Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 29

MOUNTAIN CURiOS

The gorge carved
by the Russell Fork
River is the primary
geographic feature
of Breaks Interstate
Park, which spans
Virginia and
Kentucky as one of
the few two-state
parks in the nation.

DON SNIEGOWSKI

Today, you can walk from Virginia to
Kentucky and pass over the Cumberland
Gap. To get a bird's eye view of the actual
Cumberland Gap, take a drive through
Kentucky. " Then you walk into Virginia
to get to the Pinnacle Overlook, " says
Carol Borneman, a park ranger at Cumberland Gap.
Besides the gap, you can also enjoy a
view into the town of Cumberland Gap,
Tennessee. There, Cumberland Gap's
Iron Furnace stands in Virginia. But the
parking lot is just a few yards south inside Tennessee.

The park's Ridge Trail follows the Kentucky-Virginia border. Nearby, attractions
like the Sand Cave and the Hensley Settlement are in Kentucky, yet commonlyused access points are in Virginia, Borneman says.
The White Rocks of Cumberland
Mountain span Kentucky and Virginia.
But, who's keeping score? As Borneman
puts it, " You're simply bewildered when
you're here trying to figure out which
state you're in. "
* Breaks Interstate Park: Virginia and
Kentucky share the Breaks Interstate Park,

where the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy
River cuts a gorge that runs its rocky
course from state to state. Nearly all of
the park's developments are in Virginia;
yet both states fund this place-one of
only a handful of " interstate " parks in the
United States.
* Great Smoky Mountains National
Park: The famous park spans North Carolina and Tennessee. Here, in the wilderness, you can trace the state-line spine on
the Appalachian Trail.
* East River Mountain Tunnel: Heading north on I-77, you say bye-bye to
Bland County, Virginia, and pass below
the Virginia-West Virginia border inside
the mile-plus East River Mountain Tunnel, built in 1974. On the other side,
you come out into Mercer County, West
Virginia.
* The Bluefields: You'll find a Bluefield in Mercer County, West Virginia,
and another in Tazewell County, Virginia. Still, like Bristol, the neighboring
Bluefields are recognized largely as one
place: knitted together where Blue Ridge
states interlock.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

29


http://maststore.com

Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021

Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 3
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 4
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 5
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 6
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 7
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 8
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 9
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 10
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 11
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 12
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 13
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 14
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 15
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 16
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 17
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 18
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 19
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 20
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 21
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 22
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 23
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 24
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 25
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 26
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 27
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 28
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 29
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 30
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 31
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 32
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 33
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 34
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 35
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 36
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 37
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 38
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 39
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 40
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 41
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 42
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 43
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 44
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 45
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 46
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 47
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 48
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 49
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 50
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 51
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 52
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 53
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 54
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 55
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 56
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 57
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 58
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 59
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 60
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 61
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 62
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 63
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 64
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 65
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 66
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 67
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 68
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 69
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 70
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 71
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 72
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 73
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 74
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 75
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 76
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 77
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 78
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 79
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 80
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 81
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - 82
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2021 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/BlueRidgeCountryMarchApril2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCND21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCSO21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brcja21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_11_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130708
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com