We left the Lebanon area on Thursday morning, and the RV had a dashcam operating! So now our blog can include videos of what we see as we drive.
We drove through Cincinnati and across the Ohio River. In the video clip below that shows us crossing the Ohio River, notice the RV is not in an outside lane.
And we drove around Louisville. Driving around major cities is often easier than driving through the cities, there is much less jockeying for position. Construction season has started in Kentucky, and several miles of I-65 south were very rough and rattling.
We got off the freeway following the signs to Mammoth Caves National Park. And we went through a section of road dedicated to tourist traps: mini-golf, stores with all kinds of rocks, and stores with dinosaurs. This section of Kentucky really promotes its cave tourism.
Our campground, Singing Hills RV Park, was easy to get to. There were some RV parks we passed where the access road went up a steep incline. Singing Hills was a gentle slope to the campgrounds and the people are very sociable. Which is good since the campsites are rather narrow. The worst part of the park were the bathroom stalls that were small and the floors uneven.
The weather for this part of the trip was perfect. The air was warm (75F) and dry. Lexie and Steve took some walks around the park and then around a pond across the road.
Friday morning we went to Mammoth Caves National Park.
Steve had made reservations for the Historic Cave Tour, but Vicki was not happy with the prospect of climbing up 155 steps on the ‘firetower’. And Vicki decided the tour was not for her after the description the ranger gave of the tour (low ceilings, stooped over walking for 200 ft., total of 640 steps and some big elevation changes). (V: It was really the 155 steps up the fire tower – I have an issue with heights that has worsened with the years. When the ranger said if anyone couldn’t continue on the tour while underground, it would be several hours- like 6-8 – to get help and get out of the cave. Also, he held out his 10″ flashlight and said you have to squeeze through a passage this wide. If you know me, you know the top of me won’t make it. It was only later I found out that squeeze was from the waist down and it would not have been an issue at all. Still the height of 155 straight up steps made it the right call. I’ve been to Mammoth Caves twice, this was Steven’s first. I encouraged him to continue.)
So Steve toured the cave solo while Vicki explored the visitor center and store. The narrow part (Fat Man’s Misery) was only narrow to the knees, but there were points Steve had to side step to get through. And the history of this main cave was fascinating, starting with early mining in prehistoric times, mined for saltpeter during the war of 1812, and then the development of the cave tourism industry. While a huge cave, this particular tour did not have any stalagmites or stalactites.
After Steve’s tour, Steve and Vicki took a little hike to Dixon’s Cave, an easy half mile hike with only 51 feet of elevation change that started at the Historic entrance of Mammoth Caves. This hike included a set of stairs that worked Vicki’s legs (and appeared to be taller than 51 feet.) But the hike took us through some interesting rock formations where we could see potential cave entrances.
After that hike, we drove over to Detweilers Hardware and Deli (only fifteen miles further down the road!) Friends had told us that Detweilers was the place to go, but maybe that was true for the location in Florida.
The best part of the trip to Detweiler’s was crossing the Green River on a ferry that only took two cars at a time.
Our return trip from Detweilers took us back through Mammoth Caves National Park, and Steve took a short hike to Sandy Cave. At this cave back around 1890, an experienced spelunker was trapped. And his unsuccessful rescue also resulted in a carnival-like atmosphere around the rescuers.
Steve definitely saw potential for a longer visit. There were bicycle trails, more cave tours in Mammoth Caves and the surrounding area, and rivers to canoe on. But Vicki was satisfied with our short stay for this trip. Mammoth Caves isn’t too far from home.
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