Day 25: A Day Down-Under

Today was perhaps Stan's favorite so far! We all were completely wowed by Mammoth Cave...it really lives up to its name. The cave is by far the longest in the world; its explored length is currently 392 miles, with estimates of another few hundred yet to be discovered/mapped. We were told that if the second and third longest caves were combined, their total would still be at least 100 miles shorter than Mammoth. It was formed at least 10 million years ago by waters flowing into the Green River through layers of limestone, shale and sandstone. There are caverns that are football fields in size; and on the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the more "snug" passages is called Fat Man's Misery! We passed by and through so many amazing formations in our two tours, each of which lasted two hours. Alongside us, Kelsey and Kendall tramped up and down more than 940 stairs, over Bottomless Pit, around Frozen Niagara and its beautiful flowstone formations, beside Giant's Coffin, and so many other special passages that spoke of unimaginable time and force. During one particularly low-ceilinged passage, Kendall commented, "This cave is perfect for me! You should find a different cave."

Our tour experiences were shared by 120 of our closest strangers (on each tour!), some of whom were obnoxious in the closed spaces (echo chambers, flashes going off in faces, out-of-control kids touching rocks--a big no-no, etc!). We tried to stay as close to the lead ranger as possible in order to hear the most anecdotes and other information. And actually we did enjoy quite a few people on both tours.
The cave is one of the country's oldest tourist attractions (following Niagra Falls). But it first served as a mine for saltpeter, a substance used in the production of gunpowder. The mine's heyday was in 1812, thanks to the war with the British. In 1816, with the war over, the tourism trade began; back then, the short tour was eight hours, the mid-length one 16! Visitors carved or wrote on many surfaces. The graffiti is now considered historic, although any new additions are a federal crime. Yikes! A fun tidbit: the term "petered out" came from the saltpeter mining industry and refered to the closing down or drying up of an operation!

Mammoth Cave has 26 known entrances, although only five are used on a regular basis. The cave has a constant temperature of 54 degrees, and it felt so good to be in its depths on a hot and muggy Kentucky day. There are a few chambers that contain bathrooms, and emergency telephones are stationed throughout. I didn't want to leave...we could have ordered Papa John's and stayed put for a while.