Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave, well it was a cave and it was mammoth. Wayne loves outdoorsy stuff on vacation so he was excited about visiting this place about 75 miles from where we were staying. We figured that midweek, we'd be about the only people showing up to venture down into Mammoth cave. Wrong! The place was packed with tourist buying tickets. After fighting the other camera toting, white sock with sandal grandpas, we found the mammoth cave restaurant. It reminded me of Mayberry. The waitress was about 70 years old, and they poured us a glass of water before taking our order. How long has it been since you got a complementary glass of water?

After lunch, we loaded up on the big bus that took us to the opening of the cave. I guess maybe I'm a cave snob, since I was used to summers at the Carlsbad Caverns, the mother of all caves. So it was hard not to compare "Mammoth Cave" to that. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when we got let off the bus here:

Yeah, the metal door let us in to the cave. After descending, 2,395 steps (ok maybe not that many but it felt like it) we made it to the bottom of the cave. Are you claustrophobic? Among my many phobias, I do not like to be under 300 feet of ground. I managed to keep my panic in check and tried not to focus on the possibility of a cave in, earthquake or other possible catastrophes. I wish I was a worry free as these guys:

Wayne has certainly given me the gift of learning to love nature. Before I met him, I thought a good time was good food, a pedicure and a movie. While I still enjoy those, I have learned to enjoy nature. How can you wander through this underground area, that just shouts the imagination of our God and not get a thrill? Isn't a really cool God who would bother to make beauty that we could discover?

The 3 hour tour was totally worth it despite the fact that we had to catch the older gentleman and his lady friend in front of us who kept slipping on the wet underground pathway. He almost bought the farm a couple times. The best part of the caves had to be the 60 degree break from the heat wave that was covering us all week! If you are ever in Cave City Kentucky, stop by Mammoth Cave. $20 well spent!