Caving and riding

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Geo: 37.3351, -86.2477

After a short and stormy night, we came back to find the camper in excellent condition. We heard from a camp neighbor that others spent the night in the bathroom, the only permanent structure on site. I was glad I paid for beds and a roof given the extreme weather conditions.

We had a recommendation for the Historic Tour from one of the rangers. He said it would be a good contrast to the Grand Avenue tour so we ate breakfast and headed out again. This tour was much shorter and included different parts of the cave, specifically those that were used in the mining of salt peter in the years running up to and during the War of 1812. After the war, in 1816, the caves began their second life as a tourist attraction and we heard tales of slave tour guides, native American mummies and lantern tours. We enjoyed this tour as well. The first tour guide had a geological view and this tour guide had a more historical view so we had a good balance, I thought. One criticism/tip: you will not take an excellent picture in the cave with your camera phone as you are walking along. It's too dark. Sure, take a couple to show you were there, but you do not need to shoot every 20 feet and continuously blind the other visitors. You gain very little and make it exceedingly difficult for others to enjoy the experience. Dilated pupils from darkness + bright flashes= pain.

Kate lobbied hard to go horseback riding in the park. The weather seemed to be clearing up, so we stopped at a Dairy Queen for a quick lunch on our way to the Double "J" Ranch located at 542 Lincoln School Rd., Mammoth Cave, KY. We got a flyer about them from the tourist desk at the park. They have a web site: doublejstables.com. I thought their prices were very reasonable. The kids and I signed up for a two hour trail ride in Mammoth Cave Park. The boys had never ridden before and after a little initial hesitation, they were delighted. Kate was enthusiastic from the moment we made the reservation on the phone. At the time we went they recommended reservations one or two days in advance and took cash payment only. Benny was our guide. Curly, Cocoa, Buddy and Navajo were our transportation and comic relief. The ranch borders the park so you practically ride out of the barn and onto park land. It was lovely, if a tad muddy from the previous night's rain. See yesterday's entry for photos.

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Photos

Exiting cave from Historic Tour
The various tours start from various cave entrances although some of them cover some of the same ground. This was taken on the walk away from the Historic Tour which begins within walking distance of the visitor's center.