Thursday, April 19, 2018, Red River Gorge Nada Tunnel, Stanton, KY

Today was our last chance to visit the Nada Tunnel and we were fortunate to have a little sunshine and actual spring-like temperatures. I'm sure the area is beautiful in the summer when the trees are full, but I wonder if you can get the same perspective. We were able to appreciate the heights of the cliffs and the depths of the gorge because we could see through the trees.

Recent precipitation provided plenty of water for the shower that greeted visitors to the tunnel (also the reason there are wet tire prints in the photos below). Being a weekday, there was very little traffic and we could take some interesting shots from the pavement.

There was a very "spooky" feel to this tunnel - I'm just happy I did not have to walk the 900 feet to the other end!

Very creepy feeling indeed inside - this was as far as I would venture. Driving through in the car was not much better. I clearly would not have been happy as a miner.

The pavement was very narrow and there was absolutely no shoulder making me very thankful for the limited amount of traffic we encountered. With virtually no place to pull over along the roadway, I parked at the first trailhead we found. It allowed us to explore the river bank a bit.

I'm not a fan of people who carve into the bark of living trees, but I couldn't help but notice there must have been a "Big Orange" fan through here at one time. I'm just happy he didn't have a can of spray paint to complete his work of art.

It should be clear in the pictures below that the Red River is more green than you might think from its name. I'm sure it's not always quite so calm either.

We met some nice people during our stay at 4 Guys RV Park and I realized that all too often I forget to mention their names. So to correct that oversight I will note that we met Blaine and Carla from Washington state. They were in a beautiful 40 foot Newmar Ventana. While they were not traveling full time, they managed to drive more miles in the last two years than we have put on our coach in our nine and a half years. Jimmy and Donna were in a travel trailer from North Carolina. Jimmy was retired from the Navy and they have enjoyed many long trips but maintain their home in Wilmington. Jamie and Michele were in a brand new 5th wheel - what a beauty it was! Of course, I was impressed with the 60-inch flat screen. With Jamie still working, they will have to wait until they can travel as much as they would like. It was still early in the season so a lot of folks were in and out in one night or on the weekends too quickly for me to get a chance to meet them.