This is the fifth of seven installments of a summer travel series by Daily News reporters Rachel Adams and Jim Gaines.

It’s nice to see a city with a sense of humor.

Walking the streets of Russellville, we had to stop and smile at a giraffe-headed yellow sawhorse on one of the city’s historic brick sidewalks. Originally put up by the Russellville Street Department to block a crumbling part of the walkway, it and similar sawhorses were accessorized by city residents months ago.

It stood outside the Southern Bank of Kentucky, an 1857 building marked as the site of the Jesse James Gang’s first robbery. The bank is one of 46 stops on a walking tour of historic homes, churches and businesses – dating from 1800 to 1967 – within 16 blocks.

Rachel oohed and aahed over the big old houses, many featuring elaborate stonework and stained glass. Most of them are nicely tended, but some show signs of dilapidation.

Though we didn’t take the full tour, the stroll was a pleasant way to start a peaceful day in Logan County. And peaceful it is: If you like to look at passing cornfields, Logan County’s the place for you.

Foregoing agriculture, we sought the Logan County Glade State Nature Preserve, marked on our map within a mile of the county courthouse.

And sought and sought and sought. Though it’s plain on the map, finding it on the ground is a different matter. We finally found the trailhead hidden behind the health department office, just off U.S. 68-Ky. 80.

&#8220The preserve protects a high-quality limestone glade and several species of rare plants,” says its only identifying marker, at the back of the health department parking lot. No camping, picnicking, picking flowers or hunting is allowed on the 41-acre tract.

Past the sign, a rough trail winds up the steep hill. The half-hour walk will be too much for tots, but after a climb through the woods, visitors are rewarded by a cool breeze and a pretty scene to survey, while perched on a big flat rock on the hilltop.

There obviously aren’t many visitors to the nature preserve. We saw no other hikers, and while there were sad piles of litter along the health department’s fence, nothing had been cast down beside the trail within the preserve.

The trail is so seldom used as to be indistinct in spots, and we both got mouthfuls of spider webs stretched across the path. But it’s hard to get lost: You can always follow the roar of the traffic back down to U.S. 68-Ky. 80.

Turning elsewhere in Logan County, we bypassed the Shaker Village and the antique shops of Auburn (those are well-known enough, we figured, after passing four self-promoting Auburn signs on the same road within a mile).

Adairville will have a skate park someday, but for now there’s not much else to do at the south end of the county. Future President Andrew Jackson and Nashville aristocrat John Dickinson came across the state line to fight a duel there, according to a historic marker in the town square. We think it says something significant about a place when people just go there to shoot each other.

On the north side, Lewisburg announces itself as the purple martin capital of Kentucky. There were unfortunately none visible during our visit except for the Purple Martin Coin Laundry sign, but we did see a huge buzzard circling over town. Maybe that’s why.

A trip to Lewisburg is worthwhile, however, if only because there is the turnoff for the Shady Cliff Resort on Lake Malone.

Located on Ky. 1785 in the extreme northwestern corner of Logan County, the Shady Cliff Resort can fill a weekend or more with outdoor activity through cabin rentals, a dinner and lake cruise package, and rental of a pontoon or fishing boat. Information is available at (270) 657-9580.

We didn’t have time for all that, settling for a delicious lunch at the lodge-style restaurant packed with hunting and fishing trophies. The dining room has big windows and a patio overlooking the boat docks and a pretty lakefront.

The menu is varied enough for almost anyone.

Jim had chargrilled chicken and fried shrimp, choosing well-seasoned green beans and a baked potato for sides. Rachel chose a prime rib sandwich and fries, and on a subsequent visit snacked on cheese fries with bacon and ranch dressing while Jim regaled her with an article he’d read on the worst foods one can eat in a restaurant. It should be no surprise that cheese fries with bacon and ranch dressing were at the very top.

Although we didn’t partake of dinner and a cruise (you need 10 adults or more, and, frankly, we don’t have that many friends), we can imagine how gorgeous the lake must be when viewed at sunset with a stomach full of excellent food. For the sake of your fellow travelers, though, you might want to pop a Dramamine before riding the waves.

Despite a rainy afternoon, Michael Skipworth, owner of Skippy’s Guide Service, was using the boat ramp below the restaurant during our visit.

He paused to gas up his boat before going to pick up a customer on the other side of the lake; they were both going to compete in a fishing tournament, no matter the wet weather, he said. Skipworth is available as a fishing guide or for lake tours, and can be reached at his home at (270) 755-4765, or on his cell phone at (270) 847-9653.

Heading back toward Russellville, we were cheered by the sight of a blue official state tourism sign, and eagerly sought its direction to a fun time.

It announced the presence of a BP Amoco station. That’s right, a gas station is an official tourist attraction in Logan County.

What the heck. We stopped to immerse ourselves in the gas-station experience. Jim bought some Wild Bill’s World Famous Beef Jerky (pretty good, actually), while Rachel got a roll of Sprees and a blue slushie that tasted of chlorine.

We were still scratching our heads over the tourism marker when we went for dinner next door at the Colonial Inn restaurant, where waitresses greet customers by name and inquire about their families before taking their order.

Thus we rounded off our day munching country standards from the Colonial Inn’s dinner buffet. Rachel chowed down on fried chicken, mashed potatoes and an ear of boiled corn; Jim sampled the board’s most exotic selection, spaghetti and meatballs. Then it was time for some coconut cake, which Rachel consumed with much energy until the last few bites, thickly slathered with a rich icing. She reported it delicious, but couldn’t quite finish it, even with Jim’s help.

The Colonial Inn is still firmly planted in decades past, in food and acceptable methods of payment – they don’t take debit cards. But Jim, searching for cash, found the future awaiting just across the parking lot – there’s an ATM at the state-recommended BP station.

– Got an idea for an upcoming county? Let us know at jgaines@bgdailynews.com or radams@bgdailynews.com.

Today: Logan County

July 22: Simpson County

July 29: Warren County