LBL | Genuine Kentucky

Outdoor Kids Festival at Woodlands Nature Station (Land Between the Lakes)

September 15, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

I am positively obsessed with the Nature Station (and all of the Land Between the Lakes, actually). I watch my calendar like a hawk each spring, waiting for opening day. I love every visit – during the spring, summer, and autumn – but, if we’re being absolutely honest, my favorite time to visit the Nature Station is right about now – during the end of summer and first of fall.

There are a few reasons…

cooler temperatures mean you can spend more time looking around and enjoying the beautiful outdoors
smaller crowds
this is one of my favorite times of year, so combine it with one of my favorite areas… win/win!

The Outdoor Kids Festival at Woodlands Nature Station will be from Saturday and Sunday (10 am – 5 pm), October 8^th and 9^th.

What better way to spend Columbus Day Weekend than with your family, learning about the great outdoors and the beautiful animals and birds that call it home. Nature Station admission is $5 ages 13 and up, $3 ages 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under.

“Families will have a weekend full of fun outdoor activities. These activities may spark a new interest or hobby and help kids and adults enjoy a fun and educational fall break,” says John Pollpeter, Nature Station Lead Naturalist. “Visitors will learn about animal track and tree identification, compass skills, canoeing, cooking on a campfire, and much more.”

Regular visitors may benefit from Fun Cards, which offer 10 regular admissions for $35, or Discount Packages. Details can be found atwww.landbetweenthelakes.us/visit/passes/.

Fourth grade students can go towww.everykidinapark.gov/, get their Every Kid in a Park pass, and get in for free. For more information, call 270-924-2299 or https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/4thGradePass_QA_2016_3_19.pdf.

{Schedule Below…}

Saturday, October 8

Throughout the day Meet Smokey Bear (scheduled appearances)
Throughout the day CSI: Campsite Scene Investigator
11am-12pm Getting Sneaky with Mother Nature
11am-4pm Here Fishy, Fishy: Basic Fishing Skills
1-1:30pm Venom!
1:30-3:30 Make Your Own Animal Tracks Guide
2-2:45pm Kid vs. Wild: Outdoor Survival Skills for Kids
3:30-4:15pm Critters in the Campground
4:30pm Parade of Raptors
4:30-6:30pm Can U Canoe? Sunset Canoe Trip

($25 per canoe; reservation required; call 270-924-2020)

Sunday, October 9

Throughout the day CSI: Campsite Scene Investigator
11am-3:30pm Cooking Over a Campfire Demonstration
11:30am-12pm For Goodness Snakes
1-3pm Make Your Own Tree ID Guide
2-3:30pm Help! I’m Lost and I Can’t Get Home: Basic Compass Skills
3:30-4pm Rut and Strut
4:30pm Parade of Raptors

To find more information about Land Between the Lakes, log on to the official website at www.landbetweenthelakes.us or call 1-800-LBL-7077 or 270-924-2000.

Land Between the Lakes Raspberry Jalapeno Jam: Holy Cats, This is Delicious!

August 23, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Before my body decided that gluten and wheat were poison, I was a bread baker extraordinaire. Almost weekly I’d make homemade sourdough bread, cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, etc. Because our kitchen was like a bakery, we always had at least 6 different jams, jellies, and preserves on hand at all times.

Having to eat gluten free turned my kitchen bakery on its head, but you can still find the same number of jams, jellies, and preserves – after all, gluten free bread, cornbread, and peanut butter sandwiches still call for spreads.

I honestly think I’m even more obsessed with them now than I was then – after all, when fate gives you a list of things you can no longer enjoy, you cling for dear life to the ones that remain!

My favorite jams are raspberry, plum, cherry, strawberry, peach, and blackberry – I guess because I’m obsessed with the fruits they come from. Raspberry and Plum (my two absolute faves) can be tough to find, so whenever I’m standing before a selection of jams and jellies, I look for them first. Finding either is akin to Christmas morning because they are tough to find.

Recently, my husband and I were at the 1850’s Homeplace in the Land Between the Lake for a Civil War presentation. Each visit to the Homeplace begins the same for me – with a browse through the food and gift shop. I always find at least one thing I positively must have and this particular trip was no exception.

The beautiful little jar of Raspberry Jalapeno Jam jumped off the shelf at me – it was literally the first thing I saw and I grabbed it immediately.

Why waste time, right?

I thought about it the entire ride home – wondering if I’d make cornbread for its grand debut in my kitchen or if it called for gluten free biscuits.

When the next morning came, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer, so I grabbed a slice of Kroger brand Gluten Free 7 Grain Bread* (AMAZING BREAD!), buttered him up and threw some Raspberry Jalapeno jam on top.

It was even better than I was expecting. It was phenomenal! The beautiful sweetness of the raspberries and the perfect amount of heat from the jalapenos made beautiful music together. There’s an unmistakable jalapeno presence, but it in no way overpowers the jam. This jam couldn’t be more perfect if it had to be.

I’ve kicked myself repeatedly for not grabbing 3, 6, 12, or 103 jars while I was there.

Fortunately we’re frequent visitors to the Land Between the Lakes and I know exactly where I can find another jar. Or 3, 6, 12, or 103.

Next time you’re in the Land Between the Lakes region, search out the Land Between the Lakes jams and (assuming I’ve left any) make sure to grab a jar of the Raspberry Jalapeno Jam. If I’ve left enough, I’m anxious to try it on cornbread sometime this week.

I wish I’d looked at the other flavors as well but I got so excited when I saw the Raspberry Jalapeno Jam I forgot myself. If the other flavors are even half as good as this one, I may have to take a suitcase with me each time I go to the LBL!

