We were waiting for just the right weather to visit Mammoth Cave National Park. Luckily the stars aligned this weekend and we were on our way to Kentucky! We did our research ahead of time, making tour & camping reservations; additionally, we took ample time to organize our camping gear in an effort to enjoy a smoothly run weekend. We left bright and early Saturday morning, arriving an hour ahead of schedule.
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| Welcome! |
We realized oh-to-quickly that we forgot the ONE thing you truly need to camp...a tent. !#*%@$!
After the initial frustration wore off we abashedly asked the campsite ranger where we could purchase a tent. Never fear...Walmart is near!
Still a bit disgruntled, but laughing at ourselves, we head back to the Visitors Center and get into cave mode. We signed up for a 4 1/2 hour walking tour that covers 4 miles of cave. 78 of us hop onto two eco-friendly buses (fueled by propane) and enter the longest known underground cave, Mammoth Cave (>390 miles long!).
It is hard to describe how impressive these natural caves are. There is a rush of cool air that surrounds all entrances to the cave, which remains a constant 55 degrees. The cave is entirely made of limestone, protected by a roof of sandstone and shale. We spent the majority of our time around 250-260 feet deep. Pictures don't do it justice since it is stinkin' dark down there, but we did our best...
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| Stalactite = tight to the ceiling; stalagmite = you might trip on it! |
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| You aren't supposed to touch the cave...oops! |
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| Slightly eerie! |
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| "Historic graffiti" |
After our cool 4 mile hike through various cave terrains we exited Mammoth Cave intrigued by its history and feeling like geologists. But that didn't last long as we made our trip to Walmart. We almost made a few pit stops for souvenirs since there were rocks and giant roosters for sale along the country Kentucky road leading us to the infamous one stop shop, but we stayed on track and purchased a very affordable 2 person tent that was large enough to fit our air mattress.
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| Happy camping |
We arose with the sun and finished the weekend off with two hikes. The first led us to the historic entrance of Mammoth Cave and the other along a forested path, which was also a trail for horse riding. It was a beautiful day and it felt great to be active outdoors.
As we've said before, we couldn't be happier with our decision to become travelling PTs. We feel blessed to have this opportunity and care free in that we have so much to continue looking forward to. We still have no official update on where we're going next, but have started applying for licensure in Washington, which has a high need for travelling therapists, but takes forever to get licensed. So the plan is to make a stop in Washington somewhere along the way!
Stay tuned for upcoming blogs...there could be some good stories associated with the skeet shooting we'll be doing this coming weekend!
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