A few days ago I overheard some individuals in my department talking about Cave Run Lake; being from Morehead this naturally caught my attention and I had to inquire what the fuss was about. Turns out the lake was at or near its highest level ever since being constructed. Yeah, kind of a “DUH” moment considering all the regional flooding. After all that is precisely why the lake was built in the first place.

Doesn’t it figure though; monitor river conditions all over the country and completely miss a historical hydrology event in your own home town. Obviously I need to get back more; I literally can’t remember the last time I was in town, much less visited the lake.

Given my typical interest in hydrology and general exploration, I just had to have a look for myself. It figures, most of the trip wound up brining back old memories. One of the main reasons I tend to avoid Morehead is the nostalgia it triggers. A stupid reason I know, but there it is. Seems Cave Run is no exception. But I’ll get to that some other time.

I started from Stony Cove Recreation area, which, as some of you may or may not know, is actually Cave Run’s emergency spillway. To protect the structure from over topping, water can never reach higher then then the big “Flood Pool” sign. Instead, it would flow right over Stony Cove’s parking lot, pass through a cutout around the dam, and eventually return to the Licking River downstream. As far as I can tell that never happened, but if not it sure came close. When I arrived the level had already receded quite a bit, and yet was still only about 15′ short of maximum.

After circling the dam area, I moved on to Scott Creek Marina. The parking lot, normally on a high bluff, is now partially submerged. A makeshift ferry service is now the only way to reach the marina, and I’m told that it will be well into July before their bridge is above water.

Next was the Lakeside Vista look out. Like the marina parking, it is normally a bluff overlooking the lake. Now water sits just shy of the parking blocks.

Afterward I had planned to survey the Blackwater Area, but water there is so high I would have needed to park and paddle over private property. So instead I put in at Poppin Rock. There again was an amazing sight.The parking lot and service buildings were all submerged and ramp dock is now an island. But by By far what really put things in perspective was the “Morgan County” bridge. As you can see here, at normal water levels this structure normally towers over the lake. Jumping from it is a local challenge for anyone brave or stupid enough (myself included), and many have been injured or killed in the attempt. As you can see in the picture gallery, this summer it won’t be much of a challenge at all. I had to press myself flat just to pass through the piers.

By this time the sun was going down, and I wanted to get some area wide shots before it got too dark for my Hero Cam. What better place to do that then Lockegee Rock? It’s been years since I last climbed up there, but nothing has changed. The view is still amazing, and graffiti still annoying. Good with the bad I guess.

The gallery below was taken with my Hero Cam on auto shoot (i.e. a picture taken every 5 seconds). As a result, most shots will be throwaway. For simplicity sake, I just threw them all up, and perhaps there is something in there others can enjoy. As always, on to the next adventure…

DC