"No Kings Day" Protest, Morehead, Kentucky, June 14, 2025

Yesterday, my wife and I attended the "No Kings Day" protest in Morehead, Kentucky, along with somewhere in excess of 200 other people who are all committed to seeing the end of the occupation of the White House by TRAITOR Trump and his Criminal Syndicate which poses as a "cabinet". It was a very successful and fulfilling event. It never stopped raining the entire time we were there. We arrived at almost exactly the scheduled start time of noon and had to leave at about 1:30pm to meet an old friend of mine at Cracker Barrel whom we hadn't seen in about 25 years. I wish we could have stayed longer. I dropped my wife off around the corner from the little city park at the junction of KY 32 and Main Street, and then drove down the street about three blocks to find a safe parking spot at a business which was closed for the day. When I returned to the protest, my wife had been invited under a tent which the organizers had set up, actually one several such tents. We had not thought about making protest signs and took none which is a shame. But the street side of the park was lined shoulder to shoulder and about three rows deep with people who were holding a wide variety of signs some of which were homemade and some which were commercial products. My favorite sign of the day is the one in the picture above. But during the time we stayed, one man who told me he is 80 was sitting down to take a break and agreed to loan my wife his sign which she held while he rested and managed to situate herself in her power wheelchair on the street edge with the sign. There was a lot of traffic for a Saturday in Morehead and most of the cars driving by were blowing their horns in support, waving in agreement, sometimes shouting encouragement to us, and in the spirit of honesty, some few would give us the finger or shout an obscenity. But the majority seemed to be supporting us. I talked to numerous people during the time I was there including a photographer for the local Morehead newspaper. Our conversation was about the difficulty which small town newspapers and radio stations are facing with the movement of most advertising money to the internet. We specifically discussed one of the Morehead stations which some people I know used to own as one in a small chain of small town Eastern Kentucky stations. That station, and all their others, have recently been sold to a Right Wing Radical Repugnican who has actually served prison time for vote buying when he was an elected public official. The Morehead newspaper has actually been sold a couple of times since the inception of the internet as have at least two other papers in Eastern Kentucky. None of those sold seem to have been bought by people with liberal leanings. Yes, it is possible for a newpaper editor, publisher, owner, and staff to promote rational liberal ideas which still providing accurate honest reporting. In fact, one small town newspaper on the Virginia border has, in the last couple of years, won a major award from the Kenucky Press Association for reporting it did on the 2022 floods in several Eastern Kentucky counties, and it is quite liberal in its leaninings. It's a shame in these times that more small town newspapers and radio stations were being bought up by Right Wing Radicals and being turned into megaphones of the Radical Right. I stayed at the protest as long as my other appointment would allow and both of us really enjoyed our time. We both feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment for having taken time out of our lives, as we always do, and as you should also be doing, to support the steadily growing public opposition to the TREASON of TRAITOR Trump and his Criminal Syndicate. Always Stand Up, Speak Up, and Speak Out!

I wish I could have personally thanked every one of those American Patriots who stood up in Morehead and every other town and city in the country on No Kings Day. That is impossible. But each of you should know just how proud of you I am and how grateful I am for your courage and commitment to our country and our democracy! Always Stand Up, Speak Up, and Speak Out!

"An Appalachian Flood Of Memories: Vol. CCXXII" by Lloyd Dean

Several months ago, my wife and I were eating in Cattlemen's Steak House in Morehead, Kentucky, and found ourselves seated opposite an elderly couple whose male half struck up a conversation with me. His name was Lloyd Dean and he gave me a copy of a self published pamphlet of about 54 pages as described in the title above, "An Appalacian Flood Of Memories: Vol. CCXXII" by Lloyd Dean. He stated that it was his one hundred and some double digit release. I thanked him for it, filed it away and finally perused it. It is collection of captioned photographs, a list of the post masters of the Haldeman, Kentucky post office (now defunct), church bulletings, photocopied newspaper articles, funeral memorial cards, and other miscellanous items which Mr. Dean has obviously collected over the years. I don't intend to pooh pooh his efforts to preserve his memories or mementoes of the past. I do some of the same thing myself. But, despite the fact that five of the best years of my life were spent in Morehead, Kentucky, where this encounter occurred, I did not recognize anyone in the photographs and most of the events happened long before I began to attend Morehead State University as a non-traditional student. The back cover of the book contains a lenghty list of other such books or pamphlets which Mr. Dean has produced over the years and says that they can be purchased from Mr. Dean at 6770 US 60 East, Morehead, KY 40351. The book does not contain a phone number or e-mail address but I have been able to locate a land line phone for Mr. Dean which I will not include in this blog post. I will leave it up to anyone interested in seeing some of Mr. Dean's work to either write him or locate a land line number and give him a call. For me personally, the most interesting inclusions in the book were a newspaper story (photocopied) covering the occasion when the Jesse Stuart Foundation bought the old Ashland, Kentucky, post office building which is still their headquarters, and, at the top of the list of Mr. Dean's works on the back cover is an item listed as "Rural Cemeteries of Kentucky --UK (Sociology) 1952". I have intended to call Mr. Dean and attempt to pursue a copy of that paper since I have always been interested in rural cemeteries in this state and several others which I have visited over the years. A good rural cemetery is one of the finest ways to learn a lot about an area when you are new in the locale. You can learn the names which seem to dominate the community, see some obvious stories about unfortunate deaths, marriages of men to more than one woman, women who died in childbirth buried either beside or with their newborn babe, and also victims of our wars, victims of the 1918 influenze epidemic, and sometimes victims of events such as tornadoes and major floods. I never disparage anyone who chooses to write their ideas and beliefs and publish the results. Mr. Dean obviously has loved to make an effort to preserve as much of his extensive knowledge as possible. He is to be commended for that. Lloyd Dean also left much of his local history and genealogical papers to Morehead State University and they can be found at this link although it appears that the collection has not been fully assessed and catalogued.

