Tag: photography

Patricia Rodeo 2025. Part 2.

Patricia Rodeo has never disappointed us, but I have to admit my favourite day is the ‘Little Britches’ on the Sunday.

I mean….what’s not to love about these little tiny people on huge horses…..handling them like pros.

The barrel racing is exciting with the full sized people……but nail bitingly riveting with the smaller ones.

….and here’s one that works as a slideshow……

As I put these together….it almost seems impossible to show just how much speed and movement is happening……especially when we get to the next heat of the Wild Horse race….

The kids don’t tackle the big animals…but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own battles…….here is calf wrestling…..teams of two have to get both the front end and the back end of the calf laying down….

Well…that’s what they are trying to do……

…but more often than not one gets a good hold…..and the other gets left….

…But boy oh boy they hang on…and keep trying….even when they get dragged around in the dirt…..

…..and hey get stomped on …(slideshow….click the right hand arrow)

Because you can’t succeed if you don’t try…..!!!!

Same kind of grit and determination in the Wild Pony Race. The kids don’t have to get a saddle on …they just have to get a person on the pony for one jump.

Those ponies aren’t big….but they are definitely pretty wild….!!!

Persistence pays off……..😆 (you just have to check out this slideshow…!!!)

A couple of years ago they were looking for a sponsor to add a purse for the junior pole bending…..so ….being big fans of this particular rodeo…we ponied up….LOL…!!!

Every day of the rodeo finishes with the chariots and the chuck wagons……the blogtographer looks for a different angle every year….this year he was eating dirt and fighting biting bugs at the top end of the track…..but I think it paid off…!!!

Another charming aspect of Patricia is the use of heavy horses to do the infield harrowing between events…..

…and back to the fury out on the track……

😁That’s it for 2025………….maybe……!!!

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Next one is a slideshow…these guys got totally spun around

…and this is another great slideshow…..

Patricia Rodeo 2025. Part 1.

For anyone who knows us, or has been following us…you know that one of our high points of the year is always the Patricia Rodeo. Not that I think we are ‘rodeo people’…whatever that may mean….but this small town Alberta event is something very special…..and that brings us joyfully back here every year.

It’s a combination of the warmth of this community that welcomes us back each time…and the event itself, which is a glorious combination of real stockmen cowboys demonstrating skills with an incredible, palpable respect for the animals they are working with, and the grit and determination of kids growing up not afraid to get dirty, fall over and take a few knocks…while the hands behind them make sure nobody gets badly hurt.

Not only are the competitors are impressive, but also the fantastic pick up men retrieving stock and protecting riders, the rodeo ‘clowns’ who are in there in a flash doing their thing distracting the massive bulls and steers, allowing the competitors to safely exit the arena …

..and the unseen stock handlers behind the chutes looking after these beasts and making sure no one or no animal comes to harm.

With the weekend admission fee of CAD$50 camping on the grounds is free…..and the trailers started arriving even before we did this year. We arrived on the Wednesday in plenty of time to claim our regular spot and greet all the familiar faces….but as the weekend approached more and more RV’s arrived and set up in circles of families and friends, gathering together for the highlight of the year. We get to know a few more faces each year.

The rodeo itself starts Friday evening with chuckwagons, chariots and also bulls and broncs….I think the blogtographer came and sat in the stands for that tho…!!!

The first big highlight of Saturday is the Wild Horse race……a bit different this year as Patricia is now an official stop in the Championship Wild Horse Racing. So 12 teams this year instead of the usual 6. Same bedlam tho…..

i have tried to put the sequence of the event in slideshows…..click or touch the arrow on the right hand side of the picture to see the next one.

Similar format…..the buzzer goes…the giant wild horses are released from the chutes wearing a halter and a short rope. Teams must wrangle their horse, get a saddle on him…then get a rider up there. The rider then presumably says a few extra prayers and hopes that the horse takes off around the track.

This next sequence is also a slideshow.

The winner makes it around and back through the north gate in the fastest time…..all under 6 minutes. It always seems like a lot longer than 6 minutes. (this link click is a video taken by one of the official photographers)

The barrel racing is a show of skill ….and some beautiful horses…..

We gained a whole new appreciation for the team roping after the Writing-on-Stone mini rodeo a couple of years ago.

The first roper goes….to rope the horns….

Then the second roper has to get both heels…..in one throw of his rope.

