May 3, 2007 – Mammoth Cave National Park

This morning brought us rain, rain, and more rain. We did make 2 more stops at the local stores to stock up and to buy small parts for some repairs we need to make. When we came back to the MH, we found one of the windows leaking. So when we get some sunny days, we have more repairs to do. The funny part of this whole thing is we had no leaks before. In the winter, we had the MH tested for leaks. We were told there were some issues and we gave the go ahead to do the repairs. This is our second leak (different area) since those repairs. We found the first window the beginning of April and Andy repaired it (that held up during this rain). So now we have a second one.

We tried to hold out as long as we could to do the final shut down in the MH so we would not have to do it in the rain, but our luck (or rather time) ran out. So we suited up and out in the teaming rain, we went. By the time, we had unhooked from the electric, water, and sewer and hooked up the Tracker, we were both soaked. Andy’s Gortex coat worked, but my raincoat did not – what a mess.

And as luck would have it, after about 15 minutes on the road the rain stopped - :-)

We only had 80 miles to travel today to the Park and since we are now in Central Time we gained an hour. We found the Mammoth Cave Campground easily and are in site 90. I just love National Parks. The sites are big and beautiful. There are no hookups but there is cell phone service…

It is much more humid here and temps are in the high 70’s. Since it is mid-week, it is quiet. After we set up, we went to the visitor center to look over the different programs, cave tours and get information on the park. We decided on the Historic Tour for tomorrow morning.

Some interesting facts:
Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave. It was first promoted in 1816, making it the second oldest tourist attraction in the US, preceded only by Niagara Falls.
The park is actually 2 parts – one above ground and one below ground.
In 1981, it was designated as a World Heritage Site.
In 1990, it became the core area of an International Biosphere Reserve.
Before it became a park, it was used as a saltpeter mine, a tuberculosis hospital, and a church.

We meet our camping neighbor, Sharon, as we were sitting by the campfire. She is from California and is going to Bowling Green to attend the Life on Wheels Conference. Andy and I attended the same conference in Bethlehem last year. We highly recommend it to anyone, new or not so new, RV’ers. (Once I figure out how to do links on the blog, I will add this.)

Anyway, Sharon is also traveling with a large cat, who loves to sit up front and watch the scenery (unlike our cat, Elliot, who just hides when the motor starts). We had a nice conversation on pets and on traveling (she has been RVing many years). What an inspiration!

We met the campground hosts, Bonnie and Jim, and joined them at their campfire after supper. They have been hosting at different places throughout the country for over 4 years. So we were able to get more information on the duties of a campground host as well as information on Alaska since they were there 2 years ago. They are originally from Wisconsin and are only hosting in this park for 2 months and then are going to the Upper Peninsula of Wisconsin in the summer. We were also joined by a young couple from Nashville, Mary and Ryan, who are getting married this November. It was a wonderful evening – great conversation.

Thought for the day: Every journey to a new place tests your comfort level: comfort with your companions, comfort with your strength, comfort with tolerance of the unknown.