Them’s the Breaks (Part 1)

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My five-star stop this time around was a place I had never been before: The Breaks Interstate Park. This is listed in the Kentucky State Parks brochures. In reality, very little of it is in Kentucky. Definitely most of the attractions (And acreage) are on the Virginia side of the park. I entered from the Virginia side, where an unoccupied toll booth didn’t want my $2 parking fee on that day (they probably collect that on weekends only during the “off-season”). The first thing I encountered was a pull-off for a scenic view of “The Towers,” along with the Russell Fork River. This 1600-foot deep canyon is called “the Grand Canyon of the South.” It’s not as deep but the compensation is the beautiful foliage (which was struggling to change colors the day I was there, thanks to the diminished rainfall over the past two months). Other pull-offs along the main road in the park allowed for more canyon viewing. The welcome center has, just outside, displays of mountain pioneer life (including a moonshine still and a sign detailing how it’s made, an original 19th century cabin that had been relocated to the site, and a gristmill). Inside there were more historical items, including the story of the region’s involvement in the Civil War. Most fascinating were the pieces of coal: not the little “charcoal briquette” sized things, but big rocks of solid coal. The coke process was also explained, along with a piece of coal that had been turned into coke. (No, not the drink....not the drug, either. The stuff that steel was made of.) Despite the fact that the leaves aren’t too vibrant at the moment (although the patches where the color was out were quite vivid), the drive through The Breaks was amazing. Then there was the bottom of the canyon.....(see next discussion)