|
|
Page 6
|
(Click for a larger photo).
The next morning we continued to Mammoth Cave National Park in southern Kentucky where the worlds largest cave is found. The cave is with its 350 miles (560 km) of known passageways at least 3 times longer than any known cave. It is anticipated that as many as 600 miles (900 km) of yet undiscovered passageways exist. Entering the park is free. There are beautiful trails in the park. While waiting to enter the cave we enjoyed one of the short trails, the Heritage Trail, reaching the Sunset View Point. You can visit the cave on 14 different guided tours requiring fees.We chose the "Making of Mammoth" Tour which is a historical/geological tour where you come all the way down to the bottom of the cave at Echo River. The cave has been explored and inhabited for thousands of years. Artifacts from aboriginal people living here 4000 years ago has been found. A few of these artifacts are on display in the cave. The entrance (see photo) which is found in a small canyon is easily spotted due to the cold and strong wind coming from the cave. We visited the cave on a very hot day, 85 °F at the visitor center. Probably the temperature at the entrance was just above 50 °F. The first passages of our 2.5 miles tour were characterized by high ceilings and large rooms with straight trails. The Rotunda was enormous. We were guided by two park rangers who gave a lot of entertainment to the trip. All the passages we passed were electrically enlightened, but we were also given the opportunity to rest in the dark to get an impression of how the early explorers must have experienced the darkness and silence (except dripping water) of the cave. As early as the 1790īs saltpeter mining was performed to produce gunpowder. Later on an attempt to host a tuberculosis sanatorium within the cave was a total disaster resulting in the death of many patients including the initiator doctor from a worsening of their diseases and attracting new diseases from the cold humid air and fungal conditions.
|
(Click for a larger photo).
Further down into the cave the path became very narrow and we had to climb down many stairs. One of the passages was extremely narrow and the height of the ceiling was just above 1 m. This was the point called "Fat Manīs Misery"; the rangers had warned us with many jokes about this passage. Everybody was looking at their neighbours and estimating if "they are heavier than me I will also make it through". Despite all the misbelieves we all managed somehow to squeeze through. On our way down it was quite interesting to see how the water system had been tunneling its way through in layers. Passages went along in many separate floors with narrow fractures created from percolating water enabling the descendance to the next floor. Depending on the fall of rain in the outside hills the water level in the bottom of the cave can vary many feet. We were lucky and came in a dry season where the water had dropped to its lowest level. So only a little mud rested down at Echo River about 100 m below the surface entrance. Returning up to the entrance we had to climb 130 steps of a steel tower.
|
(Click for a larger photo).
From Mammoth Cave we continued to Nashville, Tennessee, where we stayed at a Motel in the western part close to Interstate 40. The motel was lousy and is not worth recommending. The next day we followed interstate 40 until the Great Smoky Mountain exit west of Knoxville. On our way south to the mountains we passed Sevierville and Pigeon Forge which were both crowded vacation cities with a lot of hotels, restaurant and entertainment centers. In Pigeon Forge Dolly Parton has invested in a large entertainment park, Dollywood.
