November 2, 2025 (Sun.) - Sunday Wanders, Fort Fumbles, and a Guardian Goat Dog.
Since it was Sunday—and weekends tend to draw crowds—we decided to steer clear of the touristy spots. Kirk had been itching to explore some Civil War history, so we set our sights on Fort Boonesborough near Richmond, KY. Originally established by Daniel Boone in 1775, it’s one of Kentucky’s earliest settlements and a place we’d both been curious to see.
Lynn was up early at 6:10 AM, though thanks to the daylight savings time change, it felt more like 7:10. It was a chilly, overcast morning at 44°F, perfect for cozying up with a hot drink and diving into the mountain of photos waiting to be sorted for the blog. At 7:30, Kirk’s new digital clock suddenly lit up and started beeping “Meal.” Apparently, he’d unknowingly activated a reminder-to-eat alarm—classic! Not wanting to wake him, Lynn frantically pushed buttons until the thing quieted down. Kirk was up earlier than usual anyway—8:30 AM (which his body still thought was 9:30). We had a relaxed breakfast of bacon and eggs in the RV before heading out.
By 11:45 AM, we were on the road. The fort was about an hour away, but we made a pit stop at a nearby park (Billy Bush Riverside Park) to check out the scenery. A waterfall by the side of the road caught our eye and the Kentucky River. Lynn got a welcome call from her son and chit chatted while Kirk explored and became the photographer. It was a short 10-minute visit and we continued on to find the fort. We soon arrived at a sign that read “Civil War Fort at Boonesboro.” It looked more like a trailhead than a historic site, but we figured the fort must be a short hike away. So off we went—completely unprepared. Lynn was in Ugg boots, we had no water, and the hiking stick was still in the truck. The trail was steep and slick with wet leaves, and each bend teased us with the promise of being “almost there.” The climb was a bit strenuous, and Lynn was already thinking about how tricky the descent would be.
Eventually, we reached the top of the hill, which opened into a wide field with a single exhibit sign. No fort in sight. We expected a large, reconstructed structure like others we’ve visited, but all we saw were a few distant buildings that didn’t look accessible. Surely this couldn’t be it—there’s no way a major tourist site would be this hard to reach, especially for those with mobility issues. Convinced we were in the wrong place, we hiked back down and decided to keep driving. As expected, Lynn’s hike down was more treacherous than up due to the slippery leaves and rocks. Kirk took the camera away just in case she fell! Thankfully, there were no falls—just a slow, careful trek back down. Forty minutes of hiking, and not a single fort in sight. What a wild goose chase!
Back on the road, we figured we’d drive just “a little farther” to see if we could track down the fort. That “little farther” quickly turned into a meandering 40-minute detour—but what a treat it was. We got completely lost, in the best possible way. The Kentucky back roads unfolded like a hidden postcard: winding rivers, one lane roads, vibrant fall foliage, quirky roadside properties straight out of a hillbilly stereotype (complete with makeshift junkyards) along with beautiful sprawling properties, and a variety of animals (donkeys, goats, cows and horses).
The scenery was so unexpectedly charming, it gave yesterday’s drive along Old Frankfort Pike a run for its money—maybe even surpassed it, simply because we stumbled upon it by chance. One of the most memorable moments came when we encountered a few goats blocking the road. As we waited for them to move, a large dog—who looked strikingly like our beloved Otis—appeared. At first, he just stood guard. But as the goats cleared and we started to drive off, he sprang into action, barking and chasing alongside the truck for quite some time (about 100 yards)! Kirk had to slow down to avoid hitting him in case he darted in front of us. He was clearly doing his job as a livestock guardian, and it tugged at our hearts, reminding us how much we miss Otis.
Eventually, we regained cell service and discovered that the actual Fort Boonesborough State Park was just a few miles away. Excited, we made our way there—only to find it had closed for the season on October 31st! We missed it by two days! Classic Kirk & Lynn timing! Disappointed but not defeated, we noticed more signs pointing toward the State Park itself. It appeared to still be open, so we decided to explore. As we wandered the grounds, we discovered this was the actual site of the original fort. Even better, we could walk right down to the shores of the dam we had glimpsed earlier during our hike to the so-called “Civil War Fort.” Seeing it from the shoreline offered a whole new perspective, and we found ourselves genuinely curious about the surrounding structures and what roles they once played.
A bit of map sleuthing revealed the kicker: the Civil War Fort was only four minutes away from Fort Boonesborough! That 40-minute detour getting lost? Totally unnecessary—but in hindsight, totally worth it for the adventure and the laughs.
Note to self: Fort Boonesborough and the Civil War Fort at Boonesboro are not the same place. Two different sites, two different eras. Lesson learned!
By 4:00 PM, we were hungry after all the walking. Kirk had spotted a billboard for Sonny’s BBQ along our travels, so we plugged it into the GPS. But after Lynn checked the reviews, we decided to skip it and head back to the RV—we had plenty of groceries waiting. Oddly, the GPS kept insisting we were just three minutes from our “destination,” even though we were clearly 40 minutes from the campground. Turns out, Kirk had never canceled the route to Sonny’s, so it kept rerouting us back to the restaurant. Another classic navigation mishap as we drove in circles!
We finally made it back around 5:00 PM, whipped up an early taco dinner, and settled in for a quiet evening. Lynn dove back into photo sorting and blog prep while we reflected on the day. Even though we missed the fort and got a little lost, it turned out to be a beautiful, unexpected adventure—complete with goats, guardian dogs, and golden autumn views. Sometimes, getting lost really is the best part of the journey.
Note: This post took several days to publish thanks to a classic daylight savings hiccup. The photo timestamps were all over the place, creating a confusing timeline—especially for the goat pictures. Kirk’s truck (heads up display on the windshield) had already updated to the new time, but our iPhones hadn’t, and the Canon camera was off too. We only saw goats once, yet somehow ended up with photos marked 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 PM. Lynn spent hours untangling the mess, manually sorting the images to reconstruct the day’s events. Accurate timestamps are essential for her blog posts—they help piece together the story in chronological order. And since she’s nearly two weeks behind (again), every detail counts to jog the memory and keep the narrative straight. It’s hard to write about Kentucky when we’re in Arkansas now (11/14/25) and haven’t even touched on the posts about our time in Tennessee! Ugh, so far behind!
Weather – High 53*, Low 41*. Wind 4-11 mph. Rain 80% (0.5″). No humidity.
Traffic – None.
Food – Nothing to report.
Notable – Fort hunting, getting lost, scenic drives, Otis’ look-a-like.
