Cave City, Kentucky


I am in Cave City, not Cave Creek, but Cave City, Kentucky. Oh my God, I got up needlessly early this morning. Thinking it was 6:30, but actually it was 5:30, since I've now crossed into central time. So, after breakfast, I headed out, towards Mammoth Cave National Park. Not only a national park, but its a UNESCO world heritage site. I had plenty of time to figure out where to park. My plans, and my destinations always take Jo Jo into consideration...of course. The forecast called for mostly cloudy and rainy skies, and fortunately I found a parking spot clustered in the shade. I was able to book a 9:30am "Domes and Dripstones" tour. It was a 2-hour tour into a new part of the cave that I have not seen. I have been to Mammoth Caves two other times, and have taken the easier beginner tours. This one was 500 stairs, and considered a "moderate" difficulty. We could not use our flash to shoot photographes, so many of my images were not that compelling. However our tour guide was quite knowledgeable. Ranger Dave, has been at this for 20-plus years. 

After lunch I decided to enter another cave. Diamond Caverns was just up the road. It was 350 stairs, not steps, but stairs, and classified as "strenuous." What the heck, my knees are screaming in agony as it is now, so I might as well go all the way. When in Rome, do as the Romans. I'm in Cave Country and I'd like to see as many caves as I can. The weather was still overcast. However, there were spots of sun, so I ran the generator with ac, to keep Jo Jo comfortable inside the Sylver Gypsy. This was a whole different cave with many more stalagtites and stalagmites, and dripping wet active formations. I was pleasantly surprised with the level of detail, depth, and complexity of this living cave. And they allowed for flash photography, so my photos were really pretty good. It was a stunning day of spelunking, and viewing the glory of underground wonders. I cant wait to do more.

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