On Thursday, June 5th, the Lee County Tourism Commission loaded up for a trip into Bald Rock to tour the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve. With three 4-wheel drives and a Subway Party Tray, we started our adventure from the Tourism Center Caboose. I drove a Jeep Wrangler with the top down and three of the board road with me. Linda Smith had called 'shotgun' for the front seat, so Teresa Mays and Jessica Treadway jumped in the back. We pulled off onto Bald Rock Road and I put it in low gear before heading down what the climbers call "Lode Hill". The county does a great job trying to keep the gravel road maintained but there is alot of traffic so the steep curvy downhill road can be difficult. We made it down the hill with no problems and headed to the first parking area called "Flat Holler". Everyone got out and inspected the info kiosk in the lot. We also tale gated and had our monthly tourism meeting. From there we loaded up again and headed up to Drive By Crag. I wanted the board to get a up and personal look at climbers in action and crossed my fingers that people will be there. As we turned off of the main county road and up the hill to the crag, it was a good thing we had 4-wheel drive. With no trouble, we made it up, parked, and everyone unloaded. There is a nice path up to the limestone cliffs where you could see many white chalked handholds on all the different climbing routes at Drive By Crag. We walked up and spoke to 7 climbers who where there. One that surprised us was a couple in their 60s who has climbed in the Gorge for many years. Another was a 45 year old software programing teacher from the University of Kentucky. There were other younger climbers there from Arkansas, but it was interesting talking to some of the seasoned climbers and get their perspective on our community. In all, everyone had a great adventure, learned something new, and saw breathtaking wild beauty of our Lee County limestone cliffs. | |
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AuthorDedra Brandenburg Archives
September 2023
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