719. Seven Fewer Counties

No, this isn't an entry calling for Kentucky to reduce its number of counties to a workable amount. That subject was covered in an entry on January 8, 2010 where I proposed reducing our county-count from 120 to 55. This entry, though, is about counties.

Every year, shortly after the turn-of-the-year, I update my schedule of counties-visited, a schedule I've been keeping since 1979, the first year I visited all 120 of Kentucky's counties within the 365 day period from January 1st to December 31st. Last year's count was 57. Alas, 2011 saw visits to seven fewer counties.

I keep posted in my office a highway map of the Commonwealth and as each county is visited, I outline it in some way indicating the visit. At the end of the year, I number the counties tallying the visits. Moving from the left side of the map to the right, as Cawood used to say on WHAS when speaking of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, we begin with #1 which in 2011 was Graves County, home of Fancy Farm, site of the annual picnic for the Saint Jerome Parish Picnic. If I had trekked just three miles west of the little hamlet along KY80 I could have added Carlisle to the list, but, alas, I didn't. Moving across the map, the mid-points are, at #24 and #25, Spencer and Carroll, respectively. Spencer, adjacent to Jefferson, which is #18, and to the southeast, shows up regularly in the annual report. The Sixth Congressional District, as it is configured as of this moment, is well-represented on the charts. Finally, moving across the state to the east, Boyd County comes in at #50. Keep in mind, these aren't listed in any chronological order, just a listing. Last year's extremes were Fancy Farm in Graves County to the west; just north of Murray along the new KY 80 in Calloway County to the south; along Riverside Drive, Newport, in Campbell County to the north; and crossing the Big Sandy River on I-64 from Boyd County, Kentucky into Wayne County, West virginia.

Usually by this time in January I've already visited about ten counties for the new year. That isn't the case so far, as my visits have been limited to Jefferson (which is impossible to avoid), Shelby, Franklin, Woodford, and Oldham (recently with my friend Michael down along Rose Island Road). Shelby and Franklin were added on January 2nd as part of the Swearings-In of Kentucky's new Constitutional officers. In all likelihood, Hardin, Nelson, and Meade will be added this weekend.

I never really plan where I am going; I just plan to go.

Happy Trails to you for 2012.