Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Clermont, Kentucky
Dear Gentle Reader,
Just kidding, this is not Bridgerton. It is, however, the beginning of the end of (said in the voice of Morgan Freeman) The Great Migration from North Idaho to the mid-Atlantic. We paused in Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, and now Kentucky. Wyoming and Colorado (even though Colorado was different from the original itinerary), were planned, but beginning in Colorado, creativity and flexibility were in demand because there was no way we were going to be able to adhere to the original plan.
By the time we got to Kentucky, we were already a full day behind and had missed one of the Thomas Dambo trolls we wanted to see, which I wrote about in the my last post. Three of his gentle giants that are in Kentucky were directly on our route, so it was exciting to get there. Plus, that location put us two time zones from North Idaho and one time zone away from our new home, making it feel even more likely that we were going to make it to the end without any disasters. Were we more excited about the geographical milestone or the trolls? It doesn’t matter.
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum was founded in 1929 by Isaac W. Bernheim, with the mission of “connecting people with nature”. In the nearly 100 years since, we’ve not strayed from this mission.
By remaining committed to protecting the critical wildness of our forest while offering the public deeply engaging outdoor experiences, we will propel his vision into the next 100 years.
At 95 years old, our forest looks better than ever and our hearts remain young and vibrant. Come take an outside chance on the millions of things to do at Bernheim!
https://bernheim.org/
The park has an entrance hut, and although there is no assigned fee, there is an attendant to collect donations. The recommended donation is $10 and well worth it. You are nearly immediately immersed into beautiful green trees alongside small bodies of water. The main parking lot is huge, with an adorable playground attached, bathrooms, and a visitor center.
The entrance to the forest has a huge sign for the trolls and when you are on the pathway toward a troll there are more signs. If the section of the trail is paved, there are painted troll footprints along the way. If the trail is a dirt one, there are wooden feet pointing the way. The trails we walked were Forest Giants Trail and Lake Nevin Loop. There was nearly no elevation gain, a mix of shade and exposure, and THREE TROLLS!
Little Nis
Thomas Dambo does not miss a note. Little Nis is the first troll you encounter if beginning at the visitor center. You leave a paved walkway to cross a bridge and can see her from the bridge, well before you get to her. There was countless fish of various sizes, hundreds of turtles (Barbarian Scientist had never seen turtles in the wild before!), and many kinds of birds. And a troll. Little Nis is obviously designed to show that she is looking at her reflection in the water and it is the sweetest design ever.
Mama Loumari
The sweetest unless you are a mama and you get this. Mama Loumari is pregnant and laying against a tree near her kiddos toys of dragon skulls and unicorn horns. I cannot find anything that says how big she is, but she is enormous. From feet to head, she is easily the largest troll I have seen so far.
This trail system is darling. When you are leaving the mama, there are options on which direction to continue. The park has well-placed signage just often enough to keep you on track, if you are trying. It is not so frequent that it takes away from the natural surroundings, so some attention is required. A short trip through a thicker part of the forest took us to another paved section, where we connected with Lake Nevin Loop.
Little Elina
Little Elina was the third troll here. She is right on the lake loop, playing with huge stones. She has one in her hand, and the exhibit shows she has them laid down to the edge f the forest.
Lake Nevin Loop
Hiking along Lake Nevin Loop is definitely not necessary to see the trolls, but I said, “Why would we not, since we are here?” Barbarian Scientist said something like, “Bla bla bla” in response. I do not know what that even meant.
Speaking of not understanding language, we had crossed paths with two young men on a bridge who were fishing. They were very friendly and tried to show us how to see an enormous fish swimming beneath the water. We failed to see it, but we took that opportunity to ask about the kinds of turtles there. They proceeded to talk in a wildly thick Kentucky accent about what kinds of turtles we could see and how this one tastes good and this one tastes less great, and so on…they. eat. the. turtles. Barbarian Scientist’s face in that moment is something I hope I never forget.
The only thing that would have made this stop better would have been for it to last five times as long. Perhaps Barbarian Scientists would have been very disgruntled about that, but as long as I pretend I speak a different language I seem I get my way. Sometimes it seems like I actually DO speak a different language. Even so, this trip has been incredible. We had constant time together (lucky him), listening to audble.com and music, taking naps, consoling Sam Dog, talking about all the boys, and discussing the future. He has never traveled so far in his life and I have never traveled like this without the kids. We met as full time parents and this move was without any kids. I am still pretty unsure about how I feel about a future without any children under the same roof as me, but I suppose that means I will have to be extra lively…also keep getting new pets?
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