A Place Where You Leave Something Behind - Photographing Kentucky's Backroads

I find it comforting the way the backroads of Kentucky seemingly weave and twist and converge upon themselves. Not any kind of rhyme or reason to their meanderings, they just follow the lay of the land and end up where they were meant to arrive. Coming from Oklahoma where all the roads were situated across a giant grid, I found myself lost several times as first I explored the natural charms found across Kentucky. One road may change names about as often as it changes directions here with side roads leading off into a patch of enchanted woods or across a nostalgic low water bridge that spans crystal waters flowing across ancient gravel. It is the haunting call of the side roads that entices a photographer for they represent the very best the state has to offer. Photographs of the low keyed life discovered along these often forgotten places is best presented in black and white for it is within this realm the true charm and simplicity of this wonderful example of Americana can be found.

Sometimes I will make sure I have a full tank of gas and when the opportunity presents itself I head out just to see what I can find. A good map or a GPS locator APP on your phone helps as long as you can find service, which isn't always available. Even so, just take off down a road you have never been down before. Odds are in Kentucky you will end up back where you started anyway.

I especially enjoy running across a small country church. More often than not they are tucked into some scenic corner with a small cemetery behind or to one side of it. These old cemeteries are a unique connection to the past some with headstones dating back to 1700's. Sometimes you will simply run across a small family cemetery standing alone just off the road. They are usually well kept and in the spring and summer you will find wildflowers growing around the area.

Mornings when dew gleans in the early light and fog settles in the low areas are the best times to travel down these nostalgic lanes. I will often simply stop and stand alongside the road during those early hours just so I can gather in the fresh aroma of the country air and experience the atmosphere of the moment. There's not many things better than a country morning.

You will discover old barns, fields of grain, and rolling hills interspersed between wide open farm country to accent the small streams and heavily wooded areas. There will be pastures with horses and cattle along with small fenced in spaces where you might find goats or even an exotic animal or two.

Wild deer and turkey will make themselves present as they add their natural instincts to the landscape. On a summer morning you might find some kids fishing a farm pond or riding a horse across a field. During the fall you will experience colors second to none across this country and the winter brings its own flavorful accent across the land. Spring will explode with dogwoods and redbuds splashing their color across fields, and old barns suddenly come to life again with their own stories to tell.

When the corn fields are ripe, they cast a golden aura across the landscape and when the wheat turns brown, there is nothing more soothing, more beautiful than when the winds send the fields into motion, and nothing more American than when the farmers gather in the harvest.

You will discover old bridges, although no longer safe to cross, who still retain their connection to the history of the country.

Not far down the road you will encounter the heart and soul of Kentucky, the old homestead farm house often seen at the far end of a side road. It is here, at these locations where you experience the true wonder of Kentucky's backroads. It is almost like the these locations sing to you, "Stop here a moment...and take part of what you see home with you." When you listen to the country song, you will certainly understand why most likely you left a part of yourself there as well.