It amazes me every time they get it……and often very fast.

The next heat of the wild horse race……here’s a good sequence…another slideshow……(click/touch the arrow on the right.)

And while that’s happening …there are five other teams of guys trying to do the same. (and one girl….this year one of the teams had some girl power with a saddle.)

Always an event that gives us hope for the grit of future generations…..mutton busting……

So does the sequence work better as a gallery (above) or a slideshow (below)?

This next one was terrific….Darrel Robertson…the regular Patricia clown/entertainer had to run after this one to get him to let go….real tough cowboy in the making here….!!!

Darrel has been the head clown guy at this rodeo for many years….he is definitely one of the features that makes this event such a classic.

The last few years has seen the hard-working core of experienced volunteers who make this thing possible dwindle somewhat. To keep it alive, Rugged Rodeo was brought in to make it manageable…..this also brought new lighting to the arena which in turn made more evening events possible.

Bulls and broncs under the lights…..

Even a bit of team roping…….

…….and that’s only the first part of the story……

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I couldn’t resist putting this sequence in…..its just too cute…….same deal on the slideshow….look for the arrow on the right side of the picture and click/touch it to move through.

All part of lifes’ rich tapestry.

From Custer, South Dakota to home is still quite a journey. Luckily tho, another one of our favourite spots is very handily part way up the road.

Buffalo, Wyoming has some great little antique stores and outdoor stores (as well as a terrific craft brewery…. a wool mill…and a cowboy bar straight outta the movies..!!!)

So we broke the journey home by stopping for a couple of nights under the lovely shade trees at Indian Campground ……..

………and some wandering through the art stores and antique stores on Buffalo’s main street.

Then…its the decision whether to stop again in Billings..(another Harvest Host favourite at Canyon Creek Brewing……) or to just make that long haul home…..

This time…despite all the rain storms, as the daytime and night time temperatures were still pretty high…we decided that an overnight without power (ie no air conditioning) was probably less appealing than the long drive….. so decision made to make for home, we set off through the winding mountainous roads of the Black Hills of South Dakota…and then through the Bighorn Mountains.

After all the long steep grades through South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana……..around 10 miles shy of Billings Montana….we lost brakes….!!!!

As we gingerly pulled over to the shoulder …it was the trailer brakes that actually allowed us to stop. (Just before the highway dropped into a long steep descent) A quick look under the belly of the truck ……aaaaand…….brake fluid was pouring from the back end of the truck…..Not good….!!!

Thank the heavens for AAA…. (..click here… they have saved us before…!!!)

Now stopped on the shoulder of a very busy highway (speed limit 80mph)…..early morning so getting busier by the minute……..it was not long before the blue flashing lights of a patrolling state trooper appeared at the back of the trailer. Just checking in that everything was OK and we were being taken care of.

Many thanks to the officer who stopped……he actually moved his car back a bit to push the giant trucks out to the outside lane earlier to reduce the increasing buffeting we were experiencing as we sat. (State law requires traffic to move over for emergency vehicles)

I asked if it was OK to take his picture…and particularly that it was OK to publish. His response was that there were plenty of images of him out there on the internet ….but none of them with him smiling……LOL……

If you click the picture and enlarge it you will see the giant grin on his face….I just love it….!!!

The tow truck arrived…..

Hooked On U towing company. (Isn’t that just the BEST name for a towing business..!!)

We expected to be pulled off to the closest ‘safe ‘ spot…then the truck and trailer separated to be towed separately……but it was just under 10 miles to The Brake Shop in Billings……Matt hooked us up and towed the whole rig ….like a giant train….!!!!

It was impressive…..!!!!

The Brake shop in Billings …I could not sing their praises enough….they were great…..trailer parked in their back lot…they took the truck straight away…got the whole thing sorted, staying late to do it, and we were all set to be on our way again.

By this point it was late in the day….so Brewery it was..(Editor. OH NO I said, but I gave in)….nothing quite like a beer and a taco bus after a day like that…..oh…and to boot…it was happy hour when we got there…..so the day ended on a much happier note. When life gives you lemons….

We have learned to be very grateful that when these things happen to us…it seems like we are in the right place to have it all fixed….and have met so many truly magnificent people along the way.

It was good to get home though……despite the armpit high triffid-like weeds and grass..!!!

Good to be home……but the summer of storms…….or character building experiences was not yet over…..

