Where we're heading next:
Home Sweet Home
Quote of the Day
Peanut, "Wow, mom, now we can say we've been to all 50 states! What are we gonna do next?"
Yeah, well, this is kind of embarrassing...
In an effort to get some Kentucky dirt, I pulled over and got sucked into about 6 inches of mud. Grandma tried to get out and push, bless her soul. (This my new Southern phrase.)
Fortunately, within 3 minutes these nice Kentucky folk were pulling us out. One of the men shook his head and said, "Well, we all do things we wish we hadn't." And that was the end of it.
Please let me take a moment to lament the fact that it's been raining for days. This is manageable rain as far as our trip goes, but it keeps me from taking pictures, and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Kentucky is gorgeous from one end to the other, but especially in the horse-country middle. I wish I could share the landscape with you as we go along...
We made it to Cave City where I thought the kids would get a kick out of sleeping in a wigwam. Let's just say, the idea was much more fun than the reality. Think camping: dirty, no hot water, and mosquitoes. We stayed one night instead of two.
Only 10 minutes from Mammoth Caves, we were surprised to find it in such a lush landscape; we saw 4 deer and 2 wild turkeys before we even entered the park!
The Junior Ranger Program was fantastic and even Doodle earned her badge. There are some seriously inviting tours available (some require lanterns!), but we decided on the two-hour New Entrance tour because it shows the living part of the cave. Also, I liked the Ranger. The tour was excellent and here are a few cool things we learned:
1. Mammoth Caves is the l o n g e s t cave system in the world, but it only takes up about 10 square miles on the surface. The under-ground tunnels (carved by the river over time) go 5 layers deep. We went down about 300 feet and only reached level 3. At this point, we sat down to rest and Ranger said, "We're resting not for what we've just done, but for what we're going to do next." Climbing back up up!
2. The reason the cave is dry and smooth as opposed to drippy and full of formations (think Carlsbad Caverns), is because it lacks a leaky roof. The entire cave is limestone, but outside the cave lies a thick layer of sandstone. Sandstone keeps the cave water-tight. Wherever there's a crack in the ceiling, you'll find Dripstone, where tiny stalactites (hang tight!) and stalagmites (stand mighty!) will start to develop.
There is one area at Mammoth Caves called Frozen Niagara where the limestone has been dripping through large cracks in the wall. It's unfathomable, the size and beauty of it. When you look eventually think to look upwards, there's the most ornate rose-shaped stalactite chandelier on the ceiling. It's truly stunning.
3. Some of the "rooms" in the cave have to be measured in acres -- that speaks to the mammoth size of this cave and is the primary reason people come to visit it.
At one point we saw a glimpse of the industrious river below. The water was a murky but inviting, turquoise blue. Peanut desperately wanted to see eye-less fish, but the tour to the bottom will have to wait a few years.
Crossing over the state line into Kentucky, fallen trees from the recently tragic ice storm came immediately into view. It looked like clear-cutting and it broke our hearts. We were told that out of 125 (?) parishes, more than 100 were affected by the ice.
We're getting set to cross this state
lengthwise from
West to East!
Paducah is like a quilters mecca. We visited the National Quilt Museum where all of our jaws dragged the floor until we exited. Each of us picked our favorite quilt, too, but remember that pictures never ever do a work of art justice:
CurlyTop - Breeze, by Rachel Wetzler
Grandma - The Beatles, by Pat Holly & Sue Nickels
Peanut - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And, by Choi Eun Ryoung
Little Man - Air Show, by Jonathon Shannon
Doodle - Le Jardin Nos Reves, by Myrl Lehman Tapungot
This was a grown-up day, to be sure, but don't be fooled -- my kids have a blast in fabric stores. It would be a sin to skip a shopping spree at Hancocks of Paducah; this fabric store feels bigger than my entire neighborhood. Everyone got something, along with promises from me to do such-and-such with it after the trip.
Peanut chose a rainforest animal fabric with 2 complementing fabrics, to be turned into a pillow. Little Man chose an actual U.S. flag fabric and a measuring tool, to be turned into...a flag...which will supposedly replace his pirates flag. Doodle chose a light fabric with big bumble bees on it, to become her "small blanket to bring into restaurants to keep her warm" -- we're scowled at if we refer to this as a shawl.
If you're into quilting, you'll completely understand this stop.
