Horse Cave and Sand Cave, Mammoth Caves National Park, Kentucky

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Our second day in Kentucky we spent a few hours over in Horse Cave, visiting the American Cave Museum. We did not do the cave tour, and NO, we did not do the rappelling.  We did spend time in the museum.  We felt it was well done and we learned lots of tidbits about caves and their history.  Caves have been used as fallout shelters, to age beer and wine, as ice houses (storing ice), sanatoriums for treatment of TB (deemed a fail!), burial places for prehistoric ancestors, mining of gypsum, salts, chert (projectile points), Selenite crystals and satinspar (perceived magical powers) and saltpeter (75% of common gunpowder comes from saltpeter).

This cave, the Horse Cave, also know as the Hidden River Cave. After visiting the museum we went outside to watch some rappelling. The sun was blinding me as I tried to shoot, forgive the sun spots please.  The mouth to the cave, note the lines.

Here they come!

Another group, shoving off!

They also have zip lines, and nope, Man and I did not try those either!   LOL

Time for a drive in the beautiful Kentucky hills.  Love barns.

We drove some more back roads of Mammoth Caves National Park.  We stopped at Sand Cave Trail and decided a short walk would be nice to stretch the legs and enjoy the quiet.

Along the way we look at dogwoods in bloom, from their level.  It is a nice change not looking up on the blooms.

The entrance to Sand Cave.  In February of 1925 Floyd Collins was trapped 60 feet below ground.  (Floyd's story is quite fascinating, involving failed rescue attempts, and one of the first major news stories to become a huge sensation of the new technology -  amateur radio.  His story is responsible for at least one film documentary, a number of short songs by cavers, several books, and a museum.)  There are two Find A Grave memorials for Floyd, one, and two, the second memorial has a photo of his final resting place with headstone.

Closer view, water dripping down the hillside.

The following day Man and I would visit Mammoth Caves via a guided tour.  And, we survived the walk out (gracious that is a LONG walk out).




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