Our Trip Blog

Day 84- Kentucky (by Pam)

Events of Friday, September 17, 2010

          We are learning that there is a certain strategy to boondocking in a Walmart parking lot. As we pull in we do an initial survey of the situation – are there any other RVs and where are they park, are there any semis with their engines idling, what is the slope of the parking lot, where are the access roads and are there any areas of darkness – all these factors come in to play when you are boondocking. We typically pick a spot and I continue to access it while Jim goes in to get “official” permission from the local Walmart manager. We have learned that while Walmart, for the most part has opened their parking lots to overnighting RVs, some of our fellow RVers have abused this gesture and so it is always good to ask.

          Last night we parked on the outskirts of the Walmart parking lot, actually more in front of Lowes, near another RV. We chose this spot because it was in a darker area of the parking lot and away from noisy semis and the access road that people would use for their 2am visits to Walmart. We slid out part way, opened up to catch the breeze and hung towels across the windows to cut the light. But as we settled into bed we realized that the RV we were near was running its generator, probably to run its A/C. Oh, well. We tried and now it was too late to move. What we had failed to realize was that we were also fairly near the garbage bins of a nearby restaurant and the garbage truck came early and it felt like it was dropping the huge metal container right on our RV it was so close. Then there were the two “cute” truckers who decided to have a little good-bye conversation with their horns before moving out of the parking lot. Needless to say, we have found that our boondocking nights are NOT our most restful ones.

          Awoken early by all these pleasant noises, we headed on our way. The plan was to visit Mammoth Caves National Park. Earlier in the week we had made reservations for the 10:30 am Grand Avenue Tour. This is the longest and most strenuous cave tour, taking four and a half hours to cover 4 miles of cave. However, last night we realized that Mammoth Caves NP is in the Central Time Zone and we had boondocked in the Eastern Time Zone. So as we drove to the park, time essentially stood still.

          When we arrived at the park, Jim fixed us an excellent hot breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. While he cooked Benjamin jogged around the parking lot several times, Lindsey blogged and Caitlin, Abby and I tried to pack a lunch for our cave tour. The tour does have a lunch stop in the underground Snowball dining room, but lunches there cost $7.50 and our monthly food budget is getting low. We could bring in our own food, but it had to be in a clear or mesh bag. Abby ingeniously suggested that we take our remaining hunk of sourdough bread and some cheese and lunch European style. In short order, six large Ziploc bags were packed and we were ready for an awesome lunch. Since the cave would be 54°, we each took our Stanford sweatshirts and our bagged lunch fit nicely in the front pocket. Before we knew it, the morning had passed us by and it was time for our tour.

          While we were using the restrooms, an announcement came over the loud speakers about a white nose bat fungus station. As I emerged from the restroom, I found my family sitting on a bench with their shoes in a tub containing a yellow, bubbly liquid. It appears that since we have been in other caves during this journey, we had to be de-contaminated in order to not spread this disease. After sitting with our shoes in the solution for 3 minutes, we were free to go. We joined Ranger Bobby and Ranger Joe outside, listened to some cautionary notes and instructions and loaded up the buses that would take us to the entrance of the cave.

          When we arrived we initially descended some 210 steps. Mammoth Cave was probably discovered in pre-historic times and utilized by the Indians over the years. It was “re-discovered” in 1790 by a pioneer who followed a wounded bear into the cave. In the early 1800s several different parts of the cave were privately owned and operated. Slaves used to lead tours down into the cave and for a tip would allow the tourist to leave their name on the cave wall or ceiling using the black smoke from their candle. Supposedly one slave earned enough in tips to be able to buy his freedom. When the state of Kentucky took over the caves, they created the entrance we were using. After descending a couple hundred steps we found ourselves on a rather wide path which we learned later was laid down by the CCC and was made of gravel (crushed cave rock) with dirt spread over it and then pressed down. It was in amazingly good shape given its age.

          As we walked along, different formations were pointed out to us and the size and history of the cave was shared. Mammoth Cave is over 365 miles long and was formed by an underground river interacting with carbon dioxide to form a weak carbonic acid that ate away at the limestone as it flowed past. The first mile was an easy stroll to our lunch station. Then things got a little hairy. First there were the twisting narrow passageways that required a single file line and watching your head or shoulder as the sides had sharp edges of limestone jutting out. Then it was a series of minor peaks and valleys where the route climbed over cave collapses thousands of years old. Then there was the gradual ascent to the top of Mt. McKinley followed by the long steep descent into the Grand Canyon. Another climb found us at a second restroom stop and as we waited for the group to finish its business, the rangers shared stories of the initial cave tours that lasted 14-16 hours. Needless to say, necessity is the mother of invention and a certain area of the cave was designated for a bathroom facility for the ladies and another slot for the gents. When the smell grew too bad, guides brought in lye. But nearly every spring when the snows melted and the water table rose a natural “flushing” would occur. I just felt sorry for the people who lived downstream. As we ascended a slow steep slope to the surface we were rewarded with some amazing formations including Niagara Falls. Here you had the option to descend 49 steps to in essence go beneath the falls, but the return 49 steps back up were mandatory. This was the only place in the cave where stalactites and stalagmites were found. Our tour ranger explained that sometimes a stalactite from the ceiling would meet up with a stalagmite from the ground and a column would be formed. He then went on to say that some folks call this a pillar, but he was from old Kentucky and a pillar was what he put his head on at home when it was time to go to sleep.