Above and Below

October 17, 2015

Mammoth Cave National Park and on into Tennessee and the Georgia state line

Down we go

Early morning light and winter temperatures –below freezing–make this cup of coffee more than appreciated. Sitka is fed and we head down to the Green River through the rugged Kentucky hills. It feels good to be out hiking. I suspect we will put on more than 6 miles today.

Heading into the cave this morning. Beneath the sandstone and shale lies the most extensive cave system on Earth. Mammoth Cave is over twice as long as any known cave. Geologist surmise there could be 600 miles of yet undiscovered passageways.

Prehistoric peoples explored just a mere 10 miles or so of the cave 4,000 years ago. Archeological evidence shows that these early cavers collected crystals and other salts in the cave. Cave exploration ceased about 2,000 years ago not to resume until the cave was rediscovered in 1798.

Taking only one of the many tours into the cave; we will take the Domes and Dripstone tour.

This will lead us more than 200 feet underground to witness Speleothems. "Say what?" you say. Dissolved minerals in crystalline form create gypsum flowers, stalactites and stalagmite–all examples of speleothems. Spelotheums are what most people associate with caves and this passage gives a glimpse of a massive curtain of flowstone. This incredible formation cascades down more than 75 feet creating an illusion of a stone waterfall called Frozen Niagara.

Frozen Niagara

Green River Ferry

We are still learning this rig. Late this afternoon, I checked all our levels and found our battery nearly depleted. When we left for the cave we forgot to turn the furnace off. It is suppose to run on propane, Gerard is figuring the blower is powered by battery, but our solar panels should keep us charged. It was a very sunny day. So we have some research to conduct. We made it this far with our pantry latch intact… well, yesterday it broke. So grateful for our stop back in Rockford, Illinois for extra latches. Decided to take a little drive across the Green River to get our battery charged. Sitka didn't know what to make of the ferry ride across.

Sitka got nervous when we left terra firma

Dinner around the fire tonight and I will get us mostly packed up. Tonight will prove to be another chilly night, 31º. It will be nice to be readying the inside for travel and have the outside work done.  I am ready for Florida!  I am very appreciative of our warm digs and thinking about all the people around us in their tents. Love to be glamping.

Old guide cemetary

Sitka and I stopped at the old guides cemetary on our morning hike.  The  history of the guides into the mine is an African American heritage. African Americans played a vital role in the development of cave tour routes and the visitor experience throughout the 19th and early 20th century. The first black guides were slaves. Their discoveries and story continues to live on within the avenues and guided tours of the cave today. While each slave guide eventually saw their freedom, their life was fraught with hardship in a time where the country was divided about their place in society. During their life they may have never realized the importance of their existence. However, today they are not viewed as slaves or lower class citizens. They are legends.

This morning we started the day relatively early. Our route drove us up to the top of ridges and followed streams down into the hollows (pronounced holler or holl-ah) After five hours of travel, we arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Our friends, Joy and Dean told us it was well worth the ride to the top of Lookout Mountain. We stopped at Ruby Falls, checked the admission price and continued up the steep and windy road to Rock City where admission was even more steep, but we sucked it up hoping for spectacular views.  It's a quirky, fun place showcasing towering rock formations, lush fairy gardens and an overview of seven states. Lover's Leap and its falls were the highlight for me. 

We were hoping to go on to a national campground–Chilhowee, but we were plum tuckered and in need of WiFi, some rv manual reading and reception for our phones so we could check in with some folks. We landed at Racoon Mountain Campground and the temps are soaring into the upper 60s–it feels good to be warm! There is a cave here also, but I think I will stay above ground and hike up to the top of this ridge.

the streets of Rock City

heading into Fat Man's Squeee

heading into Fat Man's Squeee

We had another incident this morning. Gerard tied the animals up outside around 6am as Kole was biting at the bit to get out.. Around 6:30 am, I hear two canines growling and the barking started. Gerard jumped up and out the door to find Kole had slipped out of her harness and was gone. Feeling certain Sitka had saved her from a stray dog or coyote, we grabbed shoes and jackets to start our predawn search. This time, luckily she answered our calls and after 20 minutes or so came walking down the campground road. We will head into town to look for a more secure harness. I was seriously contemplating chalking up this trip and just making a beeline to Cape Coral. After talking to camp staff, they did think it could have been Coyote. I think Gerard is thinking this is a sign that Sitka and I should be the shunpikers and he and Kole be the homebodies keeping the hearth warm waiting for our return.

We are heading down south of Atlanta today. We are skipping the Georgia mountains as we are both wanting to feel the warmth of southern routes. See ya in the Sunshine State.

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.”- John Green