Traveling Home

6/23/2024:

We left Rochester, Minnesota at 6am. We waited until daylight to start traveling because we have gotten to the age where we don’t like driving in the dark. We were surprised by how much flooding there was in Iowa! We stopped in Wayland, IA for gas at a Flying J. Don drank some Muscle Milk and I had cookies for breakfast. As we headed south, it kept getting hotter! We arrived in Paducah, KY around 4pm and decided to stop for the night. We got a room at the Comfort Inn for $88 off of Hotels.com. Then we went to Sam’s Club and filled up with gas. For dinner, we stopped at Culver's. After dinner, we went to the waterfront and walked along the beautiful painted murals.

6/24/2024:

We left Paducah, KY around 6:40 in the morning. We hit a lot traffic around Knoxville so we stopped for lunch at Culver’s. Then 30 minutes later, we stopped at Bucees for gas in Kodak, TN. Then we hit road construction all the way home. Instead of taking 25 to Greenville, we stayed on I-26 all the way to Woodruff and came home the back way. It was so hot when we got home (94F compared to the 53F when we left Minnesota). After we unpacked, we went to dinner so the house could cool off. Then we went into the kitchen (that is still a disaster area) and covered the air vents with cardboard so the AC wasn’t cooling a room that we couldn’t use. Finally, around 10pm, we decided to call it a night!

Mammoth Cave Day 1

6/13/2024

We left home at 5 am and headed towards Asheville. It was dark when we started so I drove until it got light which was about when we crossed into North Carolina. We hit some traffic around Knoxville so when we got to the other side, we stopped for breakfast at Waffle House. The service was great and so was the food. On the way, we stopped at Buc-ees for really cheap gas. Then we made it to Mammoth Cave National Park around 1 PM Central Time. 

The first thing I did was buy a lifetime senior pass so I could get my cave tour tickets for half-price. Don showed his pass for his tickets. Then we went to check into our room. We were booked for 1 night at the Sunset Terrace ($156) and 1 night at the Woodland Cottage ($160 with no TV, AC, or heat). When I asked if there were any cancellations, Eric, the manager, came out and told me they would give us a special brand-new room in our building. There are only 4 special rooms in the building that house the restaurant, the cafe, the coffee shop, and the gift shop. The building closes at 10 pm and is locked but we have access in and out of our room through another door. When we went to look at the room, it was a lovely handicapped-accessible room. It was huge with 2 queen beds and a large bathroom. There was TV, internet, AC, and heat. We were able to watch live TV as well as our Amazon Prime on the TV. Eric cancelled our reservation and rebooked this as a new reservation which was cheaper than the original reservation. 

Next, we drove to Glasgow, KY to have lunch/dinner at the Cowboy’s Country Diner. It was definitely a local place and the food was good. I tried to find 2 gas stations with Gas Buddy directions and it brought us to corn fields. Finally, I put in the address for the Murphy’s Gas at Walmart and we were able to find it. 

We returned to Mammoth Cave and got some ice cream before deciding to go to the Green River Ferry to watch the cars go across. It takes 2 cars at a time and doesn’t cost anything. We did a short hike near the river before going back to the Visitor’s Center. After going through the exhibits, we walked to the camp store and post office. By then it was time to call it a day!