NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — On a nice summer weekend, it’s rare to see the Kentucky River empty and quiet.
However, if you follow the current long enough, the sounds of nature take over in Nicholasville.
It’s a trip Scott House always relishes as a part of his job as Nicholasville’s Drinking Water Plant Superintendent.
“This is such a job perk to be able to on the boat on the River and be working. It doesn’t feel like work,” House said.
“Just look around and you’ll see. It’s just beautiful. The smell in the air when you’re walking through the woods in Jessamine County is unique. The smell of the Kentucky River is unique,” House said.
The beauty lies in an area rarely touched by man-made powers.
Mother Nature has shaped this region over millennia with the proof lying in the prominent rock wall along the river.
The Kentucky Palisades.
This unique geologic sight stretches through Jessamine County, featuring limestone spread throughout its face.
Much like the Grand Canyon to the west, the Palisades have been formed through generations of erosion to get to its present state.
House says it’s brought a lot more visitors to area recently, both human and wildlife.
“I’ve seen a lot more kayaking going on lately. The kayakers stay close to the bank,” House said.
“You have ospreys on the river now. Bald eagles, red tail hawks. Certainly white tail deer. We’ve been on the water and actually slowed up for a deer swimming from Jessamine County to Madison County. That was really neat. Stuff you might see on Natural Geographic I’ve seen just working down here on the River.”
House describes being on the river taking in the Palisades as “peaceful” to use one word.
It’s a sight any nature lover can appreciate whether they are on the water or on any of the hiking trails in throughout Nicholasville.
“It’s just natural beauty. There’s a lot of it that’s still untouched and you can see that when you’re here,” House said.
