Highway 90 is the road that – up, down, up, down – curves through the Daniel Boone National Forest in McCreary County, KY. It connects to 25W and 27, both of which lead to more “civilization” than there is here – the grocery store, the churches we attend, the offices of doctors and sheriffs and the one cute coffee place among the many chain fast-food places. I love Highway 90. It was scary to first drive, and sometimes, if I’m not prepared, the drive can make me a bit dizzy, but this past week, I had to make 4 trips along this road: once to church (to the left!) and thrice to Whitley City (to the right!) and I was in heaven. Driving the road takes a certain amount of concentration (especially for a new driver here, like me) but with some good CDs and good weather, you can really meditate and appreciate this place.
This past weekend, a couple of my housemates and I all went out to Jackson County again. We were heading to Richmond one day and then into Berea the next day. The best part about the volunteer houses is that you have built-in shelter for such trips…and you get to build community (hooray community!) This house, in sweet little McKee, is close to both Richmond and Berea, which are cute little towns. Berea is a college town and where all those Kentucky Hipsters whom my brother told me about can be found. There are cute coffee shops, artisans, music shops, galleries, and it is all-around a nice little town that feels more similar to my own home area. I love going out and seeing more parts of Kentucky because with each trip, I get a fuller vision of a state far from own.
Cumberland Falls in McCreary County, Kentucky. On nights when a full moon is visible, spectators can see a "moonbow" over the Falls.
But I love McCreary County. I love this volunteer house and the quietness and solitude that shelter me. I love that it is neat and clean and new. That we are right next to the community center and thus are at the heart of this community. (This morning, I opened up the door to step outside and there was some kind of family picnic going on…isn’t that straight-up cool!?) For me, an introvert and solitude-seeker, McCreary is the only place I’d want to be. I also share a birthday with the county, so I feel extra affection for this odd little place. Here in McCreary we have the mud boggs, Blazin Bluegrass Festival, an A&E crew following around our local sheriff, one of two moonbows in the world, Sasquatch sightings, and so much more. When I think about McCreary, I think about the reasons for my service: to be in community, to listen to God more and everything else less, to find peace in myself, to look creation in the face each day. And in McCreary, that is made so – if not easy, then so possible!
When you come back to Highway 90 from 27, and you turn right, the road winds up and up and up and at this one point, you know you’re back home. The trees becomes thicker and bend to enclose you in the road. The sun disappears and instead you get the shadows of forest and earth. The openness of 27 and four-lane roads to civilization disappear and you are hugged by the forest, the shadows, the narrow curve of the road. I love Highway 90, especially this point, because I know when I get there, I’m almost home.
Kate B. is a long-term volunteer in Child and Family Development.
