Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

Since we had such a nice dinner last night, we decided to go back down the hill to Aunt Bee’s Restaurant for breakfast this morning.  Then we headed over to MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK, which was only about 10 minutes away.  Here's a picture of our guides, Charlie and Kath:

We signed up for the two-hour “New Entrance Tour.”  This entrance was created in the 1920s, but it’s still called the “New Entrance Tour” or the “Frozen Niagara” tour.  Here’s some info on our tour:

 Emphasis on: Deep pits; high domes; dry cave passages; dripstone area at exit; dynamic cave being carved by water.
Landmarks: New Entrance, Roosevelt's Dome, Silo Pit, Grand Central Station, Big Break, Fairy Ceiling, Flat Ceiling, Frozen Niagara flowstone formation, Travertine Tour Route.
Elevation Change: 250 feet.
Number of Stairs: 500, nearly 200 descended inside New Entrance.
Steep Hill Climbs: Yes.

I’m not much of an adventurer, so this was really something new for me.  Eric was really excited about the caves, so I wasn’t going to be a party pooper, but the guide made me REALLY nervous when he talked about how tight some of the paths were.  I am only slightly claustrophobic, but the thought of tight cave walls really got to me.

We first walked down 300 steps through the caves.  The steps were made of metal and had a metal railing, so except for the occasional spider, the dampness making it all very slippery, and some tight squeezes (even for us), it was pretty tame.  Then, we came to a big room with rows and rows of benches, called Grand Central Station, where the guide gave a speech and answered questions.  We found the trivia and history of the caves very interesting.  

Next, we headed up a path with more steps and lots more rocks to a third area called “Frozen Niagara.”  It had all the stalagmites and stalactites.  It was all very beautiful.  I took a lot of pictures, but I’m afraid they don’t capture the experience very well.

After we left the caves, we got on the road, left Kentucky (which we really loved) and headed south to Nashville, Tennessee.  We had a great lunch at RIPPY’S on Lower Broadway, which is the center of Nashville’s honky tonk scene. 

As you can see from the photo, below, I found my girl -- Betty Boop -- in Nashville.  What a pleasant surprise!

I also got to "meet" one of my favorites -- Dolly Parton! 

According to one of the post cards I bought, “At any time, day or night, you may see some of the superstars of country music here.  This is where the music and dreams begin!”  We loved it!  So colorful and “touristy.”   Definitely the place to be at night, with bands in every bar on the block.  Even during the day, it was very exciting!

After lunch we headed south, past Chattanooga (and I kept singing the Glenn Miller song, Chattanooga Choo Choo, to Eric).  We left Tennessee and headed into Georgia to ALLATOONA LANDING CAMPGROUND outside Cartersville.  It’s been a VERY full day – the tour of the cave in Kentucky, lunch in Nashville, Tennessee, and now staying overnight in a campground in Georgia.  Three states in one day!   We’re really making time!  Tomorrow we will drive through Georgia into Florida and will arrive in Delray Beach to see my parents on Saturday afternoon.  We can’t wait!!!