Mammoth Cave National Park, KY & Surrounding Area (Nov. 2008)

After leaving Chardon, Ohio, we visited our daughter, Jude, and Rustom in Elkhart, Indiana for a week. We were excited to learn that they were expecting their 2nd child (June 2009). John, seven months at the time, continues to be a pleasant, happy youngster and a joy to be around.

From Elkhart we traveled south to Fishers, Indiana and visited our daughter, Rachel, and Ed for a week. Our RV remained parked in their driveway and became a daily place for the grandkids to "explore". While there, Maria filled her time with Dominic, Gianna, and Joseph, while I helped out hanging pictures, putting up shelves, etc. I introduced Gianna to her first rock climbing experience at an indoor climbing gym. She took to it quickly and climbed 18 routes during the 2 hours we were there! We left Fishers,as we did Elkhart, barely ahead of cold weather and impending snow!

We next traveled to Cave City, KY to tour several areas of Mammoth Cave National Park and nearby Diamond Caverns. The two are very different in size and geology. Mammoth Caves is HUGE; more than 365 miles of surveyed passageways with many additional new ones added each year. It's thought that there could be an additional 600 miles of yet undiscovered passageways. We walked two tours that traveled up to 320' below the ground surface ("Historic Entrance" and "New Entrance" tours). Although interesting, the limestone solution formations were few and limited in extent - most of the passageways here lie below a thick layer of sandstone (caprock) that limits groundwater seepage that's required to form stalagtites & stalagmites. In fact, most of the passageways were fairly dry. They were formed by underground rivers that had flowed through fissures in the limestone many years ago. As the surrounding rivers and streams cut through their soluble beds, the water table dropped leaving these passageways high and dry. Diamond Caverns, on the other hand, had many interesting formations and was very damp. Without a sandstone layer above, the rainwater has been free to percolate downward. Note these differences in both locations shown in the photos.

Also while in the area, we drove an hour back northward to visit a National Historic Site recognizing the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. He was born here in Hardin County in 1809. He lived on the "Sinking Spring" farm until the age of 6, when his family moved to another farm north of nearby Hodgenville, KY. The memorial building houses a log home built in the style of the period, but at reduce scale of the original. The logs used in this replica were either those of Lincoln's original home or those of Jefferson Davis; this continues to be debated by historians! There's another set of photos of this location as well.

We left the Cave City area on November 12, 2008 heading toward the Great Smokey Mountains, but had to layover in Knoxville, TN while getting the alternator replaced on the RV. In a way, it was enjoyable to spread out and relax in the comfort of a room at the Residence Inn for a night!