One HUGE thunderstorm here at home saw our hydro (electric) pole hit by lightning…..yes the one right outside the bedroom window…!!!

It shattered, what I now know is the lightning arrestor…..a ceramic insulator…

The guy from Fortis Power had to be up there with one of our very large Ferruginous hawks screaming at him the whole time…!!!

Other than a loss of power for a few hours……oh…and it blew the control board on our well pump…..another learning experience……all was well with the world. (no pun intended…!!)

Cathedral Spires, Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake.

Still happily ensconced at Broken Arrow Horse Camp, we had another day to find some fun and frolics out on the trails. One of the great things about Custer South Dakota is that not only Wind Caves National Park is on the doorstep…but also Custer State Park (another gem)

(The two parks share a boundary….but interestingly are fenced to keep the bison herds separate. Wind Caves herd is genetically pure plains bison whereas the Custer State park herd has hybridized cattle DNA…..so the fence is there to try and keep them separate.)

One of our favourite hikes from this campground has been the trail up to Black Elk Peak. Rather than redo that one, I found a trail that ran parallel, but on the south side of Cathedral Spires. Black Elk Peak trail runs to the north of the Spires.

To reach this trailhead in Custer State Park….we travelled up Needles Highway……not like the needles highway from Route 66….this one is literally driving through the eye of the needle…..a tunnel through solid rock after a seriously serpentine narrow road to get there.

The pictures never truly reflect the steepness of the grade, the sharpness of the hairpin bends……or the horror of the sheer drop on the passenger side of the vehicle….!!!

The approach to the tunnel is impressive to say the least….

The tunnel is 8 feet wide and.9 feet and 9 inches tall……only wide enough for one vehicle at a time…and you had better turn off the proximity sensors as you pass through it.

I took video on our first pass through …. these pictures are on the return journey….

The road, after you pass through…does not improve any. The hard switchbacks and invisible corners on this perilous path carved out of the side of the cliffs is a whole experience unto itself.

On one of the switchbacks they have built a wall that shields parking spaces on either side…..a bit like the ones in Great Smoky Mountain National park…if you are lucky there will be a spot….if not…there is absolutely nowhere to stop.

We were lucky….and there was a parking spot.

The trail itself is a bit of a climb and rock scramble most of the way up. But the views are spectacular all the way.

Sometimes the view is ahead of you….or right beside you and up…..

….or sometimes when you stop for a breath and turn around to look down….

Hydration and frequent rests are crucial on these paths……this one is not a long hike …but it’s a decently challenging climb…..especially for the heat of this season.

Another rest and opportunity to turn around and look out…..and up…

Near the top the path levels out and continues along the base of the spires…

It was interesting to see the spires from the other side…..I’m still not sure how people manage to climb up to the top of them (When we did Black Elk Peak…we could see people standing on the tops of the spires…having climbed up)

As with most rock scrambley paths…the way down is about as entertaining as the way up…!!!

Even tho my guy carefully takes his pictures without other people in them….this was a fairly busy trail…..and getting busier as we descended.

Part way down we spotted this ‘eagle’. Its easy to see why these rock formations were sacred to the indigenous peoples…..there are so many ‘faces’ and ‘figures’ in these rocks. They don’t have to be sculpted to look like something.

Near the bottom there was a sudden roar….and fly by of some military jets…..Mr Blogtographer was pretty quick off the mark to get the camera up to get these shots.

On the way back…the drive back through the tunnel is just as exhilarating the second time.

We finished the day with the very scenic hike/walk around Sylvan Lake.

This is a very accessible spot and looks to be a great swimming hole…..but by the time we had done the other trail and explored the Needles highway it was late in the day and very busy. There was even a wedding party taking their shots on the lakeshore, spectacular back drop.

As many people as there are on the beaches….surprisingly few were on the hike around the lake. (it’s only a couple of kilometers)

Hidden behind the big rocks is the dam that holds the lake…the dam was built in 1819…..and quickly turned the area into a popular tourist spot…..and it is beautiful.

….and there were all these little fishies in the water…..!!!!

I had intended just a little stroll as we had been here before and the rock formations per the Black Hills are extraordinary (it’s like all those fake styrofoam rocks from the original 1960’s Star Trek episodes….except they are real….!!!) and turned out to be a much nicer walk than I had expected…..

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A close shave and a lone bull.

