Cave City, Kentucky
May 29–30, 2022
May 29–30, 2022
Back in undergrad, my sister was a physics major with a minor in geology, so I was excited to take her to Mammoth Cave National Park. Unfortunately, we visited during a holiday weekend, and the dearth of parking caused us to be so late that we had to sacrifice our tickets for the Domes & Dripstones Tour. Luckily, we had tickets for the Historic Tour the next day. HOLY MOLY, caves are cool. We both quelled our claustrophobia and fear of heights to traverse terrifically narrow, low-ceilinged, winding passages and cross the metal-grate bridge over the Bottomless Pit. (It has a bottom, but good luck convincing my guts of that fact as we crossed and they sank.) As with Carlsbad Caverns, the experience was well worth conquering my fear and anxiety. We got to stand in the total blackness of the cave for a brief moment, and the ranger leading the tour played us a sweet harmonica tune to demonstrate the cave’s natural acoustics. We also got to see the signatures made in candle smoke by visitors in the 1800s. We left with plans to go back someday and take as many of the other ranger-led tours as possible.
Our campsite was at Rock Cabin Camping in Cave City, and I highly recommend the spot. Ralph, the owner, was super friendly and accommodating, and he was followed around by an adorable dog named Harvey Dent. Lauren and I played Scrabble and Rummy at the picnic table as the sun set, and in the morning I lay in the pop-up bed on top of my van and listened to a glorious cacophony of chipping, song, and house sparrows; American robins; northern cardinals; blue grosbeaks; tufted titmice; red-eyed and yellow-throated vireos; mourning doves; hairy and downy woodpeckers; northern mockingbirds; purple martins; Carolina wrens; eastern wood-pewees; Baltimore orioles; white-breasted nuthatches; blue jays; northern parulas; brown thrashers; cedar waxwings; eastern bluebirds, blue-gray gnatcatchers; and common yellowthroats. (Thank you, Merlin app, for helping me identify that astounding range of simultaneous species!) The sunrise concert woke me at 5:30 am, but I wasn’t the least bit upset.
Our campsite was at Rock Cabin Camping in Cave City, and I highly recommend the spot. Ralph, the owner, was super friendly and accommodating, and he was followed around by an adorable dog named Harvey Dent. Lauren and I played Scrabble and Rummy at the picnic table as the sun set, and in the morning I lay in the pop-up bed on top of my van and listened to a glorious cacophony of chipping, song, and house sparrows; American robins; northern cardinals; blue grosbeaks; tufted titmice; red-eyed and yellow-throated vireos; mourning doves; hairy and downy woodpeckers; northern mockingbirds; purple martins; Carolina wrens; eastern wood-pewees; Baltimore orioles; white-breasted nuthatches; blue jays; northern parulas; brown thrashers; cedar waxwings; eastern bluebirds, blue-gray gnatcatchers; and common yellowthroats. (Thank you, Merlin app, for helping me identify that astounding range of simultaneous species!) The sunrise concert woke me at 5:30 am, but I wasn’t the least bit upset.
