And away we go -
A stop in Charleston, Missouri for lunch and gasoline. Boomland is right by the highway, and it's sort of like a truck stop. You can get your gas, then shop and eat. Soul food - hooray! I love soul food!
A stop in Charleston, Missouri for lunch and gasoline. Boomland is right by the highway, and it's sort of like a truck stop. You can get your gas, then shop and eat. Soul food - hooray! I love soul food!
A long day. We drove all the way to Mammoth Cave National Park in the middle of Kentucky. And only to find that the last tour was sold out. Recalculate. Bill got the last ticket for the first tour the next day at 9:15 a.m. Fine by me. I have no use for caves, so one ticket was all we needed.
I did, however, walk down to the original cave opening. Going down was okay - climbing back, not so much.
I had no interest in all the steps, so took my photos from up top.
Thought someone might understand all this. Mammoth Cave lives up to its name with over 400 miles already explored and further explorations still underway. The area was designated a national park in 1941. Prior to that it served as a mining operation for saltpeter (used in gun powder), and an underground tuberculosis hospital.
The area is really pretty; lots of squirrels in the woods.
A lookout to see it all from the top.
A long way back.
There's a lodge with gift shops and a restaurant, motel type rooms, cabins, an ice cream parlor, a visitor center with a movie about the cave, another gift shop, and resident deer.
We had dinner at the lodge and stayed in the motel type rooms. All meals are served buffet style. I forgot a photo of my dinner plate. It looked a lot like lunch. You just can't eat too much fried chicken.
The cave was once privately owned and used as a commercial enterprise. There was a hotel and tours of the cave. The photos in the lodge dining room reminded me of Dirty Dancing where families went for vacations and had great meals and planned activities. The original hotel burned.
For all you foodies, here are some of the menus going back as far as 1951.
Looks as if I could have my fried "native" chicken even then. And now the biscuits come with honey.
Ever heard of parsnips Franconia?
Seven years later and I could still get my "native" chicken. Cornsticks have replaced the biscuits. And notice that they've added "lunch in the snowball room, 267 feet underground."
Three years later and the prices are inching upward. The Hot Plate has gone up to 80 cents, but what a bargain! Milk is no longer an upgrade. Perhaps because of refrigeration? You can still eat in the Snowball Room.
A year later and the menu seems a little more sophisticated, and you can now have a steak or prime rib. We're back to biscuits. Maybe they just vary the bread selection. My "native" chicken is still hanging in there.
There were also some holiday menus. By 1980, prices have really increased.
1985 and the Easter menu has a festive look. Still no buffets, even for holidays. And now we can tell from the December and February dates on the menus that the place was probably open year round.
I loved the little room for writing letters. Does anyone do that anymore?
Looks as if I could have my fried "native" chicken even then. And now the biscuits come with honey.
Ever heard of parsnips Franconia?
Seven years later and I could still get my "native" chicken. Cornsticks have replaced the biscuits. And notice that they've added "lunch in the snowball room, 267 feet underground."
Three years later and the prices are inching upward. The Hot Plate has gone up to 80 cents, but what a bargain! Milk is no longer an upgrade. Perhaps because of refrigeration? You can still eat in the Snowball Room.
Two years later and now you can have homemade bread.
Oops! Seven months later we're back to cornsticks.
There were also some holiday menus. By 1980, prices have really increased.
1985 and the Easter menu has a festive look. Still no buffets, even for holidays. And now we can tell from the December and February dates on the menus that the place was probably open year round.
I loved the little room for writing letters. Does anyone do that anymore?
The park is really big with lots of options. You don't have to be a spelunker. You can hike, fish, swim, canoe, camp, bike, or birdwatch. Cave tours go from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 6 hours and 30 minutes. The activity level is from easy to very strenuous. Prices vary, and they accept the Golden Eagle Pass.
Long day - time for bed.
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