia University. I have passed through the northern Panhandle, five times and the eastern Pothandle, on four occasions. Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry were focuses of a couple visits. I drove through Charleston once, in 2017, en route to visiting family in Indiana. Each time, I was well-received. West Virginia’s scenic beauty and historic landmarks are likely to draw us back.

The turf- Eastern West Virginia is covered by the Allegheny Range, of the Appalachian Mountains. The southern part of the state features the Cumberland Mountains. The rest of the state is covered by the Allegheny Plateau. New River Gorge, Cheat Canyon and Blackwater Canyon are among the most striking landscapes in the eastern U.S. West Virginia is drained by the Ohio, Potomac, Kanawha, New, Bluestone, Shenandoah, Gauley, Monongahela and Cheat Rivers, along with their tributaries. West Virginia has a healthy portion of the Appalachian Trail and Harpers Ferry is the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Association.

First Nations- West Virginia is the ancestral home of the Cherokee, Shawnee, Monacan, Meherrin,Manahoac, Nottoway Occaneechee,Tutelo and Saponi peoples. The Mingo, an Iroquoian tribe, moved to the area after Europeans began to push westward. As part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, until 1863, West Virginia was affected heavily by the continuous conflicts known as the French and Indian Wars, from 1688-1763. Part of these was the Anglo-Cherokee War (1758-61), which ended in defeat for the Cherokee, and the Treaty of Long Island. The Shawnee were also defeated, in Governor Dunmore’s War (1774). Most of the First Nations people moved westward, during the Trail of Tears, from 1836-38. There are no Native American reservations in West Virginia today.

Where I feel most at home- Martinsburg, Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Morgantown

Where I feel most at peace- Harpers Ferry, New River Gorge

NEXT: District of Columbia

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 5

0
Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 26, 2026- Hana looked at a small photograph, which showed Aram as a 6-year-old boy. I told her that was her Daddy when he was much younger. She looked over at his Navy Boot Camp graduation picture and then again at the small photo. Back and forth a few times, she made the connection.

Hana has taught herself how to climb up onto a cloth chair. She also knows how to go from there up onto a futon bed next to it. I kept her off the bed and then guided her down off the chair. The climbing fun has begun, and so has the increased vigilance.

HANA’S NOTE- I am feeling more like I can climb up things now. Papa is watching me very close, though, so I won’t be able to go everywhere.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: North Carolina- I have been to, or through, the Tar Heel State eight times. My first was a bus ride that stopped in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, in 1987. Aram and I spent a night in Charlotte, in late 2000, while driving a car back from New Jersey. Our family road trip, in 2007, saw us stay in Fayetteville, going north and Greensboro, going back south. Salisbury and Raleigh were other northbound overnight stops, in 2017 and 2022, respectively. I visited Asheville and Tryon briefly, in 2021. Each of these places has offered a hearty welcome. I have extended family in Winston-Salem, as well.

The turf- The Appalachian Mountains cover North Carolina’s west, and may be divided into four ranges: The Blue Ridge, Great Smokies, Black Mountains and Brushy Mountains. East of the Appalachians is the Piedmont Plateau, a hilly and forested region, which is also NC’s most populous area. The eastern third of the state is Coastal Plain. This includes the peninsula and islands of the Outer Banks. North Carolina celebrates its geographical diversity with the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which has 18 segments, starting in Kuwohi, on the Tennessee border and ending at Jockey’s Ridge, in the Outer Banks. North Carolina features the Eastern Continental Divide in the Blue Ridge Mountains ( divides between water flowing towards the Atlantic and that flowing towards the Gulf of Mexico.). The state is drained by the French Broad, Kanawha, Hiawassee, Catawba, Yadkin, Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, Neuse and Cape Fear Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations-North Carolina is the ancestral home of the Saponi, Cherokee, Haliwa, Meherrin, Coharie, Lumbee and Waccamaw peoples. The Tuscarora Nation lived in the Coastal Plain, until the 1710s. They were defeated by British settlers, in Barnwell’s War, (1713), at Fort Noherooka. The Tuscarora then moved to New York and Ontario.The Catawba were numerous in the Piedmont region, but were decimated by disease and conflict with the Cherokee. They primarily live today in South Carolina. The Cherokee, originally allowed to own land in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, under treaties of 1777 and 1792, were forcibly removed in 1838, under an edict from President Martin Van Buren. This removal was part of the Trail of Tears, which saw 20,000 people die, en route to Oklahoma. Today, there are eight State Reservations in North Carolina, including the Quall Boundary Reservation (Cherokee) in the Blue Ridge.