On our last visit to Custer SD….we had happened on the local barbershop, enticingly named ‘ A Dudes Place“, on the main street. It sparked a discussion about traditional wet shaves ( a service offered by this local barber) …after a bit of thought …….. Scott decided to give it a go……unfortunately we arrived too late in the day….and it had been our last day there

This time…..we got in ahead of the game. It’s a walk-in place….so in we walked and waited for the barber to finish the haircut before us.

The result was impressively smooth…and reportedly very comfortable. Would he do it again…….he did say yes….!!!! (Editor. It was a remarkably relaxing experience, I’d recommend it)

After the underground walk with the cave tour….we needed a proper hike to get the legs moving….and to get out there on the high plains and observe some local wildlife…..bison (at a distance…!!) and the prairie dogs (closer up..!!!)

It was hot so it needed to be a reasonably tame hike and we were looking for one not done before….Alltrails gave us the Lookout Point Trail

The Trailhead for this one (in Wind Caves National Park) was a lovely shaded spot….which was fortunate as it was a very warm day. We set out early to try to get ahead of the sun.

Most of the trails in Wind Caves National Park are very exposed, with these mostly treeless high plains covered with prairie grasses and prairie dog towns.

The trail itself was not entirely clear to begin with and I was mostly navigating with my phone and the Alltrails digital map.

Once we found the familiar marker posts (the ones bison had not pushed over…!!!) the trail became clearer.

Wind Caves National Park is at just over 5,000 feet above sea level…..it’s hard to imagine as you look at the prairie stretched out in front of you. In July with the heat….it really does feel like you are quite a bit closer to the sun.

Although quite a bit greener this year than any of our previous visits…..like most of central north America there has been quite a bit more rain than usual this year.

The trees up ahead were very welcome for a bit of relief from the beating sun. (If you have a look…I am actually in all of these pictures……that’s how BIG this place is)

After a stop for a bit of shade and some rehydration……the path led down through one of the prairie dog towns……..

…….always entertaining…they get so indignant when you walk through…LOL. ….and the babies are so stinking cute…!!!

To illustrate the scale of the prairie……can you spot me?….second picture with arrow if you can’t…!!!

About the midway point the path did take us through an area we had been in before… thankfully into a shaded portion of the trail…

A familiar portion of the path…but green and lush with wildflowers….

….and then as I turned the corner……what did I see….?

A large bull bison….standing looking at me………

…and closer than I would like to have been to a lone bull.

I hesitated !!!!

Another couple of tourists appeared behind us….walking at quite the clip (well he was……she was toddling along behind…!!) They passed us as I was plucking up the courage to pass this giant bull .

He turned around a couple of times and flumped down in the grass….

The lady tourist stopped in front of him and started snapping multiple pictures with her phone…stepping off the path and moving closer.

I seized my opportunity and sped along and past her (at this point I only had to run faster than her….and she was presenting herself quite well as a target if Mr Bison decided to be annoyed…)

My blogtographer laughed his blooming head off at my wussiness and sauntered along behind to capture the images of me actually getting close to the beast……(Editor. I have waited many years to capture her ladyship and a bison in the same frame.)

The two tourists disappeared as quickly as they had appeared…and again we were alone (no more bison either…!!)

Its a lovely path….but by now we were definitely fading a little in the relentless heat.

I was glad we chose to do this one counter clockwise so that the shaded parts were in the latter half.

The last gasp as the end of the trail is up in those yonder trees…..

That last little uphill was, for me anyway, challenging to make my legs keep going….

Other than wandering through the prairie dog towns with the little guys barking and shouting….as they do….that one bison was our only encounter.

It was around a 7km hike …but long enough with the heat and lack of shade…..but always a pleasure to be out there.

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Heading for home and a bit of wind….!!

John James Audubon State park totally lived up to expectations…what a beautiful place……but now….having reached the northwest corner of Kentucky and with a quick jump into Indiana, the journey home became a bit more earnest.

Our State Park stops in Kentucky and Tennessee had been such lovely experiences that I mapped out a few more for our journey west.

As we hit the highway we noticed that we were carrying a passenger……he(she?) valiantly held onto the hood for most of the journey.

When we stopped for gas he was nowhere to be seen …. I admit I was a little sad….!!!

