Mammoth Cave National Park

Wednesday, June 15 was my 50th birthday. I had decided to spend it at Mammoth Cave National Park. Meg had never been, and I'd only been once, when I was 10 to 12 years old.

We chose the 4 mile, 4-1/2 hour long Grand Avenue tour. It started at a man made entrance that was tunneled in the 1930's.

Our ranger guide showed us how it looked when people used to tour the cave with oil lamps. Not much to see.

There were formations of Gypsum on the walls for the first mile or so.

About a third of the way, we made a stop in the Snowball Dining Room.

Then, it was on to a section that had its ups and downs.

We made our way through a maze of stone passageways.

Watch your head there, Birthday Boy!

Meg took over 250 pictures, and as a result, we fell behind the rest of the group. That is my only criticism...we felt like we were being rushed. It was our day off, and we wanted to enjoy a more leisurely pace.

Toward the end of the 4 miles is Frozen Niagra.

At the bottom of some stairs is the Drapery Room.

The last part of the tour is where all the formations are to be found.

...and more formations...

As if 4 miles wasn't enough, we hiked down from the visitor center to see the historic entrance.

The last stop of the day was Kroger's, so that I could get some Guinness Beer. When I came out, there was this rainbow. A great sign toward the end of my 50th birthday. There's no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, but there is a glass of amber...Happy Birthday to me! (all photos copyright Meg White)