After an uneventful 650 mile drive over 2 days we are home. It was so humid when we left southwestern Kentucky Monday morning that water was running off the awning from the dew. We are very glad to leave that muck behind. The poor A/C in the mortorhome needs a rest. The air was noticeably less humid when we reached WV and even comfortable at our overnight stop in Beckley, WV.
We stayed overnight at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Campground. The CG is tricky to find and fun getting into. But the sites are full hookup, level, and paved. That section of WV sure is pretty to drive through. I think that may be a future trip as there are several things to see and do.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Day 17 – OK Mammoth Cave, Here We Come!
Sunday, August 01, 2010
We got there about an hour early for our tour, as planned. The tour was sold out…120 people! We started on time and journeyed down the ramp to the natural cave entrance for our 2 hour moderate tour with 440 total stairs. On we went into the cave and walked, past some ruins of saltpeter mining, walked some more down. We walked to the Rotunda, and to the Methodist Church, or first stop. Yes, church services were held there! Then we went down Broadway, Gothic Avenue, and down to the Giant’s Coffin our second stop. This is a rock that looks just like its name. Here we left the big cave and began our journey through tighter and scarier places, such as the Bottomless Pit that you walk across on a bridge with grates you can see down through! Fun for acrophobics! The into Fat Man’s Misery, did I mention tight places and the Tall Men’s Misery. At several places historic graffitti are visible on the ceiling, put there by candle smoke. Finally we wound our way down to Great Relief Hall for our last stop and a brief lights out.
At this point we hit bottom for this tour, about 300’ DOWN. Now we begin the fun job of hiking out and UP…puff, puff, puff! Up the stairs we went, then up some more to Mammoth dome where the STAIR tower is, all 155 stairs! Here we finally saw some flow formations. The rest of the cave is bone dry. Slowly we made our way back to Broadway and the way out, up more stairs to daylight. When you hit the surface he heat and humidity are breathtaking, literally. Your glasses fog up. Then you finally see again and there it is Mount Mammoth, that ramp that was nothing walking down! It seems like 500 miles hiking up but is no more than 150-200 yards to the Visitors Center, rest rooms, and air conditioning! The pictures below give you some idea of what we did and saw.
Afterwards we drove a loop scenic road to the western part of the park and outside the Park. Wecrossed the Green River by ferry and stopped briefly at the Nolin River Dam and the riverside below the dam.
We stumbled upon a nice lunch at the Bee Springs Restaurant in Bee Springs, KY. From there we headed home to end our day. Tomorrow we start the journey home, and honestly I am ready. The humidity down here is oppressive and has been so almost every day. The heat is about the same as VA-DC. I have been duly reminded of my two primary RVing directives: No travel in summer; and do not go south in hot weather!
We got there about an hour early for our tour, as planned. The tour was sold out…120 people! We started on time and journeyed down the ramp to the natural cave entrance for our 2 hour moderate tour with 440 total stairs. On we went into the cave and walked, past some ruins of saltpeter mining, walked some more down. We walked to the Rotunda, and to the Methodist Church, or first stop. Yes, church services were held there! Then we went down Broadway, Gothic Avenue, and down to the Giant’s Coffin our second stop. This is a rock that looks just like its name. Here we left the big cave and began our journey through tighter and scarier places, such as the Bottomless Pit that you walk across on a bridge with grates you can see down through! Fun for acrophobics! The into Fat Man’s Misery, did I mention tight places and the Tall Men’s Misery. At several places historic graffitti are visible on the ceiling, put there by candle smoke. Finally we wound our way down to Great Relief Hall for our last stop and a brief lights out.
At this point we hit bottom for this tour, about 300’ DOWN. Now we begin the fun job of hiking out and UP…puff, puff, puff! Up the stairs we went, then up some more to Mammoth dome where the STAIR tower is, all 155 stairs! Here we finally saw some flow formations. The rest of the cave is bone dry. Slowly we made our way back to Broadway and the way out, up more stairs to daylight. When you hit the surface he heat and humidity are breathtaking, literally. Your glasses fog up. Then you finally see again and there it is Mount Mammoth, that ramp that was nothing walking down! It seems like 500 miles hiking up but is no more than 150-200 yards to the Visitors Center, rest rooms, and air conditioning! The pictures below give you some idea of what we did and saw.
Giant's Coffin
More vertical than it looks!
Historic Graffitti.
 |
Light at the end of the tunnel
Afterwards we drove a loop scenic road to the western part of the park and outside the Park. Wecrossed the Green River by ferry and stopped briefly at the Nolin River Dam and the riverside below the dam.
Green River Ferry
Nolin River Dam and riverside.
We stumbled upon a nice lunch at the Bee Springs Restaurant in Bee Springs, KY. From there we headed home to end our day. Tomorrow we start the journey home, and honestly I am ready. The humidity down here is oppressive and has been so almost every day. The heat is about the same as VA-DC. I have been duly reminded of my two primary RVing directives: No travel in summer; and do not go south in hot weather!
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