American Byways

The old Lilly’s Grocery in Lombardsville, Ohio rests quietly with a fresh coat of paint along Ohio State Route 73.

Lilly’s Grocery, now closed, along OH 73 west of Lombardsville, Ohio at sunset.  

A diamond in the rough. That’s how Dave Shuffett of KET’s Kentucky Life describes Laurel Gorge in northeastern Kentucky. Snuggled in a narrow valley along Laurel Creek, Laurel Gorge is one of Kentucky’s best kept secrets. The region is better known for its wide lakes and fishing opportunities than anything else, and the landscape is [...]

Cincinnati always blooms out during the spring time, in ways that are rarely captured, studied or admired. To many, they are just blips in a sea of buildings as the car passes by, but by stepping out and admiring the hundreds of different species that are cultivated or blown in, one can appreciate just what [...]

Nothing like the scent of lingering campfire and cloudy skies to greet you at dawn at the Hensley campsite at Cumberland Gap. With no sunrise to speak of due to a turbulent cold front that was passing on through, I walked over to Hensley Settlement to refill my canteen. Cloudy skies or not, the soft [...]

After traveling the backroads of southwest Virginia and coming across some unexpected surprises, I opted to start out my second day of my trip to Cumberland Gap fresh in the early morning light.

There are surprises in southwest Virginia. Namely, why I have not yet explored this remote and serene parts of the United States, despite it being a relatively short drive from Ohio. Just hopping off of the four-lane and poking along the quiet side roads leads to more fascinating discoveries of beauty. Simple one-lane roads, surrounded by thickets of trees and flowering dogwoods, evokes images of a simpler time…

Following up from the last update regarding Husky Branch Falls at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a five-in-one waterfall special!

Husky Branch Falls is a relatively small waterfall, one that dips down from a mountain stream and cascades down a rockface into a pool in the Little River. Located within a dense cluster of rhododendron and southeast of Elkmont, Tennessee, a historic logging town, this 5.4-mile hike encompasses an easy loop that strolls through the abandoned town of Elkmont and along trails that ascertain spring mountain beauty. Elkmont was a pioneer Appalachian community, later becoming a logging town and resort.

It was Friday evening and the weather was going to be moderately depressing in Cincinnati, with rain in the forecast and chilly temperatures. Although it would have been great to stay and work on the house for that weekend, catching up on some maintenance and tasks that needed to be done, I hastily grabbed some maps out of the bin and decided to head south to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.