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| Bruises and boots that had to be disinfected after the "wild cave" tour! |
The solo portion of my trip got off to fantastic start at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky! I signed up for the “wild cave” tour hoping for a little adventure. Well, I got huge, major adventure! The tour began by getting taken to the dorm to get suited up with coveralls, knee pads, gloves, and helmets with headlamps! Then, after a short walk through a part of the cave that is prepared for the average visitor, we crawled through a long passage way. At that point we got to a nook where we introduced ourselves and learned the rules, and then the real adventure began! We slithered our way through tiny passageways (bare spot, birth canal, and poop chute to name a few), climbed up ledges, straddled canyons, and crawled through Dave’s lake! It was by far the most incredible experience I’ve ever had! The cave was breathtakingly beautiful! I feel so privileged to have been able to see some of the more remote treasure hidden within the cave! While, I wasn’t able to take any pictures due to the fact I was busy squeezing myself through tiny passageways and crawling through water, I know that I will never forget Mammoth Cave!!!!
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| Funny ferry crossing the Green River in Mammoth Cave National Park |
After my day of spelunking, I drove down to Barren River Lake State Park for the evening with the idea of heading to the eastern portion of Kentucky in the morning. However, when I got in the car in the morning, Mammoth Cave National Park was calling my name, so I went back. I asked a ranger for hiking recommendations, and he just looked at me and said, “It’s hot. Why would you want to hike?” I took that as a sign to find another ranger. I had better luck with my next encounter and headed out into the woods. First I went to see a spot where one of the underground rivers comes above ground for just a little while. It may have been the river I had to be careful not to step in the day before! Then, I headed over the Green River on the funniest ferry ever! I wouldn’t call it a ferry as much as a tiny piece of road that they drive across the river! Then I got to see a ton of rural Kentucky countryside as a result of not being able to read a map and drive at the same time! It was very scenic and good practice for driving on country roads! I eventually made it to the First Creek Trail and was able to hike for a couple hours.
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| Camp site in Grove Rec Area in Daniel Boone National Forest |
After my adventures in Mammoth Cave (and taking another ride on the funny ferry) I headed east across the southern part of the state. Kentucky is so green and rolling and beautiful!!! I especially enjoyed driving through Daniel Boone National Forest! Eventually, I thought to myself, I bet driving on these roads will be less fun in the dark, so I started to make my way to the campground I had selected for the evening. Well, it turns out that driving on those roads in the dark during a torrential thunderstorm is TERRIFYING! I made it though, and thank goodness that I only had the nerve to drive five miles per hour in the rain because by the time I set up my tent it was only drizzling!
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| Driving on 64E from Kentucky to West Virginia |
The next morning I headed to Natural Bridge State Park via the tiniest county roads ever! The sights were spectacular, and I was impressed with how well I handled the driving conditions, but I think a few Kentucky residents were less than thrilled with my decision to take the scenic route! I got within a few miles of Natural Bridge State Park, but never made it there because the road was blocked a mile from the entrance and there was not a clear detour. I took it as a sign that I should head to West Virginia. The drive on 64E was stunning! Coming from the totally flat land of Lincoln really makes you appreciate mountains!!!! I got a good tip from the West Virginia welcome center lady and spent the night in Watoga State Park.
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| Eating cherry cobbler in the park of the coolest small town in America! |
Today has been slightly more mundane. It started by heading to check out the laundry facilities. Some ladies had beaten me there, so I took a mile long hike to a scenic outlook. When West Virginian literature tells you it’s a very steep climb, believe it!!! I made it though, and it was well worth the climb! I had a chance to see several of the farms and houses I had driven past the day before and many misty mountains in the background! After a much quicker trip down the trail, I got the aforementioned laundry done and headed to Lewisburg, WV, where I am now. Lewisburg was voted the coolest small town in the USA this year, so I felt like it was worth checking out. Well, after wandering around for a while and eating some homemade cherry cobbler with ice cream in the park, I must agree. It is pretty cool! It has a play fountain, that you are encouraged to play in (as long as you follow a rather lengthy list of rules), the oldest church in continuous use west of the Alleghenies, and a very cute downtown full of character (and characters)!
I’m not quite sure where I’m headed from here, but it’s rather thrilling to sit down with the atlas in the evening after a day of adventuring and plot potential adventures for the days to come! What I know is, “I’m standing right where I belong”(~Sweet Somewhere Bound by Jackie Greene). . .and that my life at this moment is pretty well summed up by this song:
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