Our first stop was an overnight in Finger Lakes state park Missouri. We made the mistake of taking I-70 to get there…..a very busy and desperately in need of resurfacing Interstate…..not the best for towing a trailer.(or transporting a stowaway..!!)

But the park was no disappointment.

And to my delight our little stowaway had moved back behind the cab for a better ride…he reappeared as we were setting up.

I checked to make sure katydids were also present in Missouri and found him a nice bush to settle in. I hope he is happy in his new home…

Back to the journey and an upside of a slight northward jog to get to this lovely state park was that the next part of the drive was on smaller and better roads…

Next stop Lake Manawa State Park in Iowa. It’s almost on the southeast corner of Omaha Nebraska and you can see the city not too far in the distance.

Lake Manawa was another lovely campground……and the sunset was truly spectacular….

Our next days driving took us into South Dakota….I was not finding any state parks in a convenient location so I picked a campground that was about the midpoint between Lake Manawa and our destination for a few days in Custer South Dakota.

As we pulled in we were the only trailer in the grounds….nicely laid out sites with shade trees…..and some interesting old tractors by our site.

A few more trailers pulled in through the evening…..and then a huge storm hit us overnight.

In the early hours of the morning the thunder and lightning was almost directly overhead and then a strike…and we lost power. As we drove out we were surprised to see one of the trees at the other end of the campground had met its demise (it was quite the storm…!!…..and the cat was not a big fan of the storm either)

Back to a familiar stomping ground in Custer, South Dakota…and a favourite campground at Broken Arrow Horsecamp. This would be our 4th time in this campground, it’s far enough from town to be quiet yet central for all the amazing sights and sites of the Black Hills area.

Although we have hiked many times within the park, the cave tour at Wind Caves National Park was a box yet to be ticked. We had never been enthused by the thought….but based on the surprising success of Mammoth Cave...and previously Jewel Cave National Monument…we decided it was worth a shot.

I would have to say…it was not as scary as I might have previously thought….and it was interesting…..but a pale shadow of the Mammoth Cave experience. The rock formations were varied and impressive but the scale of Mammoth was on another level.

There are some fantastic rock and mineral formations….

….and as always….the rangers were superb.

I guess that’s us done with cave tours…we will stick to the high plains hikes and bison sightings.

Kentucky. A walk with Mr. Audubon

When researching the route home, and checking out State Parks along the way (Kentucky and Tennessee have such lovely State Parks) I found what for me was an absolute treasure. Knowing that everything has to be somewhere….but this was not like the little delights of stumbling on Hemingway’s birthplace, or the very first KFC…this one had me super excited and determined that we were going to stop there…..The John James Audubon State Park (yes that Audubon…the bird guy) in Henderson, Kentucky. Henderson is a small town on the northwest corner of Kentucky….handily on our way….but having found it…we were going there anyway.

It seemed like we had been travelling in thunderstorms and heavy rain since leaving home in May….and this short journey from Bowling Green to Henderson was no exception. The torrential rain in this part of the world is like driving into a waterfall…we have never experienced rain quite like it. Traffic on the highway slows to a crawl, then you hit the wall of water.

As we pulled into the campground there was yet another storm approaching…we backed the trailer into our spot as the wind lifted the tree branches and blew a flock of leaves through the park…..we nailed the spot….leapt out of the truck and into the trailer just as the heavens opened.

Even with the coverage of large shade trees the rain on the roof was thunderously loud…..the windows opaque with the sheer volume of water pouring down them. In minutes the culverts were overflowing and the tarmac roads turned into rivers.

It was impressive.

After the storm passed the surface water drained remarkably quickly ….demonstrating (we believe) just how ‘normal’ that kind of weather is in this part of the world, they’re prepared.

Kentucky is incredibly lush and green and John James Audubon State Park campground is no exception to that description. We had skillfully picked a site with beautiful tall mature shade trees.

A short trip into the park is the Audubon Museum, which along with the park, campground and museum are run by the Friends of Audubon. The trails run through the forest that Audubon himself habited and observed the rich variety of birdlife and other creatures that inspired his life’s work.

The short version of the Audubon story…he was an oddball of his time….an artistic creature who, with the unswerving support of his wife created an incredible collection of artwork depicting both birds and animals. He worked and pushed the print industry to catch up to the ability to reproduce his artwork in print form.

