Went to visit my sister’s place in Kentucky. There’s not much to do in Kentucky, which can be both good and bad. It’s relaxing but if you start itching for something to do then you are out of luck. It takes 45 minutes to get to the grocery store. Coffee shops don’t exist. I couldn’t even get internet on my phone. But if you are willing to sacrifice the essentials of an east coast tech nerd then you can get some good relaxing in.

The scenery in Kentucky is repetitive. You can drive for long stretches and see the same plants and architecture repeat. You start to think you’re stuck in some repeating dream. Driving in the back country of Kentucky must be what it’s like for a computer to run through recursive code. It’s very repetitive but after it’s over you hopefully end up where you want to be.

One of the must sees in Kentucky is Mammoth Cave National Park. It provides a necessary and beautiful contrast to the never ending sea of hay, tobacco, soybean, corn, and wheat. There’s also a lot of marijuana (the number one crop in Kentucky) but that’s usually tucked away out of site out of the roads. Mammoth Cave also provides a nice way to get out of the summer heat for a little while.

As you head down the cave and feel the temperature drop you’re not really ready for the amazingness of what’s to come next. You hear how it’s the world’s longest known cave system and how it has more than 400 explored miles, but you can’t really comprehend what that means. The immensity of the cave is apparent soon after you get out of the sunlight.

As soon as you get in there, your mind starts to ask questions. How is there 400 miles of this? How did someone have the guts to explore this without any modern lighting or equipment? It was nice having a guided tour for 2 beautiful, comfortably paced, well lit miles with an expert and a nice group of tourists but it would be another thing to explore the cave with a lantern by yourself, not having a clue what was in there. Supposedly the cave system has human use going back 6,000 years when Native Americans used the cave for mummification practices.

Getting out of the cave and back into the hot air was kind of a bummer. The unexpected spooky beauty of the cave is something that you don’t want to leave. We hopped back in the car and went over to Glendale, Kentucky and walked around the town. Had to setup the tripod to score this True Kentucky shot.

The next day included a stop at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. They’re pretty certain he lived here, but you can’t really know anything for sure.

I’m glad I got to hang out with my sisters in Kentucky. It was a nice time and I was forced to relax due to there being not much to do. I don’t know if I would recommend anyone to go to Kentucky, but if you find yourself there you might be able to fall in love with that country pace or stumble upon a hidden gem like Mammoth Cave.
