Gifts Of The Road Less Traveled
The Kentucky Backroads - page 2
by JJ. Hathaway

As if out of nowhere the Captain and his one crewmember of the Valley View Ferry appeared. The ferry has been transporting people across the Kentucky River since 1785 and is the oldest continuous business in Kentucky. It was the first ferry on the river and is the last remaining in operation. John Craig, a Revolutionary War hero received a perpetual and irrevocable franchise from the Virginia legislature to set up the ferry on his property at the mouth of Tates Creek.

I was a little apprehensive at first questioning if my Ford F-350 would be able to make the voyage. My uneasiness was reassured by the crew who boasted of a 24,000-weight limit stating " If it can fit, we can carry it". Once we loaded, it was only three or four minutes to the other side. Even though it was only minutes for our passage, we were able to take in some of the natural beauty surrounding us. As ducks escorted the ferry to the other side, we took in the beautiful spring morning laced with a variety of green hillsides in bloom with raspberry bushes and jasmine fragrances in the air.