Traveling as Two - Mammoth Cave

We got up early and checked out of the condo. We wanted to get on the road early, but my sweetie still took me over to the West Baden Hotel. I really wanted to see the tree in the center. It had been two days, so I was pretty sure they had it all set up. I wasn't disappointed! 

We were driving back into Kentucky so that we could get a tour into Mammoth Cave and we accidentally got off on the wrong road! It was pretty narrow and impossible to turn around. Soon we saw a sign that said "End of road under water." 

Fortunately, the road was absolutely amazing! I have never seen so many fallen leaves at the same time anywhere. Dog Walker would have loved it. But I digress. 

We finally pulled into a rather scary looking campground and the only campers we could see had something weird hanging from a tree. We turned around fast! We were almost ready to give up on the cave when we saw signs that it was only about 10 miles, so we continued on.

When we finally arrived at the Visitor's Center, the tour we were hoping for was sold out, so we chose a different one that didn't start until 3:15. That gave us a couple of hours to kill, so we started with the Visitor Center's displays.

Then we crossed to the lodge and ate lunch at the cafe. We were excited to try a couple of regional foods, fried green tomatoes (they weren't much different from the ones my sweetie makes) and a Kentucky Brown open faced sandwich. It had ham and turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and cheese sauce all on a piece of sourdough. It was good, but the cheese sauce was a bit much. Good thing we also got a salad and some french fries, all to share.

After a quick run through and a bunch of money at the gift shop, it was finally time for our tour. It was a lot of walking and I was worried for both of us since there was no other way out but our own feet. I think my favorite cave will always be Carlsbad, but this one was pretty cool. We took lots of pics.

We left the park shortly after we got back to the Visitor's Center. We were both tired and we already had a hotel booked in Bowling Green, and it was about a 45-minute drive. Fortunately, we didn't make any wrong turns and we got to the hotel in time for the reception and drinks. The cheese and crackers, chips and salsa, and chex mix were perfect for a light dinner for me. 

Back in the room, we repacked all the suitcases so they were ready to get on the plane. Only one more day and we will be back in Utah.