Where I most feel at home: Tryon, Asheville, Salisbury, Raleigh, Wilmington.

Where I most feel at peace: Tryon, Salisbury

NEXT: Virginia

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 3

0
Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 24, 2026- Hana was dressed up,this noon, as we went as a family to a Vietnamese restaurant, in nearby Garland. She had already eaten her lunch, and contented herself with a couple of cucumber slices and leaves of lettuce. We adults had egg rolls, a stuffed rice pancake, shredded shrimp and spicy peanut on crispy rice and the central Vietnamese counterpart to pho. In our family practice, we shared these items.

Earlier, while my three loved ones were walking around Hoblitzelle Park, I took Sportage for a thorough servicing and got a haircut. The car has new wiper blades, fresh oil, brake fluid and a clean fuel system. I have a cleaned up noggin.

Hana was a bit thrown off by my cleaned up appearance, as she had been asleep when I got back from my errands. She pouted a bit, until she heard my voice and felt my hand on her arm. Then all was well again. When we went to the restaurant, she was quite sociable with the other patrons, especially with the other children.

HANA’S NOTE- I thought a strange man was in the house, when I woke from my nap. Then I heard Papa’s voice and everything was okay.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Georgia- I have been in Georgia about a dozen times. The Peachtree State was the third state in which I ever set foot, outside of New England. That was in 1969, and it was only a short transit at Atlanta Hartsfield, between Columbia and Louisville, en route to Indianapolis, from Basic Training to Advanced Individual Training, at the beginning of my Army active duty. Georgia became much more important in the 2000s and 2010s, when my middle brother and his family lived in Newnan, about an hour south of Atlanta. Visits in 2007, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022. either with the whole “Atlanta” family or just passing through, in their absence, have cemented Georgia in my heart. One of my nephews and his family still live in Metro Atlanta.

The turf- Georgia’s north is fully Appalachian, and serves as the starting point of the Appalachian Trail- at Springer Mountain. The Appalachian Plateau dominates the state’s northwest and the Blue Ridge, its northeast. The mountains are bordered to the south by Piedmont, a rocky area of rolling hills and dense forest. The Coastal Plain, alternating between rich, black soil and red clay, covers the southern two-thirds of Georgia. Peanut farms are common in the southwest and cotton farms, in the southeast. Okefenokee Swamp is a key wetland in the southernmost part of Georgia.and is a National Wildlife Refuge. The state is drained by the Chattahoochee, Savannah, Suwannee, Flint, Towaliga, Ocmulgee, Etowah and Altamaha Rivers, as well as their tributaries. Georgia has several lakes, most prominently Lake Lanier and Lake Oconee. Georgia’s Atlantic Coast features several of the Sea Islands, a chain it shares with South Carolina. Georgia’s Sea Islands include Cumberland, St. Simon’s, Ossabaw, Sapelo and Jekyll.

First Nations- Two nations, Guale and Yamasee, thrived in Georgia until the coming of Spanish and British colonists, in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. The Guale, in particular, were mound builders and had longhouses, similar to other Mississippian Culture groups. They were forcibly converted to Catholicism, by the Spanish, who largely removed the Guale into Florida. The Yamasee were able to survive in the Low Country, a while longer, due to their alliance with Scottish colonists. They eventually clashed with colonists from Carolina, and were defeated in 1715. They then dispersed and were absorbed into the Muscogee Nation. Nacoochee Mound remains today, as remnant of the Guale Culture.

Georgia is the ancestral home of the Cherokee and Muscogee peoples, both of which were forcibly removed during the campaigns initiated by Andrew Jackson and continued by Martin Van Buren, from 1830-1841. Most Georgia First Nations people were removed by 1835, along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. Today, the State of Georgia recognizes the Cherokee of Georgia, Eastern Cherokee and Lower Muscogee Creek Tribe. These are not Federally-recognized groups, but are protected by the State.

Where I most feel at home- Americus, Newnan, Folkston, St. Simon’s, Dublin, Cairo, mid-town Atlanta.

Where I most feel at peace- Amicalola, Americus, Okefenokee

NEXT: South Carolina

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 1

0
Posted by on in children, Education, Family, Historical, Personal Values

October 22, 2026- Hana has now been ten months blessing our lives and keeping us on our toes. In the past month, she has mastered standing up and scooting. She is actively walking with support and has taken a few steps, independently, here and there. Babbling with intention is now accompanied by pointing to something she wants. She tries to help in little ways-picking up a clean diaper and a package of wet wipes; pulling her shirt off, at changing time; trying to put on her own straps and secure the tray, when placed in a high chair.

