Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

I started the morning with a visit to Onyx Cave, nearby the Cracker Barrel, where I spent the night. The night is spent near a highway with plenty of highway noise, and people who need a new muffler for their car. Onyx Cave was an easy climb, and on a much smaller par than the previous caves I have visited. They are all unique.

I decided to head back into Mammoth Cave National Park, just a couple miles down the road, to do some hiking trails. Jo Jo needed a little more exercise so, I set out to visit Turnhole Bend Nature Trail. We had lunch at the ferry that crosses the Green River, it was a quick small ferry that carried one to two cars back and forth, attached to cables to keep it from drifting down the rapidly moving current.  It was a fascinating view while having lunch. I ventured down a single lane, one-way dirt road, as part of the park system. A couple of miles long, and right before the end, the road took a very steep incline and a sharp turn to the right. There have been heavy rains in this area for days, and looking forward, I saw patches of asphalt, but also washed out patches of gravel potholes. I nervously entered, and it was quite the jolting ride while I spun my wheels, fearing rolling off the edge. I reversed back, down the hill, and tried to figure out what I should do. I seriously wondered if I should continue to roll back on this one way road (a couple of miles) and unfortunately, there were no areas to turn around, as the road is quite narrow. A K turn would have been feasibly impossible, with mud and deep ditches. So I had to trust my gut, and the power of Ram to speed up this hill. Yes, in low gear. I was spinning, and doing some sweating, but I managed to get up and over, leaving skid marks behind. Holy smokes. I reached the visitor center, and met up with a park ranger to report my incident, and told them that this road should be closed immediately, or posted for four wheel drive only, and no RV's. I am convinced that only the Winnabago Travato could have succeeded in this situation. The angels were with me today. Please travel safe, and avoid this route!

I was ready to move on at this point, and headed to Bowling Green.

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