Mammoth Cave, Part 1

I decided to celebrate Man's downfall into carnivorous evil by going to Kaelin's in Louisville. Kaelin's claims to be the place where the cheeseburger was first served, in 1934. I'm a pretty big burger fan, so I'm not passing up the chance to eat a "world famous cheeseburger!" Everything tastes great, however, when your diet consists mainly of water, trail mix, and beef jerky, so I'm not sure I can give an accurate review, but I liked it.

Next stop was the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in Bardstown, KY. I learned several useful facts about whiskey; for example, the term "bootlegging" comes from the practice of hiding flat whiskey bottles in your boots. Also, the word "booze" originated from a brand of whiskey (E. C. Booz Bourbon). Man, did I want a drink after leaving there! It was like the entire place was one giant billboard for alcohol. But there was much driving left, so no Booz for me...

After Mammoth Cave, which I'll get to in a second, I found the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. There were models on display from just about every year from 1953 to present, including Calloways, race cars, pace cars, and concept cars. Plenty of great info, including the Vette's evolution, technological innovations, and racing history.

I made it to Mammoth Cave National Park on Saturday afternoon. I decided earlier that my plan would be to hike to a backcountry campsite, spend the night, then hike back in the morning and do a cave tour. So I went to the visitor's center and got the free camping permit, and I ingeniously picked a campsite that was a six mile hike away. Did I mention that it was about 6:00? I needed to hustle, and hustle I did. I managed to almost get to the campsite while there was some daylight left, and then...

TO BE CONTINUED