My grandchild loves to look at books and makes “comments’, after looking at a picture or two. She does best when given a limited number of books (2-3) to look at, at any one time. Otherwise, a whole shelf of books could end up on the floor.

She also likes our stroller walks, and is still very much interested in the Halloween and Harvest displays that alternate in several of the neighbourhoods we have covered in our meanderings. Her favourites are the skeletons, especially the tall ones.

HANA’S NOTE- I like sleeping in the stroller, on the way back home. The streets Papa chooses for each walk are sometimes the same ones; sometimes new ones. I like the neighbourhoods though.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Alabama-I have been in the Heart of Dixie seven times: First,in 1987, on a bus bound for Phoenix, by way of New Orleans and Houston; then, in 2011, with several days visiting Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Selma and Birmingham; 2015, in Daphne, near Mobile and a visit with a friend in Sylacauga; 2022, to Tuskegee, at the tail end of a road trip by rental car, that began and ended in Atlanta; then a train trip from Atlanta to New Orleans, which went through Birmingham and Tuscaloosa; and finally, in July of that year, making a brief stop in Florence and Muscle Shoals.As in other parts of the South, I have encountered only graciousness and hospitality, from anyone and everyone.

The turf- Northernmost Alabama is covered by the Cumberland Plateau, which extends south from Tennessee. To its southeast is the Appalachian Valley, the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. South of the Appalachians is the Piedmont Plateau. The rest of the state is Black Belt, a reference to the rich black soil and coastal plain, whose soil, especially in the Sawgrass Region, of southeast Alabama, is a bit sandier. Alabama is drained by the Tennessee, Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chattahoochee, Tombigbee, Black Warrior and Mobile Rivers, along with their tributaries. The state is bounded by the Gulf of Mexico, on its southwest.

First Nations-Alabama is the ancestral home of the Alabama-Coushatta, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Yuchi peoples. Mound builders were active in Alabama, before the ascendancy of the Five Civilized Tribes, and left some decidedly civilized structures at places like Moundville. Choctaw and Creek maintain presence in Alabama in the MOWA and Porach communities, respectively. All other Indigenous people were removed form Alabama in the 1830s. As settlers encroached on Native lands, in the 1810s, a civil war broke out among the Creeks, The Red Stick faction opposed white settlement; another faction allied itself with the U.S. Government. The Red Sticks were soundly defeated in the Creek War of 1813-14, in the Battles of Tallushatchee, Talladega and Horseshoe Bend. The other tribes were included in the Trail of Tears, as indicated above.

Where I most feel at home- Daphne, Sylacauga, Tuskegee, Selma, Florence

Where I most feel at peace- Sylacauga, Tuscaloosa, Ozark

NEXT: Florida

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 26

0
Posted by on in children, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 17, 2026- Hana and I went on a long walk this afternoon, as her Mom was taking an hour or so for herself, and it was a beautiful day. Hana enjoyed the walk, but after a while, she wanted to get out of the stroller and stretch. It will be a grand thing, when she can wear socks and shoes, and balance being in a stroller with walking around.

Hana is noticing what other children are doing. She was delighted by a girl of about five, who was walking her much larger dog, and pretty much making it mind. I think my granddaughter will be a rather authoritative pet minder, one of these days. She certainly communicates her feelings quite forcefully.

HANA’S NOTE- I had a huge breakfast today. I didn’t have much room at lunch time, but by dinner, I was very hungry again. So that was another big meal.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Tennessee-The Volunteer State, along with Kentucky, extends from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. I have been to all parts of Tennessee, visiting about a dozen times. The first time was in 1979, spending an unusually snowy, blustery nigh, in Memphis, sitting by a fireplace and thoroughly enjoying catfish and hush puppies, at an “all-you -can-eat” hotel restaurant. A dear friend lives in Crossville, halfway between Nashville and Knoxville. Other good friends live in each of those cities, and an extended family member lived for a time in Chattanooga. I’ve always enjoyed my visits to the Volunteer State.

