Day 3 started off with a little sleep in – YAY! Then we loaded up yet again and made our way down to Mammoth Cave National Park.
Mammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky is oh so beautiful. We loved our drive into this park. The main attraction, as you would guess, are the cave tours. We got there a little early and we saw this trail on the side of the road and decided to do it.
Sand Cave Trail
This was a short, unplanned trail and it was beautiful but not smart to do before going hundreds of feet below the surface! In 1925, a local cave explorer named Floyd Collins went down the cave alone and while he was coming out he kicked a rock loose and pinned his leg about 60 feet underground. Friends and family discovered him the next morning. The efforts to free him gained national attention and crews worked around the clock to try and save him. There was a collapse and they lost contact with Collins. Twelve days later they were finally able to tunnel to him and he had already passed.
This trail takes you to the site where Floyd Collins got trapped.
This is not a wise story to hear before entering the cave. Beautiful hike – sad story.
Historic Tour
We made our way to the Visitors Center and checked in for our tours. Our family split up and Mark and “the bigs” went on the Historic Tour while Lydie and I went on the Accessible Tour.
The historic tour is the “classic” of tours for Mammoth Cave and they went through many historical parts of the cave, huge rooms, and tight spaces!
Accessible Tour
Lydie and I’s accessible tour was very different than the other’s experience. We caravanned in our own cars to a separate “elevator” entrance. I got Lydie out and in her chair, and she was not a happy camper. She was upset and very focal about it. Our group probably had about 15ish people on it and, to be honest, it was not very welcoming. By and large, Lydie brings out the best in so many people, but this was not one of those times. I got a lot of comments, a lot of unhappy faces, and it was hard. There were a lot of silent prayers given that Lydie could enjoy the experience and I would know how best to help her.
We were in the last group to go down the elevator – 260 feet below the surface. We stayed in the back of the tour the whole way and Lydie ended up doing really well once we got down into the cave. She even won a couple people over when they shut off the lights to experience total darkness and let out some giggles.
Our tour was simple, as you would imagine, but we can say we’ve been in the longest cave in the world! We went through the Snowball Room and through “Cleveland Avenue” which has many historic signatures from the 1800s and beyond.
Another thing I was a little worried about were cave crickets. I first saw them outside the elevator and they are HUGE! They reminded me of a daddy longleg but on steroids! They were crawling everywhere and I was so worried they would crawl up on Lydie’s wheelchair without me noticing. Luckily, we did not make it home with any cave crickets!
Cedar Sink Trail
After our tour, we met Mark and “the bigs” back at the Visitors Center. They showed us the natural entrance to the cave that they went into for their tour and then we looked around the Visitors Center for a little bit.
Then we had our lunch and made our way to the Cedar Sink Trail. This trail was a beauty. It takes you to the “lip” of a deep depression or sink where you get to see some of the underground river system that is in this area.
We were warned many times from rangers and others about three things during our time in Kentucky – ticks, venomous snakes, and poison ivy! The kids did great at staying on the trail and we stayed accident free!
Sonny’s BBQ
For our first full day in Kentucky, we made our first yummy dinner stop. We stopped at Sonny’s BBQ and it was yummy. What I learned is that the sides are where it is at when it comes to BBQ (give me ALL the baked beans!).
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
We did something a little different and stayed in a “cottage” at the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. We got to stay here for two nights. The location was absolutely gorgeous. The kids loved the cottage. The views were incredible and it was nice to have our own little space.
Mark and I were not as big of fans as the kids. It was not very clean and from the moment you walked in – the whole cottage felt extremely damp. It was like walking in to the bathroom after someone has showered but it NEVER WENT AWAY! The cottage just smelled and felt damp but the kids thought it was the best!
