Days 38 - 41: IN, KY & TN - No Bats, Bourbon Balls and the Navy

Wednesday, October 27th: Left Indianapolis, IN for Cave City, Kentucky

The storm day was over and the weather was clear, so we packed up early and set out for Cave City, Kentucky.  Our book-on-tape kept us entertained, as the scenery wasn't too exciting until we neared Kentucky. We arrived at a decent time and with the hour change to Central Time, we made it an hour earlier. Amazing!

We had researched staying at Mammoth Cave National Park, but the reviews, especially about the lack of cleanliness - "crusty-ness" - of the bathrooms/showers put us off. We stayed at Cave Country Campground, about 6 miles from the Cave.

Upon arrival at the campground, I asked Don if the owner would let us select which site we wanted, as reviews warned us about not hugging the train tracks if we wanted some sleep. This was a newer campground, not far off the highway, in probably was once a big open field. One of the big unknowns of traveling around are the campgrounds. With available internet access, the site rvparkreviews.com removes some of the guesswork, as the reviews are dated and posted by people like ourselves. But still, until you arrive, you don't know exactly what you are getting. I was able to walk around to find a pleasant site with some fancy grass bushes (no trees here) and a fair distance from the choo-choo tracks. The bathrooms were the best we have seen, probably because they are newer, with more than adequate elbow room in shower stalls. All in all, it is still a clean, basic RV campground with many trailer slots. I'm finding I really like campgrounds with trees, rivers, hiking/bike paths, a little breathing room or some other unique feature(s). Don is so adaptable in that he likes a reasonably priced place that is clean and anything else is a bonus.

The afternoon was sunny and warm, so after setting up, we opened our red lounge chairs outside and had cocktails. We were warned not to have a campfire due to the severe drought in the area. All the grass was quite dry and brown. A little later we ventured down the road to the local Mexican restaurant, El Mazatlan, that was mentioned in one of the RV reviews as being quite good. It didn't quite have a  Connie-level chile relleno (easily10 stars), but the chilis at Mazatlan got a solid "8." We went back again a few nights later for another Mexican fix before leaving Cave City.

Thursday, October 28th: Mammoth Cave Tour

One of the bonuses of the time change was that our bodies woke us up at what felt like 7:00 AM, but it was only 6:00. This got us going early, so we took the 10:00 Historical Tour of Mammoth Cave. You must take a tour to go down in the cave. I was a little nervous, especially wondering about bats, spiders and the unknown of going below ground. Our guide was a National Park ranger and we might have had 40-some people in our tour group. Summertime might have 120 folks on this tour - ugh.

This two-hour tour had us descend into the 360 foot cave, walking about 2 miles round trip. The Mammoth Cave system is 392 miles of interconnected passages, the longest cave system in the world. Mammoth Cave is a dry cave, thus very few stalagmites and stalactites. All the stone in the cave is limestone. Back during the War of 1812, the cave was mined by black slaves (now referred to as "enslaved persons") for saltpeter used for gun powder.  Many of the old mining "works" are still preserved in the caves.  Of particular interest were the bored-out tulip tree trunks that were used as wooden pipes to get water into the mining sites.

Once the war was over and saltpeter was no longer profitable, the cave became a tourist attraction for the wealthy. This is the second oldest tourist attraction in the US, with Niagara Falls being the first! Tour guides (enslaved persons) took rich men dressed in suits and dress shoes and women in their adorned dresses and feathered hats down in the cave. The short tour lasted 6 to 8 hours and the long tour was 12 to 14 hours. The paths we walked on were not there at that time, so there was lots of scrambling over rocks while holding onto oil lanterns. They certainly did not know how to dress for a cave tour. The guides told spooky stories to keep folks entertained and musicians also might have put on a show. Guess bragging rights were big draw for these adventurous wealthy folks. Women could only hold a gentleman's arm in the cave if they felt ill.

