It felt like a looooong drive across Kentucky. Even though Mammoth Caves is really more or less in the center of the state. I arrived just before sunset and set up my little camp in the last of the light. It looked like the campground was fairly full, which was just one more reason I used to set up the Revel Gear lights.
Like most developed campgrounds, each site was level, had a (paved) place to park as well as a (dirt) space for the tent, and a picnic table. Unfortunately for me that picnic table was not close to the back of the Honda or my tent. And I’m pretty lazy.
Dinner was a can of lentil soup with chicken mixed in. In case you haven’t figured it out just yet, Michael is the gourmand in the relationship. I’m all about the easy cleanup.
I’d managed to snag the camping reservation as well as the cave tour online, way back when I was in that hotel in Beckley, West Virginia. There were multiple tours to choose from, though, and so I just kind of threw a metaphorical dart and chose the “Domes and Dripstones Tour.” It didn’t seem like you could just wander around the cave, like you can at Carlsbad Caverns. (Turns out I was wrong about that – but I’m getting ahead of myself.)
The rain held off all morning so I was able to leisurely make coffee and breakfast, and then pack up camp. Once I parked in the main lot I walked to the Visitor’s Center, where I learned that you can, indeed, just wander around the main cavern, no additional charge, but due to COVID entry was by timed ticket only. And there were plenty of tickets.
I also learned that the “Domes and Dripstones” tour does not begin at the natural entrance. My group all boarded a bus and then drove to a secluded location. To this entrance:
The reason for the not-so-grand entrance? The caves we were about to tour were discovered in the 1920’s, by a guy named George Morrison.
See, these caves have always been a tourist draw and from the beginning people wanted to cash in. Morrison began his Mammoth Cave journey in 1915 by breaking in to the caves (they weren’t a National Park yet and still privately owned), to try and find new passages, ones with a separate entrance he could control. Once he was caught trespassing he was banned from the Caves.
It took until 1921 for Morrison to acquire 2,000 acres in the area and he immediately began exploring for an entrance to the caves he figured were below. With dynamite. Blasting through a sinkhole revealed a shaft that lead to a whole network of passages and domes. Of course, after about two weeks of exploration Morrison realized his cave was actually connected to the main cavern. Still, he kept his entrance and profited handsomely until 1926, when Mammoth Caves National Park was created and he was forced to sell.
After passing through that metal door, our tour began with a series of narrow metal stairs. We were warned about this before the tour began, and again at the entrance. Lots of stairs on this tour. Lots of narrow passages. Still, we were about 50 feet down before somebody noped their way out of the tour. He was a rather large man, I must say. I also can’t say that I blame him.
Photography was allowed – encouraged, even – but I brought only my phone and the low light rendered many of my shots blurry. At least this one shows off just what I mean by narrow. And there were over 400 stairs on this tour.
I love cave tours. Don’t misunderstand – I have zero desire to go off caving through claustrophobic passages with just a headlamp and a couple backup lights. Nope. But I’ve completely enjoyed Marble Caves National Park and Carlsbad Caverns, and jumped at the chance to detour here on my way home to Arkansas. The Domes and Dripstones tour was worth it and if anything, I wished it were longer.
During the tour, the Park Ranger mentioned that Mammoth Caves was possible due to the karst landscape above. Karst is associated with soluble rock like limestone and gypsum. This is a big simplification, but as the bedrock dissolves, sinkholes form, and these sinkholes can eventually become caves. You can learn more about karst landscapes here.
Here’s what’s really cool: there’s a mountain bike trail near my home, at Hobbs State Park, called the Karst Loop. So once I was back in civilization (with a signal), a quick Google search revealed that the name is no coincidence. There are tons of small caves in Northwest Arkansas. Many are developed – set up with lights and pathways for people like me to explore. Yay!
After the tour was over I had a snack at the Honda and then used my ticket for the free tour, descending down to the natural entrance this time. Much to my disappointment, I saw everything in the main cavern (including reading ALL the displays) in about 30 minutes. Well, it was free, after all.
I’d love to go on more tours here. With the nice campground and relatively short drive from home, I think Mammoth Caves will be in my future.
A quick drive from the Park led me back to Land Between the Lakes. It had been decent enough on the way out, so I figured I’d give this place another whirl. I didn’t get the site I wanted though. Better weather brings out the people, and this time the car sites were all full. Or so I thought. I set up on the grass, on a not-remotely-level tents-only site that still had a nice view of the water. About 5 minutes after I set up the tent, the guy in the car site across from me left. Like, left left. Didn’t leave a tent or anything behind. He had been fishing (I think), not camping. Part of me really wanted to take that site. The lazy part of me won out.
I should have known better.
At 9:30 that night, well after I’d retreated to the tent to read, I heard the trucks pull up. They sounded like big trucks. Lots of voices. A group of young men. Well, it was Saturday night, after all. I kind of cursed myself for not grabbing that site, but that was about it. And they must not have been all that loud at first. I don’t remember having any issues falling asleep.
But it was impossible to sleep through the stage-whisper (you know how drunks are) of the guy who was apparently the ringleader of this group of guys. Telling them to keep it the fuck down, y’all. People’re tryin’ to sleep.
I’m not sure if any of you follow of have ever listened to the comedy of Trae Crowder. He calls himself the Liberal Redneck and since I lean the same way as him politically, I think he’s the best. He’s originally from Tennessee. And you know, I always assumed the accent he uses in his videos was an exaggeration. A big one.
I mean, I used to play in a band with a banjo player from Kentucky. And Dave was an engineer by trade. I’ve heard him speak in professional settings and in those times he barely had an accent at all. But on stage? Oh my.
So like I said, I assumed that that accent Trae uses wasn’t real.
I was wrong.
All of these boys sounded exactly like Trae Crowder. They were drunk. And – odd as this is going to sound – they were hilarious. It was the only reason I wasn’t upset to be awake at 3am, listening to these guys argue about who was in trouble, who was on the lead guy’s “list” and why. And people say women are drama factories…
I wish I could have recorded it all. The one line I do remember? “He’s so stupid … he just wants to run around and fuck girls.”
I had to stop myself from busting out laughing at that one.
I did fall back asleep eventually. And no, I did not make as much noise as possible when I got up around 7am. I just packed up my stuff and left. I arrived home on Sunday afternoon none the worse for wear, and happy to have created such a successful trip. Time for me to widen the net, so to speak. I work remotely but I do have to somewhat match office hours, so I can’t just pack up and run off whenever I want to. All I need to do is see where I can get in 2 days of driving.
Game. On.