The museum follows the journey of his life, his work…and the work of his sons as they continued after him. Much of the exhibit is the plates from his original “The Birds of America’ volume. But there are a few original paintings. My favourite was one found in his personal belongings….it is not large like the engraved plate printings …its a small painting of a bird (Rose breasted Grosbeak), only a few inches in height on the page….but its such an extraordinary, almost magical little painting that I had to keep on going back to stare a it a little more. Sadly no photography allowed. ….and yes I had to temper the experience with the knowledge that he had killed every one of his subjects……but everything must be viewed with the context of the historical period……and it does not change the fact that he was an extraordinary artist.

Behind the museum is the trailhead for the many hiking trails through the forest. None of them particularly challenging from a physical point of view…(other than the crippling humidity)…but…for me anyway…this forest was like something out of a fairytale.

The tall trees, the bustling bird life….and the fluttering leaves creating a dappled light that almost had a life of its own.

My grandmother, my mother and her sisters were all great bird enthusiasts…..I hope they were all with me on my shoulder that day…they would have loved that place…I could easily imagine their voices and their rapt expressions following those paths.

A little way in, at the side of the path is this natural wonder….a grapevine…

from conversations we had with the rangers and some local people this is a well trodden path….a favourite stroll for locals….easy to see why…..

Down by the lake itself there are boardwalks…..it’s very swampy and with all the recent rain the water levels were high. As we reached the middle of the boardwalk we heard the plop plop of turtles dropping into the water….they were too quick…we missed them with the camera (as with most all of the birds..!!) Then…as we rounded the corner we spotted some more….

When we stopped for the blogtographer to get some shots….this little guy came and landed first on his hand (all of my pictures were discarded for being out of focus..!!) then moved to his leg so he could take a shot with the ‘big camera’…LOL….and a slightly different angle on the turtle cluster.

As we crossed the end of the lake….a bald eagle swooped…grabbed something and left again before I could even blink never mind grab my camera….

BTW…the next pic…..I am on the stairs…..checking out butterflies….

We found some really cool fungi…….

….and then we were back at the museum……

What a great place this park is…..I am so glad I spotted it on the parks list.

Our last day we drove over to the Wetland Trail…. (a five minute drive)

After even more torrential rain where the weather advisories were telling people to stay home and not travel the roads for fear of flash flooding, the wetlands were truly wet…..!!!

Thankfully there’s a boardwalk system……

The surrounding fields were filled with these hibiscus looking marsh mallows….and all kinds of other weird looking plants.

There is an island in the middle of the wetland with a loop trail around……it was pretty muddy….

To our delight we met this little chap…..who did his very best to look threatening……we think he’s a Red Swamp Crayfish, about 3″ long

About halfway around the loop the trail became too waterlogged to continue

So we made our way back through the mud…..

Another small soldier hopped out to challenge us…..the mud pile is his home…..judging by the number of these mud mounds he had lots of friends and neighbours around…..

By the time we got back to the boardwalk our boots had accumulated dinner plate sized lumps of claylike mud…walking was becoming awkward….

It took a bit of dabbling in puddles and scraping to leave it all behind…..it was heavy too…..

We did not succeed in taking pictures of birds or butterflies (black swallowtails and spicebush swallowtails )….but they were spectacular……maybe this is a place you should visit…..if you have not already…..!!!

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Back to Kentucky 2 ….One Mammoth step ahead of claustrophobia.

We arrived at Mammoth Cave National Park with no real expectations, but it was much busier than we predicted with no tickets left for the Historic Tour on the first day we were there…so we booked what we could…which was the last slot in the afternoon of the following day. Although not terribly convenient for us, it’s great to see these sites being well appreciated.

The self guided tour has less restriction on numbers so we did it as a ‘taster’ for the ranger led tour. It turned out to be a quite magnificent experience and left us quite excited for the next day.

We took the opportunity in the morning for the Green River Bluffs above ground hike…..then munched our packed lunches and headed for the gathering point.

Really lucked out with this tour selection (being the end of the day) as there was a much smaller than usual number of people (37 instead of 110).

There was a list of dire warnings from the rangers to not go in if you had heart conditions, breathing issues, claustrophobia, fear of heights etc. Honestly…they keep you moving at a steady pace as there’s a lot of terrain to cover and the whole thing is so darn fascinating that you kinda forget how far underground you are…..

The lead Ranger stopped at this historic point to show us the ‘pictures’ on the ceiling….

There are coloured mineral patches on the ceiling that look like bears, and a grim reaper….

