We got hit with a HEAVY storm last night, but luckily our Marmot tent held up and kept us nice and dry. It rained into the morning, but we had to wake up early for our 8:45AM Domes and Dripstones tour of the Mammoth Cave. We were bummed about the rain, but knew it would give us an awesome opportunity underground to see the running groundwater in action!
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m pretty much helpless in the dark (because of my retinitis), so the thought of going underground through narrow cave openings, with very dim lighting, really freaked me out. Fortunately, we had a great tour guide who made the tour enjoyable and I had Joey to guide me through the really dark portions.
It was a whole different world down in the caves, and I am so happy that we decided to explore it! The science behind the carbonic acid being able to eat away limestone, but not sandstone, created absolutely breathtaking structures and formations. We went over 250 feet below the surface, down 14 nearly vertical shafts, across multiple pits, two of which were over 60 feet and into a stalagmite and stalactite room that is called “Frozen Niagara.” We experienced three different types of passageways (living, dormant, and vanishing) and three unique crystallization caves (onyx cave, crystal lake, and rainbow dome).
After our two-hour excursion, we had to get back on the road. This trip has really been fast-paced, and we’ve done so much in so little time! We’re quite literally losing track of time as we cross through different time zones, which happened to us today as we crossed into Indianapolis from Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. We stopped in Indianapolis to have an early dinner at The North End BBQ with the Harmer/Rossano family, where we were kept entertained by the three little kiddos!
After dinner, we headed north into Chicago, where we are staying for two nights with our high school friend Hillary! We got here at 8PM, and have just been enjoying catching up with each other. We’re excited to walk around Chicago, and see what this city has in store for us!