On the Road Again

6/15/2024

We got up early and checked out of the Mammoth Cave Lodge and headed north. We stopped at the Turnhole Bend Nature Trail and did a short hike before leaving the national park.

For breakfast, we stopped at PJs Cafe in Brownsville, KY. We stopped in Owensboro, KY for gas and then crossed into Indiana.

Our next stop was Casey, IL, where we visited in 2021. There was a car show and there were lots of people in town. We had lunch at Reflections Family Restaurant right downtown and the food was very good. Then we walked around town and hoped to buy some fried pies but they were gone by the time we got back there. Then we found an antique store and enjoyed looking around that store for a while.

When we left Casey, we headed to Paris, IL. For a couple of hours, we shopped at the Whippoorwill Antique Mall in Marshall, IL on the way to the Hampton Inn ($124.16), in Paris, IL We had dinner at Arby’s and realized that there wasn’t much there in that town. It looked like a depressed economic area other than some manufacturing plants.

Mammoth Cave Day 2

6/14/2024

I woke up at 4 am (Central Time) which is my usual 5 am wake up time (Eastern Time) and Don got up around 5:15 am. We drove to Glasgow, KY to eat at the Cowboy’s Country Cookin’ again. We had a wonderful breakfast of 2 eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast (or biscuit), and a drink for $10 each. 

Since it was so early, we did a ½  mile hike near the visitor center. 

We got back in time to get organized for our first tour at 9 am. We did the Extended Historic Tour which lasted 2 ½ hours. As we started, we saw a deer and a copperhead. The end where we had to climb 155 steps almost killed me! Then we had to walk out of the cave and wash off our footwear to prevent White Nose Syndrome from getting to other places. Then we had to walk uphill to our room at the lodge! 

The first thing we did was walk over to the post office to mail some postcards. After we bought the stamps and put them on, the nice lady there canceled the postcards and returned them to Don. We decided to start with an ice cream for lunch and then returned to our room to eat salads that we bought at Walmart the day before. Don took a little nap. 

Then we had a 2:15 tour - the Violet City Lantern Tour. There were 12 lanterns and Don and I got one to share. The tour lasted 3 hours and 15 minutes but it was so dark, I hardly took any pictures. We walked 3 miles and once we left the paved path, the dirt path was very challenging to walk on in the dark. There were lots of steep up and downhills but the worst was at the end when we had a lot of stairs to climb! At  the end of the tour, we got on a bus that took us back to the lodge. 

Even though we were tired, we were hungry, so we headed to Cave City for dinner. We tried KFC but they were out of chicken legs. So, we went to Cracker Barrel and had a great dinner. The food and the service was excellent. When I went to pay, I was able to use my reward points for a free drink and a free entree. 

It was a great day but we are pretty tired. We walked over 8 miles today. 

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!