Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

The owners at Valley Breeze RV Park in Grayson, Kentucky could not have been more accommodating when I rolled up after 9:30 in the evening.  I was pleasantly greeted, welcomed and regretfully informed that they do not have a toilet or a shower house.  That's no problem, showers are overrated and I just hit a rest stop about 30 miles back.  Plus, I've peed in the woods and dug my fair share of cat holes so I think I'm okay on the bathroom front regardless.  I didn't tell them that though.  Anyone that has never experienced making a deposit of that nature in the woods is really missing out on life.  There is something very liberating about the whole experience.  Be sure to dig a hole at least six inches deep.  Remember, moss covered areas are your friend as the soil under the moss tends to be very easy to dig.  Trekking poles actually serve many purposes and are a great digging tool.  Here's a bonus tip, and my favorite kind of cat hole, find a loose rock about the size of your head, kick it loose, remove from ground, deposit waste, replace rock.  It works like a charm.  If no head sized rocks are available you must resort to digging and often times these bathroom breaks have a sense of urgency, so dig fast.  After you deposit waste, fill hole with the previously expelled dirt and press the dirt firmly back into the hole with your foot.  When possible place a rock over the site.  The rock will help prevent the loose soil from washing away in a storm.  Now that you have been schooled on the art of cat hole digging I will explain my morning at Valley Breeze.  Things are going smoothly.  I had packed up early, chatted with my neighbors for a bit, had breakfast and was giving my animals some time out of doors.  Honey, on a leash and a harness at this time, got spooked by a passing car and removed herself from the leash and harness as well as the collar which is inscribed, "I'm lost! Please call my mom."  She's naked and down over the embankment she goes.  You know the story.  Things seemed to spiral out of control after this.  After capturing her I may or may not have had to use the litter box.  Now, we must be ready to go, but no!  The door on the driver's side of the van got stuck shut while I was sitting in the driver's seat.  I began to roll down the window to attempt to open the door from the outside.  Upon rolling the window down halfway, a spider dropped and was hanging from it's silken thread just a few inches from my face.  I attempted to blow on the spider to remove him from my vehicle but instead blew a quarter sized glob of spit onto the window.  The spider then dropped to the floor inside the van.  I climbed over the passenger seat and exited the vehicle.  I yanked the jammed door open at which time a spring, that obviously was not doing its job anyway, fell to the ground.  The door is now in working order again.  I located the spider and removed him unharmed from my home.  Things are looking up.  Now, I just need a moment to relax.  Ahh, let me just sit here for a moment and enjoy this succulent orange.  Nope, I inhaled a piece and choked.  After violently hacking up the bit of orange, we're off to Mammoth Cave National Park. 

When I arrived at Mammoth Cave I was very pleased to discover that I made it in time to purchase the very last ticket for the very last Mammoth Cave Frozen Niagara tour of the day.  The Frozen Niagara tour is supposed to be the best tour for photographing the cave.  Although my national park pass did not work at this park the tour was only $10.  The cave was gorgeous inside and out.  Dogs are welcome anywhere outside of the cave provided they are on a leash.  I enjoyed a nice long outdoor stroll with Fleetwood and Mac after my tour.  It was a great day after all.