Mammoth Cave, KY - Day 4

Today was half a day of work in the RV followed by the Mammoth Historic Tour. But first, I need to tell you about the fine folks at A-List Detailing.

Glady's needed a bath by the time we got here Sunday. Tons of bugs on the front glass and paint and she hadn't been really cleaned since December. The folks at the park recommended A-List Detailing so I gave them a call. $10 pr foot for a full detail -- wash, wax, UV protectant, wheels and tires. Seemed fair given how big Gladys is. All I can say is "wow"! She looks like she just rolled off the manufacturing line -- but she's really 6 years old. The video shows how flawless the paint looks now. The reflection is like a mirror! Way to go Jason and Sauden!

Historical Tour

This classic Mammoth Cave Tour visits many of the humorously named historic areas that make Mammoth a legend. Fat Man's Misery is a narrow lane that runs 100 yards or so you have to crab walk through. Tall Man's Misery as you might guess, is low ceilings that force you to walk hunched over. Total descent was about 400 feet. And if you go down, you must come up. Some people struggled.

Fun fact: you can use Cave or Caverns interchangeably - the geologists don't care. "Carlsbad Caverns" sounds better than "Carlsbad Caves". But also, "Mammoth Cave" sounds better than "Mammoth Caverns" or so I'm told.

Pre-historic native Americans discovered and used the cave system between 5000-2000 BC, long before it was "discovered" by Europeans and Americans in the 1790s. In fact, prehistoric people mined gypsum, mirabilite, epsomite, and other related minerals from the passageways of Mammoth Cave. They used torches to light their way, which turned some of the otherwise white gypsum black.

There's also a lot of "historic graffiti" and "historic trash" in the cave. This means it basically predates the national park system and is left behind as a historical marker. Things like bottles from the 1800s are historical trash. Things like candle-flame graffiti from the 1700s-1800s are historical graffiti. There's also modern era graffiti, mostly names and initials carved in the rock formations in the 70s when the tours were self guided. It's now a federal offense to deface the cave.

Overall a great tour!