Maybe you have to actually be there to see it……but apparently this has been part of the tourist presentation since the very first tours in the cave back in 1816.

You really can see some pretty awesome scenes in the ‘pictures’….but maybe its a bit like staring at clouds and seeing balloon animals…LOL

The pace continues through the cave….one Ranger in the lead and one as the caboose making sure no one is left behind……we were hanging back at the rear to try to take some pictures without the whole group in them….

Deep into the cave there is lots of 1800’s graffiti. Names and dates of often slaves who were some of the first tour guides. They daubed the letters using soot from tallow candles. It’s remarkably neat.

The bottomless chasm……there is (thankfully) a rail….no I did not look down…!!!

The way they described the next part of the cave….fat mans misery…..an hourglass shaped channel through the rock…..

I was dreading just how narrow it might be…..other than the rock being a bit slimy…..it wasn’t that bad…!!!

Then ‘tall mans agony’…..a challenge on the neck creeping through…..This is where I’d expect claustrophobia to catch up with us, but you’re moving along at such a clip I think we were staying just ahead of it.

At the lowest point that the tour goes to…86M/263ft…there is a big chamber that is one of the places that fills with water after stormy weather…..the recorded flood levels had reached record highs a couple of times this year……again….it was a place you had to be standing in to really appreciate how impressive the thought of it being filled with flood water…!!!

Then we started climbing again….

to ‘the fire tower’…the rock formations here were massive…..these cone shaped vertical channels look like something out of a sci-fi movie……and the 270 stairs up had a real ‘Batman Begins’ look to them

… the long ascent up these wet and slimy (and numerous..!!) stairs….

I have to say it was almost disappointing to come to the end….it sure did not feel like 2 hours down there……

The Rangers do a great job……the lead Ranger explained at the end that they pass the stories and the histories down largely by word of mouth…the intent being to keep this Historic tour as authentic to the origins of the Mammoth tourist experince as they can.

I am still blown away by how much I/we enjoyed this experience. What started as a ‘push the comfort zone’ turned out to be a ‘so glad I did that’ life experience.

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Back to Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park.

Continuing north and beginning the travel westward (towards home) took us back through Kentucky, but this time on the west side of the state. We had bypassed Mammoth Cave National Park on the journey south…so we took the opportunity to visit on the return northward. As I searched the campgrounds around the area , and found a Boondockers Welcome site just 15 minutes from the park gate…… Ideal.!!

This BW host had power and water available…bonus in the warm, humid July weather in Kentucky.

Mammoth Cave NP, despite its proximity to The Great Smoky Mountains (the US’s most visited park) is one of the least visited parks. I’m not sure why….we found it to be a fabulous place to visit.

On our first trip in to the park we booked tickets to do the self guided tour into the first part the Mammoth cave system. Being a bit on the claustrophobic side, I was expecting this to be slightly challenging…….but no……. Mammoth Cave is just that….mammoth….!!! Going down the steps into the cave you transition from that warm humid air of the surrounding forest….. quickly into the cool 54F (12C) of the cave.

After moving through the security gates at the entrance, the cave quickly opens up into the Rotunda, a chamber that feels like a huge ballroom. The dome of the chamber looks like a carefully crafted coffered ceiling.

There is a bit of an adjustment to the low light and a realisation that a flashlight would have been a good thing to bring.

At the far end of the area available for this self guided tour we met and chatted with a young and enthusiastic ranger who had many stories and insights into the history of the cave.

Like much of Kentucky and Tennessee, the cave has its own history of enslavement. It was a rich source of saltpeter during the War of 1812 when slaves were utilised to extract the minerals to feed the war machine. (NB. The Revolutionary war ended in 1783 and resulted in the Declaration of independence of the United States from British rule. The War of 1812 was about establishing Maritime rights and resolving trade restrictions imposed by the British fleet hence requiring a domestic source of gunpowder ingredients…!!!)

Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world…..with much of it still unexplored. The whole system has been formed by water seeping down through the limestone layers…….the architecture of the walls and ceiling are a testament to the power of water and time.

On our way back out we were fortunate to meet up with the young ranger again as he shared more stories and pointed out some of the relics found in the cave from its pre 18th century history.

We were quite enthralled by the cave….so the plan for the next day was to find an above ground hike for the morning and then follow the Historic Tour underground in the afternoon.

