June 26, 2010
June 26, 2010
Our original plan this summer was to tour the southeast US making sure we were in Florida at the end of July to see one of the last space shuttle launches. NASA threw us a curve ball delaying the last two blastoffs till this fall. After a week in the South I am secretly relieved. This southern heat and humidity is a killer destroying any desire for outdoor living. Normally we enjoy staying at public parks, sitting outside in the evening, communing with nature. Instead we are relegated to mostly private parks with electrical hookups so we can sit inside with the A/C on full blast.
We have been making our way up north with little relief from the heat. Mammoth Cave National Park is a great opportunity to find some natural Arctic weather. We stopped in at the park’s Visitor Center late yesterday evening to find the place still a beehive of activity and learn most cave tours sell out in advance. We immediately booked two of the few still remaining. Mammoth Cave is not only a National Park but also a World Heritage Site. Mammoth is by far the longest cave system in the world at almost 400 mapped miles. We start the morning with the “New Entrance” tour. It begins with a short bus ride to the opening and a long descent by spiral staircase to the main shaft. Compared to other caves this one has virtually no decoration. Just a single, albeit impressive, wall near the tour end known as ”Frozen Niagara”.
To pass the time till our next tour Aimee and I hike (above ground) to see the “River Styx“ natural spring. This spring turns out to be water that percolates into the cave, carving new channels, eventually emerging horizontally out of a hillside. Apparently the cave is still being carved, hence the lack of decorative stalagmites and stalactites. Right now we are happy just standing outside the main cave entrance enjoying the blast of cool air emanating from it. If I was an Indian this is where I would have slept on muggy summer nights.
At 2pm we take the Historic Entrance Tour. This two-hour hike takes us through a section of cave that looks exactly like a manmade mine. It has long horizontal runs with some very deep vertical shafts. And no decoration! The cave is interesting but definitely not for those looking for beautiful cave formations. I am failing to understand why this place is so crowded.
Our original plan this summer was to tour the southeast US making sure we were in Florida at the end of July to see one of the last space shuttle launches. NASA threw us a curve ball delaying the last two blastoffs till this fall. After a week in the South I am secretly relieved. This southern heat and humidity is a killer destroying any desire for outdoor living. Normally we enjoy staying at public parks, sitting outside in the evening, communing with nature. Instead we are relegated to mostly private parks with electrical hookups so we can sit inside with the A/C on full blast.
We have been making our way up north with little relief from the heat. Mammoth Cave National Park is a great opportunity to find some natural Arctic weather. We stopped in at the park’s Visitor Center late yesterday evening to find the place still a beehive of activity and learn most cave tours sell out in advance. We immediately booked two of the few still remaining. Mammoth Cave is not only a National Park but also a World Heritage Site. Mammoth is by far the longest cave system in the world at almost 400 mapped miles. We start the morning with the “New Entrance” tour. It begins with a short bus ride to the opening and a long descent by spiral staircase to the main shaft. Compared to other caves this one has virtually no decoration. Just a single, albeit impressive, wall near the tour end known as ”Frozen Niagara”. To pass the time till our next tour Aimee and I hike (above ground) to see the “River Styx“ natural spring. This spring turns out to be water that percolates into the cave, carving new channels, eventually emerging horizontally out of a hillside. Apparently the cave is still being carved, hence the lack of decorative stalagmites and stalactites. Right now we are happy just standing outside the main cave entrance enjoying the blast of cool air emanating from it. If I was an Indian this is where I would have slept on muggy summer nights.
At 2pm we take the Historic Entrance Tour. This two-hour hike takes us through a section of cave that looks exactly like a manmade mine. It has long horizontal runs with some very deep vertical shafts. And no decoration! The cave is interesting but definitely not for those looking for beautiful cave formations. I am failing to understand why this place is so crowded.
posted by Mike and Aimee at 6:42 AM
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