Fortunately, they’re very reasonably priced, so I won’t break the bank.

* If you have to/choose to/get to eat gluten free, you will want to try the Kroger brand gluten free sandwich breads – they have white bread and a 7 Grain bread. They’re both delicious and are easily the best gluten free bread you can buy. Unlike most gluten free bread, they’re soft and don’t fall apart when you try to fold or eat them. They’re located in the bread aisle and they are a perfect 10 out of 10.

Land Between the Lakes Raspberry Jalapeno Jam on Gluten Free Bread

Center Furnace Trail (Near Woodlands Nature Station)

June 27, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Center Furnace Trail (Land Between the Lakes)

Center Furnace Trail (LBL)If you’ve ever visited the Land Between the Lakes, you’re familiar with the wonderful main attractions and the fun things to do and see at each…

Woodlands Nature Station
The Homeplace
Elk & Bison Prairie
Golden Pond Planetarium

Personally, I can never get enough of any of these four places. In fact, it’s usually closing time that finally drives me and my camera away. That and the promise of fried catfish at Catfish Kitchen or blackened catfish at Willow Pond. My husband, Michael, knows the sure fire way to get my feet moving is to say one word: Catfish.

We love the “main attractions” but we’re also fascinated with exploring “off the beaten path” in the Land Between the Lakes. There are always a million and one photo opportunities waiting around the corner. Next time you spend a day or weekend in the Land Between the Lakes, venture out (onto roads and trails open to the public, that is!) and you’ll discover what we discovered a long time ago – there’s even more to the LBL than you realize.

The Landscape Tells So Much HistoryRecently, we met one of our friends at the Nature Station on a Saturday. An afternoon event was taking place, so the parking lot was pretty full. We decided to kill a little time while the crowd thinned out and happened to notice a nearby trail, the Center Furnace Trail. Even though we’ve been to the Nature Station 1,000,000,002 times, we’d never ventured on this trail.

I’m not entirely sure I’d even noticed it before – in spite of a pretty large sign. I guess this animal-lover’s mind is always fixated on the “critters.”

We walked around the trail and found it all to be both interesting and beautiful. Again, countless opportunities for photography. All three of us are really into photography, so we were each very much in our element.

A Charcoal Hearth - Center Furnace Trail (Land Between the Lakes)

When we came to the “Charcoal Hearth,” (above) I noticed that we were being watched (below)…. a beautiful black vulture found us to be the highlight of her day.

Given the fact that I’m nothing if not OBSESSED with birds and animals, my first impulse was to hurry along. I didn’t want to disturb her, after all we were in her home – not the other way around! However, just as I was walking forward, I noticed that she was on the verge of taking flight, so I kept my eyes on her. As big as she was, I knew when she took flight, it’d be something worth experiencing.

She did. It was. There was so much power in her wings! I tried to snap a few pics, but I admit – I was mainly just staring, wide-eyed and wide-mouthed.

Black Vulture in the Land Between the Lakes

There’s a reason I spend as much time looking above me as I do around and below me when I’m in nature.

About Center Furnace Trail and Hematite

This wooded area was once a community – Hematite, Kentucky. Hematite grew around Center Furnace, which was first built in 1852. The community continued to exist into the early part of the 20th century.

Center Furnace was one of 8 iron furnaces that operated “Between the Rivers.”

Center Furnace operated off and on for 65 years.

Beautiful White Oak Tree

Click through the gallery below for more pictures of the Center Furnace Trail – better still, grab your camera and experience the beautiful area for yourself.

Just be sure to look UP!

Center Furnace Trail in the Land Between the Lakes

The Cistern - Center Furnace Trail in the Land Between the Lakes

Beautiful Groundhog at Woodlands Nature Station (Picture of the Day)

June 8, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Groundhog at Woodlands Nature Station in Kentucky's LBL

The cutie above is one of our favorite residents of Woodlands Nature Station in Kentucky’s LBL. He is so cute it ought to be a sin… or a crime at the very least.

Like all of the animals, reptiles, and birds at the Nature Station, the Groundhog has a carefree life of ease.

If you don’t believe me, just look at the picture above!

The picture below isn’t too clear (it’s hard for an animal lover like me to both adore the animals and photograph them at the same time) but I had to show you his adorable eye….. He was in the process of wanting to sleep, but not wanting to miss all the crazy humans buzzing around. I’m also pretty wild about his little feet and hands.

Sigh. Too cute.

It’ll Be a WILD Memorial Day Weekend at Woodlands Nature Station!

May 23, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Gorgeous Bobcat at the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

Bobcat at the Nature Station… LOVE Her!Woodlands Nature Station is ready to celebrate one of my favorite things in the world – wildlife! – on Memorial Day Weekend. They’ll host their Wildlife Celebration, Saturday through Monday, May 28-30, 2016.

Visitors will meet Smokey Bear, gobble with turkeys, and have up-close encounters with native wildlife in the Nature Station’s backyard at Land Between The Lakes. Special event programs are included with standard admission unless otherwise noted.

Located in the woods between Honker Lake and Hematite Lake, the Nature Station serves as a gateway to the 8,500-acre Nature Watch Area.

The uncommonly friendly staff do an outstanding job of sharing their wealth of knowledge of and passion for birds, reptiles, and wildlife.

Nature Station admission is $5 age 13 and up, $3 age 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under. Call 270-924-2020 to pre-register for guided canoe trips Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm.

Daily canoe and kayak rentals start Saturday, May 28, 10am-4pm, weather permitting. For more details, call 270-924-2299.