Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Random Facts About Kentucky Lighting

By Tara Daniels


Famous for horse racing, bluegrass music, bourbon whisky and the country's most productive coalfield, one place where you need Kentucky lighting is at Mammoth Cave National Park. This is the longest continuous system of caves in the world. The park covers nearly 53,000 acres and spans three counties, Edmonson, Hart and Barren counties. The Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System, named for the overlying mountain range, was designated a national park in 1941.

The main attraction at Mammoth is, of course, the caves themselves. Tours are organized by season (summer, fall, winter, spring). Reservations are not necessary but they are recommended. There are strict rules on what may and may not be taken on a tour. Among the prohibited items are strollers, backpacks and tripods. Participants are required to walk over bio-security mats when they have completed their tour. This is a necessary precaution owing to the presence of White Nose Syndrome, a deadly fungal condition affecting the state's bat population.

Other important natural attractions include Jefferson Memorial Forest, Red River Gorge and Cumberland Gap. Cumberland Gap earned its significance as the primary, indeed the only passage through the Appalachian mountain range on the road west. The British thought so and even named a decorative sausage after it. Kentucky is home to a large number of turkeys and deer, as well as the largest free range elk herd east of the Mississippi River.

For sporting glory, the Bluegrass State relies mainly on Cincinnati in its neighboring state of Ohio, home of the Bengals NFL and Reds baseball teams. The state is proud of its college basketball. It's main claim to fame in the world of sport is a horse race. The Kentucky Derby is held each year in Louisville to see which three year-old thoroughbred can outrun other horses from all over the world.

The state shares borders with no fewer than seven surrounding states: Clockwise from Ohio, these are West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Totally landlocked, if it were a sovereign state in its own right, it would have no need for a navy. With so much of its area occupied by the Appalachian Mountains, it would be difficult to have an air force. The state's best bet is to stay friendly with the United States and not start any trouble.

Lovely though they are, the Appalachians make travel from east to west a bit of a chore. Laced with alternating mountain ridges and valleys, road-building is a bit of a non-starter. The mountains spill into nine other states Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina.

The highest point in the state is Black Mountain, at an elevation of 4,145 feet. The state language is English. The area measures 40,409 square miles. The state flower is the Goldenrod. The state bird is the Cardinal, which makes you wonder how St Louis MO managed to hijack it for their major league baseball team.

There are many, many places that use Kentucky lighting. These include the Kentucky Supreme Court, the University of Kentucky and numerous schools and hospitals. The annual state fair is held in Louisville.




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