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EXPLORING
KENTUCKY- January 2001 by Katherine Tandy Brown Eagles Soar
While adjusting my camera to capture this spectacular scene, I heard footsteps crackling toward me through the fall leaves. Thinking it was a dog, I looked up and gazed straight into the eye of a two-point buck, not four feet from me. Afraid of startling him, I froze and stared, spellbound. We held that electric moment, then he scampered off into the trees. That’s not an uncommon occurrence, according to Kenny Vaughan, general manager of Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park – 3,498 acres of dense woods and manicured open space that sprawls across Cumberland and Clinton counties in southern Kentucky right on the Tennessee border. Its protected areas are a woody habitat for deer, bobcats, turkeys, foxes, raccoons, coyotes, otters, migrating waterfowl and eagles. Like the “snow birds” that cruise south to Florida on I-75, American bald eagles flee the frigid temperatures and frozen waterways of their northern U. S. and Canadian homes. Kentucky’s relatively mild winters lure these graceful raptors to unpack their bags until the spring thaw. In order to allow people to see eagles in their winter habitat, Kentucky State Parks, in cooperation with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, have initiated Eagle Weekend events at four state parks: Kentucky Dam Village, Kenlake, Lake Barkley and Dale Hollow Lake. This year’s program will be the third for Dale Hollow Lake and the 19th for the Corps of Engineers. Unlike the other three parks, which use vans, Dale Hollow stages its eagle watches on large open barges, so guests should dress for the weather and arrive armed with binoculars, cameras and/or spotting scopes. Held the third and fourth weekends in January, the free barge tours depart on Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. For an additional $10 programming fee, you get a real deal: a Friday evening program on the history of Dale Hollow Lake, a sneak preview of what to expect on the tour with a question and answer session, a Saturday morning eagle update from the Department of Fish and Wildlife (nesting habits, the inside scoop on current eagle happenings in Kentucky and updated statistics), and a Saturday evening live birds of prey show with the nationally-known “Eagle Lady,” Doris Mager, and Reelfoot Lake’s raptor specialist, David Haggard. “On Saturday
night participants can come in the lodge, get warm and
get up close to the birds they’ve been watching
outside,” says Hutchinson. “We’re
expecting about 75 people for the weekend in 2001.” Opened in 1978 – when the park officially opened to the public – the park marina has 36 open slips, 15 buoys for overnight tie-ups, marine supplies including fishing gear, a grocery, rentable pontoons and fishing boats, a list of private fishing guides, and a long, wide ramp Vaughan calls “one of the best on the lake.” Official 1999 visitation figures for the park totaled nearly 93,000, but he thinks that figure is misleading because many people use the marina and never go to the lodge. “As one of the clearer lakes in the U.S., it’s very popular for scuba diving,” Vaughan says. “And it’s world-known for smallmouth bass. Lots of people come in for night fishing. Even in January and February on weekends, it’s not unusual to see 25 or 30 vehicles of people out fishing. They come year round.”
With views to die for, the expansive 198-seat dining room has three glass walls and a 37-foot-high stone fireplace to cozy up to on those chilly winter evenings. Like many state parks, the state’s second largest features buffets on Easter, Mothers Day and Thanksgiving, with a home-cooked spread so tasty you’ll swear a team of grandmothers is in the kitchen. If you’d rather cook your own meal over an open fire, the campground has 144 sites, 24 of which are designated for horse camping, plus utility hookups, three bath houses, a community pool open Memorial Day through Labor Day, picnic areas and 15 miles of trails, most open for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Many follow old logging roads across ridge tops. “The terrain around the lakes makes this a popular place to ride horses,” says Vaughan. “Riders can get off our main trails and ride all the way down to the water, particularly in the winter when the water level is lower.” If lowering your stress level is a goal, the park’s serenity is just the ticket – a comfortable chair, glorious scenery and nothing to do. But thanks to recreation supervisor Shannon Hutchinson, visitors who choose to can stay busy. “People like to be entertained and usually the best entertainers are the people themselves,” he laughs, referring to a karaoke-themed weekend. For activity-seekers, all-aged recreational programs, such as nature crafts, arts and crafts, pontoon rides, water safety presentations and nature hikes, run seven days a week, Memorial Day through Labor Day. In addition, the park sponsors an annual 5K run in April, a spring campers’ appreciation weekend and Fall Horse Camp Roundup weekend (both with a free second night’s stay, a cookout and live entertainment), Halloween campsite decorating contest and hayride. Near the campground, an outdoor amphitheater is used for programs such as live birds of prey and animal shows. Here, live rock and roll, bluegrass and country music herald the parks’ rockin’ Fourth of July celebration each year. And on Labor Day weekend 2001, its rafters will ring with the sounds of the 14th annual Southern Gospel Jubilee, when gospel groups from across the country join vocal forces for three days of concerts. In a word, the resort offers hospitality-plus. “We get lots of visitor compliments on our genuine hometown friendliness,” Hutchinson says. “They feel like they’re going home to visit grandma and grandpa. It reminds them of home, wherever that may be.” “It’s still a hidden treasure,” Vaughan says of the park. “It’s going to become more and more popular as its facilities expand.” Specifically, a convention center is slated to open in the fall of 2002, and an 18-hole golf course will lure duffers the following spring. In the meantime, Vaughan stays busy getting the grounds shipshape. Springtime plantings may rival Churchill Downs’ Derby Day blossoms, with 1,500 tulips due to emerge, along with hundreds of other bulbs and peonies. Come fall, the lodge will be decked with multicolored chrysanthemums, to adding even more color to that of vivid-hued oaks, maples and poplars. “We’re trying to be good stewards of the land and we take a lot of pride in how we maintain our grounds,” the manager says. “We’re continuously adding landscaping, taking care of the land, because that’s what it’s all about.” For information on
the Eagle Weekends, call 1-800-255-PARK. Katherine Tandy
Brown is a staff writer for The Lane Report.
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When I first
set eyes on Dale Hollow Lake on a cool, sunny November
morning, it was every bit as postcard-picturesque as
I’d heard. From the outdoor slate patio of the Mary
Ray Oaken lodge, I saw a cobalt sky reflected in clear
lake waters some 300 feet below. Humped green islands
dappled a wide, sparkling S-bend, its shoreline thick
with stark winter trees. The air smelled fresh, and was
dead still, its quiet punctured only by an occasional
bird’s cry.
Except for
Christmas week, the lodge, named for a former Secretary
of the Kentucky Tourism Cabinet and Commissioner of the
State Department of Parks, is open year-round. Built of
limestone and massive timbers, the bluff top facility
opened in 1997 with 30 rooms, adding 30 more in April of
2000. Amenities include a gift shop with Kentucky crafts
and souvenirs, an outdoor pool and a state of the art
playground.