The Green Bluffs Trail.

Green Bluffs trail was the overground choice. We packed a lunch and a change of clothes. (It was a very warm and very humid day……this part of the world seems to experience sudden short thunderstorms with impressive….but thankfully short downpours)

….and set off on the trail.

The trail follows a high path above the Green River, luckily in shade most of the way.

The trail weaves back down to the river…….we followed the boardwalk out of curiosity and found that it led to the outflow river from the cave itself….

Continuing on the path which was not the most challenging we have ever done….but definitely as hard as one wanted to be working in the humidity.

Beautiful trail….strangely no bugs…!!! (not complaining)…then a bit of a diversion as they were constructing boardwalks on part of the trail.

We found one of the strangest….and coolest fungi I have seen on our travels……

….and much evidence that the river has seen very large volumes of water recently. The ford and boat launch were closed and you could see how high the muddy waters had flowed recently.

Due to the harvesting of the early settlers, the native trees of the area have been largely replaced by maples which were considered low quality lumber…..so were not harvested thereby reseeding and becoming the dominant tree species…..

a very beautiful morning…..but now we were ready for the cool cave in the afternoon…….after a sandwich and a lot of re-hydrating.

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Tennessee 4. Nashville and the Hermitage.

We were so close to Nashville that we just had to go.

I know we don’t generally venture into city centres….but this was Nashville. The bourbon search was uninspiring as, again, most of the distilleries were moonshine…..or just not that appealing. Yes, I know….Jack Daniels is there…..but we had already decided that we were not there to do any of the big name brands.

Instead we opted to find a cute little breakfast spot…and wander around Music Square….

….wandering past Sony Publishing…

….Carnival music…

..and across the street from it……the original RCA Studio…..

….and just some interesting buildings and architecture…

On Sunday evening we took a trip in to check out Broadway in Nashville anticipating it being a little less crazy on a Sunday.

This town is craaaaazy….and loud….every bar on the strip (and pretty much every building is a bar) all windows and doors open and live music playing from every single one.

We stopped at Roberts...based on a recommendation from a friend…..had a beer, some snacks ….and listened to some pretty good music…

On the walk back to the car (wishing I’d put on my cowboy boots …. absolutely everyone on the street was wearing cowboy boots…!!!) we passed the Johnny Cash Museum…..

….and detoured off across the Shelby street footbridge…..

…..just at the right time to catch some filming for Nashville 911…a scene where an Airstream trailer had been lodged on a road bridge by a tornado……seemed oddly appropriate….!!!( not the tornado part…!!)

The Hermitage.

We found a little special ‘off the beaten track’ thing in the form of Andrew Jacksons Hermitage. Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States…and by all accounts a very interesting man.

” I was born for a storm and a calm does not suit me.’

He was a complicated man…the first self made (common man) to rise to the office of president….he was the only US president to pay off the national debt. He was also credited with creating the foundation of what would become the Democratic party………but he was also a slave owner….and the president responsible for the ‘Trail of Tears’ and displacing thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral land. He also believed the only way to avoid the inevitable slide into corruption of politicians was term limits.

Its always difficult to truly judge the character of historical figures…there are so many factors involved in their actions which are so different to the values we hold in present times. So perhaps best to describe him as fierce…and influential.

The Hermitage itself is another facility run by a group of ‘friends’. They protect its architecture and history for good, for bad and the future.

The original floor coverings, fancy wallpaper and furniture all intact.

The tour we booked allowed us onto the balcony.

…and also afforded us the privilege of taking pictures inside the house.

Alfred’s house is a real window into a life being ‘owned’.

Alfred was born a slave on Jacksons estate…..and was one of the few who stayed after becoming officially freed by emancipation. He led tours of the property once it was opened to the public, living his life in this very small cottage…and was buried in the gardens after his death.

The gardens were created by Jacksons wife , Rachel. (hers is a tragic story). The mausoleum Jackson built for her, and eventually himself, is central in the garden…the place she loved most.

The tour guide we had, Brian…..was excellent….knowledgeable, and patient. The group had many questions and he had a wealth of information to give.

The answer he gave us to the question ‘Was Andrew Jackson a good slave owner?”…was really the only answer possible…..”There is no such thing as a good slave owner”

The Hermitage is a lovely, but sobering place to visit. But it is important to acknowledge the reality of history….whether we like it….or not.

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