kentucky

After we left Maryland we passed through the rolling mountains of West Virginia and into the Bluegrass of Kentucky. The landscape was welcoming and made for a relatively easy drive. We were hit with bursts of rain as we wound our way into the center of Kentucky, in search of a big hole in the ground. 

We made it to Mammoth Cave National Park in the early evening and were surprised to learn that we had passed into the Central Time Zone. We were just a few minutes late to check out the visitor's center that day and so we moved on to find camping. We discovered that while there were numerous sites open, they were in a section of the campground that can only be used with reservations or if you had an RV. We found this to be odd since the vendor in charge of the campground was essentially saying that they would not take our money because we had not reserved a space online and did not have an RV. One would think that they would simply be happy to get $17 a night, but instead we drove around to the "primitive" campsites on the west side of the park. We had luck here and instead of paying $17 a night we paid $12, camped right on the water, and only had about ten other campmates (as opposed to 110). I'd say we won in the grand scheme of things, we just had a bit of a drive from the center of the park.

Once camping was figured out we settled in for a night of bad country music and abundant campfires from our neighbors. We found the local hotspot for a Saturday night for sure. 

For our first full day of exploring at Mammoth Cave we adventured above ground. We had a rocky start as I managed to wipe out on my bike about ten feet into our ride, but after that we had roughly 17 miles of uninterrupted riding on the park's Railroad Bike and Hike Trail. After finishing our ride we had some lunch and then set out on the hiking trails. We had views of the Green River and numerous sink holes; we were able to check out the natural entrance (and natural air conditioning) of the cave system; and we came across hundreds of miniature toads. While most people go to Mammoth Cave simply for the experience of going into the world's largest cave, I would recommend taking the time to see what is happening above ground as well. It's pretty spectacular.

bike and hike trail

nature's canvas

look closely for bullfrogs and dragonflies 

toads the size of my pointer finger nail

golden salamanders

On our second day at Mammoth Cave we spent the morning visiting some trails that wind through some of the more prominent sink holes in the park (Cedar Sink and Turnhole Bend) and then we prepared for cave explorations. Even in the middle of summer caves can be quite chilly. We bundled up and listened as our Park Ranger explained how we would be going over the bottomless pit and climbing several hundred stairs on the Historic Tour. We were also warned that Mammoth Cave is not a wet cave - this means that there are not spectacular formations (like stalagmites and stalactites) - but that we would see the remnants of saltpeter mines from the war of 1812. This was a whole new caving experience for us. The passageways were quite large (except for fat man's misery and tall man's misery) and the rooms were monstrous. It was great to see just how different caves can be when they are formed differently.

the natural entrance

the sign says it all

We had a slight break after finishing the Historic Tour before going underground at dusk. We went on a lantern tour to explore the Star Chamber (this place once inspired Emerson to write the poem, "Illusions") and to see Gothic Avenue. After the introduction by the Park Ranger (with warnings to not touch anything) we once again passed through the natural entrance of the cave. This time our passage was different from our earlier tour as everything was transformed in the light of a mere 12 lanterns as opposed to the standard stage lighting that runs through the cave. We passed by rooms that had been used in attempts to cure tuberculosis patients and into the famous Star Chamber. 

In the chamber, with our lanterns having been removed from our immediate surroundings, the night sky appeared above us. The stars began to twinkle and you could see the edges of the canyon walls that enveloped us. And then we were brought back to reality. We were 160 feet underground. Everything that we were seeing was a breathtaking illusion. Then, we dove into darkness as the rangers took our lanterns on a walk. One of the experiences that I always look forward to in a cave is this exposure to pure darkness. It is a moment that is as relaxing as it is tense. It is freeing, yet claustrophobic. And then some kid stomps his feet to make those annoying little lights start to flash. With teacher voices coming out of the mouths of every other person on the tour, this youngster stopped pretty quickly, but the moment was lost. I am of the opinion that with all of the requirements that are in place with regards to entering caves, flashing shoes should join cigarettes and fire arms on the list of banned items.

We finished this final tour with a pass through Gothic Avenue. Here we saw the names of those that came before us - carved and smoked into the walls of the cave. Some names were backward thanks to the brilliant idea of using cosmetic mirrors to lessen the strain on one's neck when defacing the cave (and to keep animal fat from the candles from dripping on one's face). There were cairns that had been built over the course of tours after writing names had been banned. It was fantastic. We did turn the lights on for a short while as we left the passageway so that we could have a better look at the names, and then we finished the tour by light of the lanterns once more.

names with a cairn built to honor kentucky (yes, it touches the ceiling)

some of those backward names

We climbed out of the cave into more darkness. We cleaned our shoes (to help prevent the spread of White Nose Syndrome) and then went our separate ways. For us, that meant returning to the car for a night of driving. Kentucky was fun, but with the end of summer approaching, we had to be on our way.