Hiking At The Twenty-Six Boat Ramp, Daniel Boone National Forest--August 29, 2019

Today, August 29, 2019, my wife Candice and I took a long drive in the country and I took two side trips to hike in the Daniel Boone National Forest and/or Cave Run Lake.  First I spent a half hour or so at the Twenty-Six Boat Ramp which is located just off Kentucky 772 about a mile or less from Kentucky 519 just about a mile from the Morgan/Rowan County Line in Morgan County.  Even though I have lived in the area for more than twenty-five years, I had never been to the boat ramp area in question.  I had actually arrived there by the long way around through the Kentucky State Tree Nursery and Woodsbend Youth Development Center in the Woodsbend area on Lower Grassy Creek.  It is a beautiful drive along that route through some of the best farm land in all of Morgan County.  There are numerous well maintained farms, the Tree Nursery and the Youth Development Center as well as three major, well maintained and photogenic cemeteries along the way.  The most interesting of those cemeteries is the Bear Wallow Cemetery. With a name like that, how could you avoid taking a drive along this wonderful scenic route?  

But once you arrive at the Twenty-Six Boat Ramp, a great deal of the beauty is lost due to abuses of the site by what seems to be a group of partiers from time to time combined with an overloaded Corps of Engineers who probably do not have the time or staff to adequately maintain all the public use facilities in the Daniel Boone National Forest.  The drive off Kentucky 772 to the boat ramp is tree shaded, scenic, and inviting.  It has a large gravel parking area, a concrete boat ramp, and lies on a tributary of Cave Run Lake.  All of this should have combined to make a wonderful location to hike, fish, kayak, launch boats, and simply eat a leisurely lunch on a work day.  But the ramp was poorly situated and is pointed upstream which means that a lot of debris ends up in the ramp launching area and at least one large log was visible in the water on one side of the ramp directly in front of the incoming boats which I suspect are few and far between since a far better situated and maintained ramp is located only a couple of miles away just across the line in Rowan County.  Between the parking lot and the water, there is an area which is about four feet lower than the parking lot and probably two feet above the normal water line.  But it is subject to periodic flooding when the Corps of Engineers is holding large amounts of water in the lake.  The normal amount of debris which would end up in area like that would be expected and workable.  But the people who have been using and abusing the boat ramp area have made a workable situation both disgusting and infuriating.  I hiked this area for quite some distance downstream along the waterside and found it littered from one end to the other with all sorts of garbage.  I usually carry a plastic grocery bag with me when I hike and pick up whatever litter I find in the locations I utilize no matter where they are, whether I have ever been there or not, and whether or not I ever likely to return.  But if I had the assistance and time today, I and a couple of friends could have easily filled the bed of my Ford Ranger with garbage which had been thrown about by the users of the area.  I actually found the remains of several camp fires and two them had the remnants of automobile tires in the ashes.  One had the steel belt wires from a large tire combined with beer and soft drink bottles, Styrofoam live bait containers, and general garbage.  And this particular camp fire was not the worst of the lot.  Another had not only the steel belt wires from a tire combined with its bushel of garbage.  It also had the steel rim from a large automobile tire.  In addition to these camp fires, the entire area was randomly littered with what were obviously fresh bottles and cans which showed no evidence of ever having floated in on the waters.  This entire area is a disgrace to every human who has ever helped to damage it.  

This area is tree shaded, quiet, inviting, and on the edge of the water.  It could be a wonderful site to use in a variety of ways.  But in its current condition, I am certain that it drives potential users away on a regular basis.  It is in dire need of a major clean up and regular policing from the Corps of Engineers and local law enforcement and yet I know that all these agencies are understaffed and overloaded.  The bottom line is that it is a damn shame and in desperate need of change on a major level. 

