T R A V E L   L O G tj|ca|st
T R A V E L   L O G
tj|ca|st

T O U R I N G   M A M M O T H   C A V E

Saturday, November 6, 2004

I wake at 6am and check the temperature on a whim. Yikes! It's 45 degrees in the van, so that translates to at least 5 degrees colder outside. Surely this is the coldest weather I've encountered so far on my trip. I roll over and go back to sleep, it's too early and cold to get up now. Two hours later I wake to a nice, sunny morning. Today is going to be a fun one, I've been looking forward to this day for a while now. I'm going to tour Mammoth Cave National Park today and I've reserved a ticket for the Grand Avenue Tour.

After some breakfast I hit the road. The park is just a little ways away, I should be there in no time at all. You know, I've never been to Kentucky before. Arriving two days earlier under the cover of night, I wasn't able to see any of its scenery. Today is my first glimpse of the State. In the central part of the State, where I am now, the geography is rather flat and lackluster.

Nicknamed the Bluegrass State, Kentucky is the 15th State admitted into the Union. Did you know that more than 4 million folks live here? I wonder, how many of them know that their State motto is "United we stand, divided we fall", their State bird is the cardinal, their State flower is goldenrod, and their State tree is the coffee tree. I live in Oregon and can never remember my State's designated particulars. I suspect most people just don't care. So, within 30 seconds of reading this, and even if you live in Kentucky, you will have forgotten Kentucky's particulars too.

When I think of Kentucky, I think of Bourbon whiskey, thoroughbred racehorses, and tobacco. After my little drive today, I'll need to add another to my list, namely, "uninteresting scenery at its central core." God, this part of Kentucky is really boring, Mammoth Cave National Park can't come to soon for me. Given the location of the park, apparently this part of Kentucky looks better underground!


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Upper Falls, Canyon Area, Yellowstone
Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, MA
Hope Diamond, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
Southern view atop Sepulcher Mountain, Yellowstone
Jackson Square and Saint Louis Cathedral, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
Willows at Lake Perennial, Boston, MA
Colorado River, Moab, UT
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