Late night flight to Indianapolis, followed by a 2 ½ drive to Louisville ($200 cheaper than flying direct), made for a sleepy Friday morning start. Today’s destination: Mammoth Cave Nat’l Park.
Started the day with a scenic trip of Kentucky (iPhone mishap) – past multiple horse farms, thru Kentucky bluegrass, ultimately entering the backside of Mammoth. Ferried over a rain-gorged river to the Visitors Center – 2 car ferries in 3 weeks, awesome life!
My friend Dawn booked the 9:30am ranger-led tour a month in advance. Lucky for me – ‘cause when we arrived, I saw most tours were sold out (all day). Double lucky? Arrived 30 minutes early…only because we gained an hour slipping into Central Time Zone. Whew!
Quick bus ride, short walk past our sink hole surroundings, ranger prep talk – then down, down, down we descended beneath the surface. This was my 2nd caving adventure – explored South Dakota’s Wind Cave Nat’l Park last September [day before Nebraska marathon].
No two mountains are the same – I can now say the same of caves. Wind Cave was aptly named – strong winds blew from its entrance; cavers greeted by spectacular rock formations & colourful mineral deposits. Mammoth, while void of exotic mineral veins, boasted its own eye-stunning formations. Mammoth Cave runs deep (twice the depth of Wind Cave), water dripping down the park’s narrow maze of metal stairs cut for tourists. Shared space with cave crickets (resembling spiders) surviving deep underground.
Highlights: Moonlight Dome & Frozen Niagara. 2 hours was not enough – I’ll be back. HUGE fan.
Back on the road, enjoyed home-cookin’ in Elizabethtown before a self-guided tour of the Jim Beam Stillhouse in Clermont. Appreciated the science behind processing Kentucky bourbon – but that’s as addicted as I’ll get to “fire water” 🙂
Bib pick-up downtown, followed by an amazing dinner at Lilly’s (celebrated Dawn’s birthday).
Weatherman says 90% chance for rain – rain jacket, hat & a lotta patience – Kentucky Derby Marathon tomorrow morning.
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- quick bus ride, then down down down 450 feet
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- do’s & don’t speech
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- dark, damp & super narrow in spots
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- Moonlight Dome
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- drip, drip, drip – water escaping from the surface
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- creepy cave cricket
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- limestone
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- Frozen Niagara (130 feet below surface)
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- flowstone
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- light at the end of the tunnel 🙂
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- 7 generation family-run business
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- the Rackhouse (bourbon barrel aging)
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- as close as I’ll get to “fire water”
After exiting SD’s Custer State Park, drove 20 minutes south to Wind Cave National Park.
Just enough time for a quick stop before bib pick-up in Nebraska. Had never previously heard of this Park but researched online [that] park rangers provided guided cave tours almost year-round. Bought my $12 ticket, then caught a historical film at the Visitors Center bringing me up-to-speed on everything Wind Cave.
Several mining claims were established at Wind Cave, but the most noteworthy one was by the South Dakota Mining Company in 1890. J.D. McDonald was hired to manage the claim. The mining was unsuccessful, but McDonald and his family realized they could make money by giving cave tours and selling formations from the cave. They filed a homestead claim over the opening and worked on improving a manmade entrance and enlarging passageways for tours.
One of J.D.’s sons, Alvin, spent much of his time exploring and mapping the cave, faithfully keeping a diary and making a map of his findings. On January 23, 1891, Alvin wrote that he had “given up finding the end of Wind Cave”.
The work of one young man – Alvin McDonald – was the inspiration for Wind Cave National Park. From age 16 Alvin explored & mapped 142 miles (yeah, miles) of tunnels. Sadly, Alvin died at age 20 from typhoid fever.
Sharing a lotta history – apologies. Just super impressed that such a young individual could create interest that would result in forming a National Park – ultimately sharing his love of caving with generations of people 125 years later.
So easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day & forget how to dream out loud. Go Alvin!
LOVED the tour – highly recommended.
In addition to cool 50 degree temps, saw 90% of the world’s boxwork or speleogen deposits.
Boxwork is made of thin blades of calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings, forming a honeycomb pattern. The fins intersect one another at various angles, forming “boxes” on all cave surfaces. Boxwork is largely confined to dolomite layers in the middle and lower levels of Wind Cave.
Crazy full day – no regrets. 2 hours 50 to Scottsbluff.
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- cave entrance – wind clocked at 30MPH
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- down, down, down — 190 feet below the surface
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- boxwork or speleogen deposits
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- fins intersect at angles, forming “boxes” on all cave surfaces
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- world’s 6th longest cave – 142 miles+
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- caving selfie – highly recommended
Down from Pikes Peak just after noon; too early to head home. So much more to see in Manitou Springs!
Lunch & souvenir shopping followed by a quick tour of Garden of the Gods. No matter how many times I visit Manitou Springs, still amazed by the sheer diversity of Pikes vs Garden of the Gods. Majestic snow-capped mountains distanced only 20 minutes from Grand Canyon-like colour & eroded rock formations – omnipotent, inspired, serene.
Unfortunately our drive-thru was interrupted by a freak rain storm – which turned into a flash flood within minutes. Torrents of water collected and rolled down roadways. Spent 30 minutes in the Visitor Center waiting for the storm to pass, stopped briefly for 3 last photo opps within Garden of the Gods, then on to Cave of the Winds.
Our group lantern tour started at 5pm – no rest for the weary. [Next time I host a large group, probably need to scale down the activity schedule, it was definitely jam packed. Didn’t plan enough time for meals – takes an hour longer to secure tables & coordinate food likes/dislikes. Live & learn.]
Cave of the Winds: might have forgotten to mention that we’d be ducking under 4 foot rock walls 🙂
That said, nobody backed out as we crouched low and listened to spooky cave tales of George & Nellie from our guide Alec – all while carrying flamed lanterns. Super fun adventure.
Hour-half drive back, dinner – then games? Nope, not this night. Everyone crashed & had no intention in starting tomorrow’s journey before 730am. HA!
LOVE LOVE sharing my Colorado home with family. Best day!
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- lunch queue – Adams Mountain Cafe
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- Balanced Rock
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- same rock, less balance 🙂
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- Garden of the Gods 2013
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- yikes, lightning!
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- flash flood – whole lotta water
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- Garden of the Gods enveloped by Pikes (in far background)
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- quick – everyone take a picture!
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- park pic fave
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- next stop – Cave of the Winds
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- did I mention it’s dark & only 4 feet high in places?
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- everyone got a lantern?
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- spooky stories told in an underground cave – LOVED it!
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- very scary – LOL!
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- Mom navigated this cave like a champ
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- stalactites
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- cave millipedes?
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- Cave of the Winds 2013