The Turf- Tennessee’s western third is riparian plain, part of the Mississippi Delta. The central part of the state is rim country nearly surrounding Nashville, which itself sits in a low-lying Basin. The Cumberland Plateau rises to the east of the Highland Rim. The peaks and valleys of the Appalachian region. including the Blue Ridge, borders the Cumberland, to the east. Tennessee is drained by the Mississippi, Tennessee,Clinch, Cumberland, Buffalo and Holston Rivers, as well as their tributaries.

First Nations- Tennessee is the ancestral home of the Cherokee, Shawnee, Chickasaw, Quapaw and Yuchi peoples. Other tribes found homes among the Cherokee, at different periods of the adjustment to the coming of Europeans to the middle part of North America. Mound builders pre-dated those nations, leaving their earthworks behind, most prominently at Pinson Mounds, Mound Bottom, Toqua, Citico and Old Stone Fort.

With European, and then American, expansion, came pressure on the nations which lived east of Cumberland Gap, such as the Cherokee. These tribes then move in on their neighbours, the Yuchi and Shawnee, pushing them west and south. The Cherokee, and later the Chickasaw, were moved out of Tennessee in the 1830s, as part of the forced relocation to what is now Oklahoma. Today, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw have a small community in Lauderdale County, west Tennessee. Native people have re-settled in Nashville and Knoxville. There are, however, no other organized First Nations communities in the state.

Where I most feel at home- Crossville, Wildersville, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Shiloh

Where I most feel at peace- Fall Creek Falls, Natchez Trace, Nashville’s Parthenon, Crossville,

NEXT: Mississippi

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 25

0
Posted by on in children, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 16, 2026- Hana decided she would help me this afternoon. When I had several items to carry upstairs, she wanted to go with me. So, I supported her, while holding two envelopes. She carried a third envelope. She was very proud of herself for not dropping the envelope-and I thanked her for being a helper.

Yunhee put a pair of pants, with a black and white cow on her, then made a mooing sound. Hana then made her own mooing sound and started giggling. Her intentional babbling has really taken off this week. She is mostly out of the playpen and walking with one of us, then playing quietly in whatever room suits her fancy.

HANA’S NOTE– I wanted to help Papa, so I took one of the envelopes and tried to hold onto a plastic bottle, but I dropped it. Papa just tossed the bottle upstairs.

EXPANDING CIRCLES:Kentucky- The Bluegrass State is one of two that stretch from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. The other is Tennessee. Kentucky has the shortest Mississippi shoreline of any state in the valley:60 miles, including the Kentucky Bend enclave, that is surrounded by the river-and Tennessee. I have been to Kentucky three times, in 1979, 2011and 2017. My focuses were on the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, the state capital, a large cavern , some friends from my Xanga days and extended family in the Louisville area, albeit across the river in southern Indiana. Family friends have moved back to Kentucky, from southern California. It’d be nice to visit them there some day.

The turf- Western Kentucky, an area known as Jackson Purchase, is the state’s lowland, lying along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, near their confluence, which is in a nearby area of Illinois. The rest of the state is upland or rolling hills: Cumberland Plateau, including foothills of the Appalachian Mountains; the Bluegrass Region and the Mississippi Plateau occupy the northern and central parts of Kentucky, respectively. Kentucky is drained by the Mississippi, Ohio, Big Sandy, Kentucky, Tennessee, Cumberland, Green and Licking Rivers, along with their tributaries. The Tennessee River has been dammed to establish two large reservoirs: Lake Cumberland and Kentucky Lake. Land Between the Lakes is a popular National Recreation Area.

First Nations- Kentucky is the ancestral home of the Shawnee, Cherokee, Yuchi and Chickasaw people. The Cherokee maintain a homeland in the Henderson area. There was considerable conflict between the Native peoples of Kentucky and settlers who began arriving in the mid-18th Century. Battles ancillary to the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 resulted in defeat of the confederated tribes. The harshest defeats were at Fallen Timbers, in 1794 and further afield, at the Battle of the Thames, in Ontario, in 1813-which saw the death of Tecumseh, leader of the Confederated Tribes. There was a period of voluntary Native American removal, during the presidencies of James Monroe and John Quincy Adams (1821-1829). Under Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, forced removal of Cherokee people from North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as several tribes from Georgia, constituted the Trail of Tears. The expelled nations were forced into what is now Oklahoma. Some Cherokee returned to Kentucky, in time, and live in the above-mentioned community.

Where I most feel at home- Hodgenville, Mammoth Cave, Paducah, Louisville

Where I most feel at peace- Falls of the Ohio, Mammoth Cave

NEXT: Tennessee