Speed Bumps

I set out one clear, cool Saturday a few years ago to treat myself to a day of hiking. A quiet getaway with just my thoughts, the trees, streams, and rocks sounded like a soothing tonic. And I needed to finally see for myself the spectacular vistas of eastern Kentucky�s Red River Gorge.

I prepared lunch and snacks for the backpack. I bought a huge map and ran my finger over the details, searching out the wildest of the wilderness area. When I arrived at the carefully selected trailhead, I faced a sign that read, �6 miles, 3 hours.� I thought to myself, �I can beat that time.�

Clearly, I missed the whole point of hiking.

This month�s Kentucky Living offers a buffet of ways to slow down and take time for yourself. Each April, the magazine gets ready for the rest of the year by devoting many of its pages to travel. From great places to go in Kentucky, to great places Kentuckians go for rest and adventure, traveling makes up some of the most memorable parts of our lives.

Many of you wrote in with stories and photos of your dream vacations. You proved the truth in the saying about the journey being more important than the destination�a lesson I hadn�t yet learned on my first Red River Gorge hiking trip. I hope these dream vacations inspire you to take your dream trip.

We head back to the Red River Gorge where hardy rock climbers make my misguided speed-hiking ambitions seem puny. Read about how these cliff-scalers enjoy the beauty of the Gorge in a whole different way.

You�ll also find a special travel guide to help you plan all kinds of getaways.

And few things can make you pause and savor a summer day more effectively than the structured rhythms of a baseball game. Read about a Greenup County field, transformed into a ball park, that regularly brings the community together for the traditional seasonal pastime.

I hope this issue inspires you to get up and go.

But not too fast.