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<\/a><\/p>\nWe then made our way north, crossing into Kentucky, to our final destination, and nearly hit several deer along the way!\u00a0 If you are in these parts, be careful driving at dusk, as there were a LOT of deer along the roadway.\u00a0 The speed limit is 55 for a reason.<\/p>\n
It snowed in Glasgow that night, so we woke up to a winter wonderland.\u00a0 Here is a photo of the place we are staying, Main Street Bed and Breakfast.\u00a0 If you find yourself here, this is a great spot to stay, and Cherie is a great cook and a wonderful host!<\/p>\n
The official greeter for the B&B is Kodiak, a really fun dog that we got along with quite well.<\/p>\n Our first day in Glasgow we headed to Mammoth Cave National Park<\/a><\/strong>, which has the longest cave system in the world!<\/p>\n Inside the visitor center there is plenty of info on the cave system, so if you arrive early it’s worth visiting before your tour.\u00a0 This model depicts the layout of a portion of the cave system.<\/p>\n We had signed up for what is likely their most popular visit, the “Historic Tour”.\u00a0 The tour ended up selling out just before it started, so even in February you should likely book ahead to ensure you get on a tour!\u00a0 It was 34 degrees outside, so we had a brisk walk to the cave entrance.\u00a0 I originally toured this cave in 1986, while I was in the Navy and traveling cross country for Damage Control School in Newport, Rhode Island, so this entrance brought back some memories (without the snow).<\/p>\n Those are icicles, not stalactites!<\/p>\n The first open area you enter is The Rotunda, and it’s impressively large, hence the Mammoth Cave name.\u00a0 Our guide said there are other rooms in the cave system that are much larger!<\/p>\n This is where the historic nature of the cave makes an appearance.\u00a0 During the War of 1812 there was a need for large amounts of gunpowder, and one of the components of gunpowder is saltpeter.\u00a0 Turns out that the bats that lived in these caves dropped large amounts of guano, and by filtering out that guano from the dirt you get saltpeter.\u00a0 This section of the cave was worked for several years by slaves to filter out that necessary element, in this spot.<\/p>\n It was amazing to see what amounts to hundreds of yards of mine tailings in this area of the cave.\u00a0 A little further along our guide lit up an oil lamp so we could see what it was like for tourists to visit before electrical lights were installed.\u00a0 One of the guides ended up performing a song on his harmonica so we could get a feel for the acoustics inside the cave.<\/p>\n The rock formation in this photo is known as the Giant’s Coffin.<\/p>\n Our guide pointed out historic graffiti on the cave ceiling.\u00a0 The large black lettering was created by holding up candles and making each letter dot by dot.<\/p>\n There are deep pits along the way created by years of rushing water breaking down the limestone.<\/p>\n They even have one called Bottomless Pit.\u00a0 It’s like Injun Joe Cave in Disneyland (which Disney likely had to change the name of).\u00a0 I couldn’t see the bottom, so perhaps they are serious??<\/p>\n You have to walk through one very tight spot called Fat Man’s Misery.\u00a0 Lizzo was not part of our tour, thank God!<\/p>\n If was definitely quite narrow!<\/p>\n The narrow passage opens up to another large room, with more old graffiti.\u00a0 These were actually placed here by bands that came here to perform in the cave before it became a National Park.\u00a0 Luther Ewing String Band was apparently hot in the 1800’s!\u00a0 Bust a move!<\/p>\n We ran across a spot that is normally high and dry, but with the recent rains (and snow), this area got quite muddy.\u00a0 Our guide put a flashlight on a table pointed into the cave where you could see the water level.\u00a0 Made for a pretty cool photo!<\/p>\n This section of cave is known as Mammoth Dome.\u00a0 It’s so mammoth I can’t even see the top of it!<\/p>\n It’s hard to imagine the thousands of years of dripping water carving this out of the limestone.<\/p>\n Finally, near the end of the tour, are some actual cave formations.\u00a0 There are apparently plenty of these in other sections of Mammoth Caves, but only this small section on the Historic Tour.<\/p>\n Just as we were nearing the end of our tour our guide pointed out this small bat sleeping suspended from the ceiling.\u00a0 I was surprised with all of the people walking by that the bad didn’t wake up!<\/p>\n Back towards the entrance of the cave is a memorial to the fallen comrades of Kentucky and the American dead of the World War.<\/p>\n After 2 hours and 2 miles, we finally reemerged into our winter wonderland!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n