Kentucky - Mammoth Cave

We were off to Mammoth Cave for our latest adventure. Not because Big Foot lives in a cave (too damp and dark) but rather it is a likely tourist attraction as over 500,000 people a year visit the world's longest cave system. This was not my first visit to Mammoth Cave or other caves and caverns. Despite an incredible level of claustrophobia, I love going into developed caves as they are quite beautiful. In fact when B was a scout, we went on a camping trip in a cave for a weekend (it sucked worse than you can imagine as it was wet, dirty, and full of scouts). Needless to say, I wasn't sure if Big Foot was an avid cave visitor as the research is a bit thin on this topic. 

The first tour was the historic route which is a dry part of the cave and contains some famous areas such as Fat Man's Misery. There was no sign of Big Foot on this tour but with around 100 people in our tour group it was hard to tell in the dark. The second tour which was likely to have Big Foot was called Frozen Niagara. This is a wet part of the cave meaning water is still actively dripping causing the cave to continue to change. This provides the view of what people think of when it comes to caves: rock formations, dripping water, and odd creatures - but no Big Foot.

Looking up at the stalactites

I had picked some Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds for this part of the Kentucky adventure however I failed to do enough research. The park itself was lovely and my site overlooked Nolin Lake.

View from my chair on my site.

What I had failed to research was that I was in a "dry" county. Apparently that does not refer to their sense of humor which I would be fine with, instead it meant there was no public consumption of alcohol. This of course limits opportunities for breweries, wineries, and other interesting places to exist. I did check out a local restaurant while I was there just in case Big Foot happened to stroll in. The Blue Holler Cafe served local favorites and German food as the owner and chef were both from Germany. I opted for the roasted pork which was quite nice along with the German potato salad. The side salad was iceberg lettuce (which I hate) but the tomatoes and cucumbers on it were fresh and tasty.

Blue Holler Cafe - it wasn't as fancy on the inside

Thankfully prior to leaving Wisconsin, C and I stopped at The Wine Cellar in De Pere. There was quite the selection of beverages and C was very helpful in pointing out items that I might like to try. She is a very helpful daughter that way. And to prove what a full service store this was, in addition to wine, alcohol, and beer, this place also had meat to round out the options. In case you are not from Wisconsin, this is what a liquor store should have - the essentials to ensure a pleasant gathering.

Incredible selection for a local wine store

On my way to Kentucky, I stopped at two places in Illinois. The first was Rock Cut State Park. I refused to take any pictures as there was a flock of wild turkeys tormenting the dogs. Instead, let me share a story which sums up the experience. I went to the facilities in the morning as one does. I saw a man was in one of the two stalls. Oddly he had his bottle of apple juice with him along with his coffee cup - both of which were sitting on the concrete floor. Personally I would not take any beverage or open cups into a bathroom and certainly not put anything on the floor, but perhaps he was going to be a while and needed to stay hydrated. As I mentally was processing the scene, he finished up with his business and proceeded to dump his apple juice down the toilet. My immediate thought was such a waste of money and then it hit me. He was just a disgusting pig and I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. That is all that I will say about that place and obviously Big Foot wouldn't want to hang out there either.

My other stop was much nicer. Using my Harvest Host membership, I parked overnight at a winery. Tuscan Hills Winery is a lovely facility and you can tell it is quite popular for weddings. Being in downstate Illinois, it did abut a corn field but that also provided a nice area for the four campers that night who parked there. I sampled several wines and had a nice flatbread dinner. My favorite was their cabernet but the Caramel Apple Sangria was also excellent and very refreshing after several hours of driving. There were the other campers along with several tables of locals coming in for some refreshments, but there was no Big Foot.

Nice spot at the bar, life is good.

It has been a low key week as the dogs have requested additional sitting time. They insist that I relax and pet them for hours every day which can be quite time consuming. For those curious on the RV front, it is still working out well. I have really enjoyed cooking more and shopping for groceries is a lot less stressful knowing that I have a big fridge, freezer, and space to cook. I am looking for a couple of minor upgrades. One is a suspension upgrade for my existing truck. While the weight of the trailer is well within the specifications, I would prefer a stiffer ride with the amount of gear I have in the bed of the truck (or more precisely the weight of the gear). There is a shop in Louisville that will install the Roadmaster Active Suspension kit for me after verifying the condition of my truck is not too bad. As it is a 12 year old truck with nearly 145,000 miles, I think that is reasonable. I am hopeful this will help and hopefully reduce the need to replace prior to the Alaska trip next year. 

I am at a different Army Corps of Engineer campground this week in the area called "land between the lakes". Thankfully both a laundromat and a brewery are within an hour of here so I can take care of some needed housekeeping and explore for Big Foot more. After this area, I have one more week in Kentucky but closer to Louisville and my friends, A&J. I need to pick up a few items that I had sent to their house (more than a few - ok, boxes and boxes) along with a stop at Best Buy. I have decided to get a camera for driving as the roads are quite narrow around here and I have had several near misses where cars (or more precisely pickups and semis) were well on my side of the yellow line until the last second. The video evidence will be helpful when my estate sues the idiots for wrongful death. For those with a morbid curiosity, I put the name of the campground along with my site number and the dogs names on a post it note and wrap it around my license. In case something happens, the dogs will be rescued and not left alone for too long. These are the sorts of things one must think about when traveling solo. I am also exploring a satellite tracking mechanism for the Alaska trip and it may prove useful in the areas I have been traveling which have little to no cellular coverage. We shall see.

Thor

Braxwood.com

If you have not read all of these, please at least read the welcome message as it may explain a few things about the adventure. Feel free to read all of the posts and comment. I may or may not reply to comments based upon an inscrutable set of criteria.

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