The cave descent today is less strenuous, but one needs to be in decent shape and have good knees. This was considered a "moderate" physical tour. We were warned about uneven paths, narrow and low passages (bending down) and lots of steps. The cave temperatures remain constant 54 to about 60 degrees, so a light jacket is needed year round.

Down into the mouth of the cave.

Down we went. It took a few minutes to get used to the dark. They do have LED lights in the cave and our ranger lit the path as we went along. Don and I wore our LL Bean hats with lights on the brims, which made me feel safer as the ranger said the lights in the cave fail periodically and not to panic. We had our back-up plan in place and I only used my hat once on steps where the lights flickered.

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful this experience was going deep in the cave. It was something we had never done before and it was thrilling and exciting. You are awed by the sheer magnitude of the cave and some dome openings are like an amphitheater. Three parts of the path can be challenging - "Fat Man's Misery," with a tight, narrow passageway; "Tall Man's Agony," where you had to stoop down and take care not to whack your head; and the "Tower," which had a million steps to ascend quickly to the top. Other than that, if you watched your footing on uneven or slippery ground, it was pretty easy walking.

Walking through Fat Man's Misery.

There is graffiti in the cave - some historic and some a Federal Offense. The old graffiti was done by the slave tour guides to get tips, which they were allowed to keep. These were done on ceilings with their lanterns, dotting out the letters with the smoke. In the 1960's after the caves became federal property, they had self-guided tours in the cave and graffiti became a crime (defacing federal property). Someone asked how long until this 60's graffiti is historic, too? Interesting what the passage of time might do to change our perspective on what is cool and what is illegal.

At one point during the tour, the ranger turned out all of the lights to show us "the dark." Then he said, "Put your hand in front of your face." You could not see anything! Then he asked us to be quiet and there wasn't a sound. He said people that got lost in caves were known to knock two rocks together just to have the sound. I think it was to scare away the animals, spirits or whatever. We did not see any bats, spiders or other creepy crawlies. The guide said bats are picky within degrees of temperature as to where they like to live. When incandescent lights raised the cave temp, the bats left. Glad they are still gone.

The lowest point we reached was 310 feet (360 is the bottom of the cave where the river is located) and we sat on benches for a final tour lecture. I think we were taking a rest before going up the Tower. There were also restrooms in the cave with flush toilets. How did they do that??????? It was a good thing Don didn't know ahead of time how we got out of the cave, as he hates heights and towers. He focused on the steps and kept climbing and later said the metal tower only shook in one area.

We left the tour in great spirits, as this was a unique experience and we were so glad we did it. I also noted that I could never be a cave guide or a miner, as I like being outside in the fresh air and sunshine way too much. Museums are neat, but when you see natural wonders like Niagara Falls or Mammoth Cave, there's no comparison. Hope our future travels continue to reveal the beauty and majesty of our blessed country.

Happy Don!

Friday, October 29th: A Stop on the Bourbon Trail

Some of our friends love visiting wineries (you know who you are), but on our drive down to Cave City from Indianapolis, Don noticed two different exits off the highway, one for Jim Beam and one for Maker's Mark, both part of the Bourbon Trail. The Jim Beam one he gave up easily, but I could see the Maker's Mark Tour grabbed his attention. It was a beautiful day for a ride through the hills of Kentucky, so off we went to discover how bourbon is made.

Sign behind bourbon bar - "Kentucky Champagne"

The drive to Maker's Mark in Loretto, KY took us through the towns of Abe Lincoln's birthplace and his boyhood home, with wild winding, narrow roads reminiscent of Don's old Clifton, Virginia, landscape. The countryside was picturesque and the hour plus drive was fun. We went back a timezone, so we just missed the 2:30 tour at Maker's Mark and had to wait for the last tour of the day at 3:30. There was the replicated Samuels' family home to tour and that was pretty neat. The pix below might remind you of your mother or grandmother's kitchen. In the dining room there were family photos on the walls that spoke to you and the other photos on the walls, with lips and eyes moving to follow your movements - very Harry Potter. Someone who set up this house/tour had a super sense of humor.

