Out to Lunch

Yesterday a friend and I had agreed to get together to go out to lunch. We didn't know where we were going but we did want someplace different. After some discussion, we agreed to head to Columbia.

Once we got to Columbia, there really wasn't anyplace we wanted to eat. We hopped back into the car and headed further west.

Next stop, Glasgow. While there were some restaurants there, they could not compare to (cue heavenly choir) CRACKER BARREL and there was one of those in Cave City.

So 90 miles after leaving the house, we found the restaurant we were looking for. As we were eating, my companion confessed this was her first time in this section of Kentucky and that she had never been to Mammoth Cave before.

That was unacceptable! We had to change that! Especially since the cave was about 5 miles from the restaurant.

By the time we arrived at the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center, there was only one tour left that day (they run about 6-8 different tours on any given day), the Frozen Niagara. That got us both excited; her because she was finally going to get in the cave and me because it was a tour I had never been on. It is the only one that takes you into an area with stalactites and stalagmites (there aren't a lot in the cave due to the capstone that prevents water from dropping onto the limestone).

Frozen Niagara's entrance is not at the Visitor Center. It is a short bus ride away. While we were waiting to get on the bus, who should join us but ABRAHAM LINCOLN! Okay, so maybe he was born in Kentucky, but I didn't think he was still here! Who knew?


Abe seemed as geared about the tour as the rest of us were. It is simply amazing to walk through a door into the side of a hill, follow a path for 20' to 30' and then see this;



the namesake of the tour. Breathtaking.

We were in the cave for only 45 minutes or so (it is never long enough or far enough). On the way out, I had to snap a picture of this;


because it was so absolutely bizarre looking. I think Hollywood could use it as a model for some evil creature from space.

My friend and I got back into the county at around 8 pm last night. I can't wait to see where we end up next time we go out to lunch!