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After I left the Twenty-Six Boat Ramp area, I crossed the county line into Rowan County and turned right up the first paved road into an area which is part of the upstream lake and is used as a camping and hiking site.  I do not recall the particular name or number which is assigned to this road but it is the last left turn off Kentucky 519 in Rowan County before the bridge at the Morgan County line.  At about a half mile, you find several camp sites with rudimentary launching for small boats.  Then there is a locked gate across the road which is obviously the old state highway along the Licking River before it became a part of the lake.  The road is only a couple of feet above the water line and still in acceptable condition.  There area a plethora of spots along this road which could be used as lake shore fishing spots.  It is quiet, tree shaded, flat at least on the area I hiked, and a wonderful place to hike, fish, ride a bike, etc.  It is closed to vehicular traffic beyond the aforementioned gate. During my hike, I encountered a nice lady who was riding a vintage bicycle along the road and camping with her family at one of the camp sites.  She advised me that the road extends for roughly five miles or more along the lake shore and connects with another old road which climbs the mountain side to cross out of the Daniel Boone National Forest.  She also told me of a rumor that is rampant among users of the area that the Corps of Engineers is planning to lease that area to a vendor who is already renting kayaks on the lake for use as a paid camping, hiking, and multi-use area.  I tend to doubt the rumor but I will admit that it could be possible.  I hope to return to this area and spend more time and distance hiking it to see as much of it as I can.  When I do, of course, I will post about it on this blog.  

These two areas which I hiked today are well worth the time to utilize if you are in the general area.  I would also encourage all of you to contact the Army Corps of Engineers Office in Morehead and discuss the need to clean up and enforce civilized practises on the users of the Twenty-Six Boat Ramp.  If you utilize it, please take a camera along, which I did not do today, and shoot some photos of the egregious garbage, campfires with evidence of burnt tires, and pass them along to the Corps of Engineers. 

Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery, Morehead, KY, July 8, 2019

On July 8, 2019, we took our nine year old nephew, Connor Nehlson, to the Cave Run Lake Spillway for a picnic, a hike and a visit to the Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery just below the spillway.  I have known about the hatchery for at least twenty years but I had never visited it until a month or so ago while I was hiking at the spillway.  There is an old paved service road which runs between the hatchery and the dam and I figured that out by accident simply by following the service road until I found myself at the hatchery. That service road is an excellent place to hike, easy to hike, tree covered all its length, and it connects with the other hiking trails in the area of the Cave Run dam and spillway.  When I took Connor there, I took along my camera and got a few photographs around the hatchery.  The hatchery is comprised of a couple of what appear to be residential houses for senior staff, an equipment garage, and a large building which is both an office complex and the hatchery building itself.  In front of the office and hatchery building there is a large concrete holding tank which is used as a display tank in warm weather so that visitors can see specimens of several of the larger fish breeds which are either native to Kentucky or raised at the hatchery.  The tank is somewhat like a large livestock watering tank but considerably larger but only about three feet deep.  Most people, including children of eight or nine can see over the top of the concrete sides into the tank.  There are two or three species of catfish including two paddle bill catfish about three feet long.  There is also an albino catfish which must be about ten or 12 pounds.  There are also about a dozen large outdoor ponds in which fish are raised until they are ready for stocking.  There are gravel service roads around these ponds and I have hiked on them a few times but I am not certain whether hiking is actually permitted around the ponds or simply ignored by the staff. These ponds are also an excellent place to hike, absolutely flat but totally exposed to the sun, near several staff which increases the safety factor for at risk hikers, they attract several species of water birds, and the area is fully visible from more than a hundred yards away.  There are also three or four long, narrow, shallow concrete holding tanks in the ground between the buildings and the ponds which appear to be used for holding fish temporarily until they are transported for stocking.  

Paddle Bill Catfish In The Observation Tank--Photo by Roger D. Hicks

The hatchery does give indoor tours of the hatchery building between 7am and 3pm according to the state website.  There are actually three fish hatcheries in Kentucky but I have not visited the other two. The Minor E. Clark Hatchery at Morehead and the Peter W. Pfieffer Hatchery east of Frankfort are both operated by the state of Kentucky and raise fish species which are considered endemic to either cool or warm waters.  A federally owned hatchery is operated under the name Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery at Jamestown, Kentucky.  The Wolf Creek National Hatchery raises cold water species of fish such as trout. 

Connor At The Observation Tank--Photo by Roger D. Hicks

If you love fishing, icthyology, hiking, bird watching, or biology this will be an excellent place to visit. It can be educational, great exercise, and good, clean, fun. It can also teach you a lot about the fish stocking and individual species preservation efforts in Kentucky.  It is located less than ten miles from I-64 and can be accessed from the Morehead exit or the Sharkey/Farmers exit.  It is also only a mile or so from US60 and about the same distance from Pop's Barbecue which is an acceptable place to eat.  There are also motels between the hatchery and the interstate.  If you are in the Morehead area, you can combine a trip to the hatchery with fishing, boating, and hiking at Cave Run Lake.  You can also visit the Kentucky Folk Art Museum and Morehead State University, my alma mater, in nearby Morehead and make a day or a weekend trip out of it.  

Connor Nehlson At One Of The Concrete Fish Holding Tanks--Photo by Roger D. Hicks