Maker's Mark Distillery is the oldest, continuously operating distillery in the US. The Samuels family bought the farm in 1953, but it had been a distillery before they arrived on the scene. Bill, Sr. burned the old family bourbon recipe and decided to develop his own creation, thus making a smoother bourbon. He did this by eliminating the rye and replacing it with winter red wheat. Maker's Mark is a relatively small operation and we were told it is "inefficiently" run, sticking rigidly to their old home ways of making bourbon, including hand rolling the barrels.

I loved that Bill's wife came up with the name, Maker's Mark, as she was a natural marketeer. In the kitchen was a notebook with all possible names listed for the new bourbon. She collected pewter and knew that each piece had a maker's mark on the bottom, thus the name was born. She designed the shape of the bottle for the bourbon, too. Her final brainstorm was replicating the typical wax dipped cognac bottle. She ended up dipping their bourbon bottle in red wax and stamping it with her design of their maker's mark - a circle with a star, the farm's name - Star Hill; an "S" for the family name - Samuels; and the Roman numeral IV, for the fourth generation of bourbon makers in the family. The wax over the top does nothing to improve flavor or protect the bourbon, as it is just a marketing ploy that really works. You think you are getting something extra special as the bottle is so cool.

A few bourbon factoids - We were told, "All bourbon is whiskey, but all whiskey is not bourbon." There are strict government guidelines/standards that determine what is bourbon. If all points are not met, it is not bourbon. Bourbon is also strictly an American-made liquor and not made anywhere else in the world. 

The tour was a little over an hour long and we found the whole process fascinating. The new barrels are oak and burned inside, which gives the bourbon the color and flavor. Barrels are used only once, then sold and shipped to China to make beer (?). The vats of fermenting mash were huge and bubbling away. Our guide told us to dip a finger in and taste the mash. The lady next to me watched me do it, and asked, "Didn't you get burned?" I said, "No, it's not hot. It's the yeast bubbling away, not boiling." It did look like a boiling pot of yellow gook. The mash was kind of sweet tasting. It takes three to four years for each batch of bourbon to reach perfection and a panel of 19 "tasters" determine the peak time of readiness. Speaking of tasting, the tour ended in the gift shop bar. We tasted both the traditional Maker's Mark and their new bourbon, "Maker's 46." Yummy chocolate bourbon balls rounded out the tasting.

A little new knowledge, a little bourbon, a little chocolate - definitely a fun tour day. Now Don wants to go visit his favorite distillery, Jack Daniels. We shall see.......

Saturday, October 30: Travel Day to Millington, Tennessee

Time to ease on down the road to warmer Memphis. We were up a number of times during the night, as the temperatures were reported to drop below freezing. Don had disconnected the outside hose and water to the camper. We turned on the furnace for heat, instead of using the heat strip in the air conditioner. The furnace is down by the sink and pipes, so we thought this might help. We also opened all the cupboard doors under both sinks, hoping to add heat to the piping. When Don went out in the morning, with low temps hitting 28 degrees, a fellow camper asked if our water line was frozen, as he had no water. Good thing Don disconnected us last night. I am so ready to leave for warmer climes.

This next campground was a first for us, a stay at a military campground. The reviews gave it a strong thumbs up, so why not give it a try? When Don called for reservations, they apologized for the high cost - $19.50 per night. This is about half of what we usually pay. With all kinds of documentation needed at the gate (Military ID, car registration, insurance proof, driver's license), they let us in. This is a former Navy Air Base, now it's a Naval Support Activity - NSA Millington. Our site was assigned and it is perfect, toward the back of the RV park. They have everything here - great commissary (food store) and huge PX/Navy Exchange, along with a post office, gas station, liquor store, pharmacy, clinic, fitness center, veterinarian, child development center, etc. I think this is a whole Navy village and we'll do just fine using this as a Memphis homebase. Best part is that it's toasty warm outside - 78 degrees!