I was the first one awake in the tent, so I sneaked out to do some solo birdwatching around the campground. I was hearing so many new birds and was dying to see them! Indulge me for a minute with some birds. Here is the list of the birds I was able to successfully identify:
Red Headed Woodpecker (Very exciting for me as it was a first sighting. They have them in Maryland but I was never able to spot one at Blackwater).
Red Bellied Woodpeckers (including a juvenile being fed by parents. I've seen these plenty of times, but never a juvenile - and I never get tired of seeing these beautiful birds).
Pileated Woodpecker (again, I have seen these at Blackwater where they were knocking huge chunks of bark off of trees, this one was doing the same, but along the base of a tree very close to me. They are huge compared to other woodpeckers).
Wood Thrush (These were all over the place at the campground. They are in the same family as Robins and exhibit very "robin-like" behavior. They aren't afraid to come right up to you in your campsite.)
After my bird wanderings I came back to camp where Paul and Lucia were already starting breakfast. We packed our food into the car for lunch and headed to the Visitor Center to see about cave tours and what else there was to do besides caves.
We bought tickets for the Historic Tour after lunch and decided to explore the exhibits at the Visitor Center and have a picnic lunch.
The audio at each exhibit was a big hit with Lucia. Did she even realize that all phones used to look like this?!
Any easy tunnel for a little girl - future spelunker!
Papa has to get in on the microscope action
Our amazing guide on the Mammoth Cave Historic Tour. He grew up near the park.
Junior Ranger in training, listening intently to instructions before entering the cave.
Looking back at the "natural" cave entrance.
The exhibits and Visitor Center were great. We had lunch in the grass and shade near the parking lot. It was around 90F and humid at the peak of the afternoon. We were genius to go on a cave tour in the afternoon because as we approached the natural entrance to the cave you could feel the cool air start to wash over you. The cave stays in the mid 50's to low 60's...the perfect way to stay cool in Kentucky in June! As you may guess, taking photos inside the cave is a challenge, but we did manage a few that sort of turned out, and they definitely don't do the cave experience justice.
It really is spectacular. And the history of the cave, the many ways it was used and exploited and the many people (slaves) that were used and exploited, was fascinating and haunting, as you stand there, seeing their names, the tools they left behind, experience the darkness. I can't even imagine.
There were many African American cave guides in the early days, many started out as slaves or came from slave families. They had a technique of "smoking" people's names into the cave wall which is what those dark letters are from. Many of these African American men were the ones doing the exploring, deep into the cave, but of course the white men who owned the cave got to name the routes or take credit for various discoveries.
There's a Tall Man's Misery too.
Staying cool!
One of the few pics that sort of turned out, you can get a sense of the scale of the cave.
After our cave tour, we were ready for some above-ground exploring of Mammoth Cave NP. The park is not very big, but it does have a lot of above ground hiking/biking trails, some backcountry camping and several rivers, including the Green River which wind their way through the park. The above-ground influences the below-ground, and vice versa. You have to experience both to understand how they work together. So, we went for a drive.
We basically cut through the middle of the park, then circumnavigated our way back to the main entrance.
The Green River Ferry, can take two cars at a time. Not quite like the huge Puget Sound ferries we are used to. Very cool.
Our happy little Ranger :-)
Yes, I wanted pictures of hay bales.
And cows.
And finally! Some Kentucky horses...and Paul wouldn't stop to take a proper photo. I'm too lazy to edit.
We circled back around to the entrance with the welcome sign.
Why not make a GIF of our photo attempts?!
Then, because I am OCD, we went around the other side of the park, because I had to know whether it looked the same or different than the part we just drove through. And I wanted to see the area where our tour guide said that his family had lived. I was again fascinated by the stories from the creation of the park and the many families that made their homes farming, or involved in the cave business in one way or another, who eventually became displaced when the National Park was established. Most homes were dismantled and the properties were allowed to return to a natural state. As we drove along, you couldn't help but look out for signs of an old road or drive, perhaps a clearing, something to give a clue to the past.
This photo is a premonition of my new obsession with wildflowers. Just wait till you see the Colorado ones.
One of the few structures in the park that pre-dates the creation of the park.
Floyd Collins, one of the early explorers. For 18 days he was trapped and rescuers tried to reach him.
After our drive, we headed back to the campsite to relax and have dinner.
Toasted garbanzos with Old Bay made for an excellent appetizer
After fire-starting successes at Shenandoah, Paul struggled to get one started in Mammoth.
Finally got enough of a fire for some s'mores action! Caving makes you hungry!
Satisfied customer.
Tomorrow our plan is to find a trail to hike in the morning, do another afternoon cave tour (stay cool!), then hang out at the campsite and get packed and organized for the next day of driving.
Looks like this was a fun day!
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