Nashville

July 9, 2002
Current location: Nashville, TN
Starting odometer reading (in Duxbury, Mass): 65,364
Odometer: 71,646

The drive from Fort Wayne to Nashville was all about the heat.  And the humidity.  And the lack of air conditioning.  Even at 75 miles per hour, the breeze was just like the refreshing breeze from a furnace.  The water sprayed from our squirt bottle cooled things down but the relief only lasted a few seconds.  I found the best strategy was to soak my shirt which then dried for several minutes.

When we saw Mammoth Caves coming up, we couldn't resist.  We took a two-hour guided tour through two miles of caves.  I think the guide said there were 250 miles of passages, making it the biggest in the world.  It was a chilly 54 degrees and 80% humidity throughout the caves and we had to put our jackets on.  And it was so beautiful.  For all the Everquest fans out there, it was a combination of the North Ro tunnel, Thurgadin, and Crystal Caverns.  It was like Thurgadin in the fact that we had to duck a lot.

In Nashville, we're staying with our old friends Ruth and Marcus in their lush quarters southwest of Nashville.

Tourist checklist for Mammoth Caves
Took historic tour of caves yes
Took troglodyte tour, crawling in the dark
 no
Took the 4-hour discovery tour
 no
Bought geodes or lawn ornaments from the roadside stands
 no
Stayed in Mammoth Caves lodge
 no

Tourist facts for Mammoth Caves
Two oldest tourist attractions in US Niagara Falls and Mammoth Caves
Largest system of caves in the world
 Mammoth Caves
Historic commercial uses of Mammoth Caves
 Tuberculosis treatment center, salt peter mining, tourism
Date of oldest evidence of use by humans
 2000 years ago

How to contact us:
    rfd@finninday.net
    jfd@finninday.net