A nice winter driving tour is to follow the Mississippi River, from the confluence of Ol' Muddy and the Ohio.
Start your river tour at the Paducah waterfront, where the floodwall has been covered with brightly painted murals that record the history of the town and its relationship to the river.
The two rivers come together just outside Wickliffe. You can take the direct route-U.S. 62-from Paducah. Or you can follow the Ohio River, using a series of state roads, taking you through quaint old towns with names like Ragland, Bandana, and Monkey's Eyebrow.
At the confluence is the giant Ft. Jefferson Memorial Cross, which overlooks the two rivers. Nearby is the Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area.
Most Kentuckians are unaware that there are natural lakes in our state. There are 12, including the 300-acre namesake Swan Lake. What makes these lakes special is that they are all cypress ponds-among the northernmost of such growths. The lakes were formed by earthquake action, just like Reelfoot Lake on the Tennessee border.
In Wickliffe you'll find Wickliffe Mounds. For more than 500 years, from about 900 A.D. until the latter part of the 15th century, the Mounds were the site of a prosperous village. Exhibits at Wickliffe include a reconstructed Mississippian village, several exhibit buildings, and the Ceremonial Mound. During the winter, the Mounds are only open on weekdays so plan on stopping there on Friday or Monday.
From Wickliffe, follow U.S. 51, which is part of the Great River Road- a series of highways following the Mississippi from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. This highway is marked by riverboat wheel signage.
The Great River Road takes you to Columbus-Belmont Battlefield State Park. Perched on 156 acres above the Mississippi River, the park was the site of frenzied activity during the early days of the War Between the States. It was here the Confederates won the Battle of Belmont. The site was abandoned in March 1862, and immediately occupied by Union forces for the remainder of the war.
Today you can walk 2.5 miles of hiking trails that wander through the Confederate trenches, see artillery, and view the six-ton chain that stretched across the river during the war. There's a small museum that interprets the battle and displays numerous artifacts from the period. Unfortunately, it is closed in the winter. The campground, with 38 campsites on the river cliffs, is open all year.
Continue south on Great River Road to KY 94, and take it west to Hickman. Mark Twain called Hickman "the most beautiful town on the Mississippi River."
At this point you'll leave the river. Head east on 94 to U.S. 45. Follow it north to Mayfield, where you'll find "the strange procession that never moves" in the Maplewood Cemetery. The procession is a set of 18 life-sized sculptures at the 1899 tomb of eccentric horse breeder Henry Wooldridge.
Leaving Mayfield, follow KY 121 to Murray, then go south on U.S. 641 to the small town of Hazel. Literally sitting on the Tennessee border, Hazel may be the antiques capital of the Commonwealth, with one antique shop and mall after another lining the streets.
Return to Murray and take KY 94 east to U.S. 68/80, and follow that to the Trace. Travel the Trace through the heart of Land Between the Lakes, a natural area formed when two other rivers-the Tennessee and the Cumberland-were dammed to form Kentucky and Barkley lakes. Stop in Golden Pond for literature and displays about this unique recreation area.
In Grand Rivers, at the head of the Trace, stop at Patti's 1880s Settlement. Here you'll find restaurants, original log cabin gift shops, and a water wheel. All the food at Patti's is good, but it's most known for two things: flower-pot bread and giant pork chops.
Continuing north, follow U.S. 62 to the Lake Barkley Dam & Visitor Center. The center contains exhibits on the Cumberland River, steamboating, river navigation, and river craft and accouterments. From the Visitor Center it's a short walk to the Observation Deck, where you can watch barges and pleasure craft lock through the dam.
For more information, contact: Western Lakes & Rivers Tourism Region, c/o Paducah/ McCracken County CVB, P.O. Box 90, Paducah, KY 42001, (270) 443-8783.

Day Trips & Short Stops
Along the Trail of Tears

"Many days pass and people die very much."
A succinct summary, in the words of a Cherokee survivor, of the infamous Trail of Tears-perhaps the worst example of the United States' poor treatment of Native Americans in the 19th century.
In 1830 gold was discovered on Cherokee lands in Georgia, and Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The United States forcibly removed 15,000 Cherokees from their homes, and they were marched off to be relocated in the Oklahoma Territory. Along the way, thousands died, especially children, women, and the elderly.
That march took many of them through Kentucky, and there are several sites where groups were wintered over in squalid conditions. One such camp, along the banks of Little River-in what is now Hopkinsville- was a major stopping point. Many died there, including such notables as Chiefs Whitepath and Fly Smith, who are buried there.
Today the site is memorialized by the Trail of Tears Commemorative Park, situated on a portion of the campground used by the Indians.
The focal point of the park are larger-than-life sculptures of the two chiefs. Near the statues are an information wall, with data about the Trail of Tears; a courtyard of flags representing the nine states involved in the removal; and a bronze plaque showing the route of the trail.
A two-room log cabin serves as a Heritage Center. One room is filled with Cherokee artworks and artifacts, ranging from prehistory to the date of the removal. The other room contains similar memorabilia from other tribes who suffered at the white man's hands.
The park is open from daylight to dark daily, but the Heritage Center is on winter hours, which are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, contact: Trail of Tears Commemorative Park, P.O. Box 4027, Hopkinsville, KY 42241, (270) 886-8033.

Outdoor Log
Howl of the wild

If you've put your sporting arms up for the season, you could be missing out on the best time to hunt predators.
Furbearer seasons actually close at noon on February 1, so you no longer can hunt fox, raccoons, and most other furbearers. However, coyotes are considered pests in Kentucky, and there is no closed season nor bag limit.
The state is covered up with coyotes, primarily because there is plenty of food for them, and few of them are trapped anymore because the fur market is depressed.
Calling coyotes is easy. All you do is sit at the base of a tree and sound like a dying rabbit. To do this, you use either a mouth caller or an electronic one. We prefer the mouth callers (which look like duck calls), because for us the electronics are too loud and have too rhythmic a sound.
Hunting at night with lights isn't legal in the Bluegrass State, so figure on early morning and just before dark as the best times.
No special equipment is needed, other than the calls. If shotguns, handguns, or bows and arrows are your favorite arms, they are perfectly suitable.
You're also more likely to get landowner permission to hunt coyotes. Many farmers want them gone and will welcome you, even the same landowner who normally won't give you permission to deer hunt.
For information, contact: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, #1 Game Farm Road, Frankfort, KY 40601, (800) 858-1549.

Brook and Barbara Elliott are freelance writers and public relations consultants. They write primarily about travel and outdoor recreation, and help publicize businesses in those industries.