Anyway, family lives there so I visit once in a great while. Harlan has grown since my days there and many changes have been made. Read about the history of Harlan.

This trip to the mountains was nice because Sarah went with me. My sister Lynn met us there and my dear friend Mel was in from Atlanta visiting her father. Lynn & I took Sarah on a whirlwind sightseeing tour. After all, it doesn't take long to see the local sights.

We started  Saturday morning with a big breakfast made by my Mom. She is a true cook, making things from scratch. We then drove to Wallins Creek to see the old Jr. High School. We took Sarah back into a hollow (holler) called Creeches, since she's never been in a holler before. Not much to see. We also visited the cemetery where some of the relatives are buried.

Then we drove to town and stopped by the high school that Lynn & I attended. It's nestled in the mountains, as you can sort of see from the photo at the right.

The next stop was Martin's Fork Lake. At the entrance to the lake, the local police had a road block, checking licenses and insurance. Wouldn't you know, I didn't have my new insurance card with me, but the young officer didn't make a big deal of it. The lake is only 340 acres with average depth between 12 & 15 feet. The water is clear and there is a white sandy beach for sunbathers.

We left the lake and parked in front of the courthouse downtown. Took no more than 15 minutes to walk the main downtown area. The city built a new Justice Center and is in the process of building a tourist information center, which looks to be quite large. On the corner near the courthouse stands a memorial to all the coal miners who have died in the local mines since the 1800's. There are names on both sides of the memorial.

We left downtown and drove through Loyall, where I spent half of my junior school year living with my aunt. This area has changed quite a bit. A few years ago, construction went underway to move the path of the Cumberland river so that they could build flood walls and a new road and bridge. I wish I had before and after pictures because it is amazing.

By this time, Lynn had enough sightseeing so we left her on the hill (that's what we call the many acres of land that the family lives on) and Sarah & I drove to Pine Mountain State Park in Pineville, about 25 miles from Harlan. Unfortunately, the Mountain Laurel festival was going on, so traffic in the park was heavy in some areas. We drove to the top of the mountain and parked. Then hiked to the Chained Rock. This was a 1/2 mile hike mostly downhill, which meant the hike back is all uphill. No matter, the view is beautiful once you get there.

Back at Mom's, we freshened up and went to dinner at Western Sizzlin', one of two restaurants (the other is Pizza Hut) in Harlan. Unless you count the Huddle House as a restaurant. Anyway, I picked up my cousin Sandy and we met Lynn, my cousin Pam and her son Matthew at the restaurant. After dinner, we went to the carnival that was in town. Matthew loved going from one ride to another (he's about 5 or 6 years old).

On Sunday, I visited with some cousins and aunts and uncles. Went inside my Grandmother's house, which has changed dramatically since she died in 1991. My cousin and his wife moved in after she died and they have completely remodeled it. Looks very good. Later that afternoon, Sarah & I left the mountains and headed back home. We stopped at my Dad's grave for a few minutes then got on the Interstate for home. Ran into a big storm with tornado warnings. It didn't prevent us from stopping at Krystal's though.

Lynn & Carol in front of their High School

Carol & Sarah at Martins Fork Lake

Coal Miner's Memorial. It says "In honor of the Harlan County coal miners who sacrificed their lives while supporting a family and a nation"

Downtown Harlan

The Chained Rock