The trip from Asheville, NC to Cave City, KY was wet but uneventful. Stargazer had a full day of no functional or human challenges. At this point in the trip we are getting about 18 miles per gallon.

In Cave City, outside Mammoth Cave National Park, our camping location for the evening was Rock Cabin Camping. Nice guy running it, but no work had been done on the campground in over 50 years. We do not care much for comforts, but it is not clear why Rock Cabin Camping gets a 4.7 average score by past campers.

We got to Mammoth Cave National Park early and connected with a fellow New Hampshire traveler, Don Crowell (who was wearing an Angels hat and knew who Don Mincher was). Don was traveling back from Colorado where his daughter lives. Melinda, Otto and I had a great hike along Green River and then attended the Historic Mammoth Cave Tour with Don. Upon entering the Cave, the the temperature dropped from 75 degrees to 55 degrees. Our tour guide was terrific and we saw great sites and learned a lot about the history of Mammoth Caves.

We left Mammoth Cave National Park and headed west where we stayed at Wranglers Ranch; the three of us and lots of horses. We learned that horse enthusiasts travel in an RV/trailer where both the horse and humans live. During the night a pack of nearby coyotes were yipping, causing Otto to howl. BTW: While driving through Kentucky we noted the number of sheds in backyards and businesses selling sheds.

The next morning we drove through the Elk & Bison Prairie where we saw many elk and bison. We continue to marvel at the many wonderful state and national parks and how well they are maintained for public use.

Next stop was Paducah and the National Quilt Museum. The quilts were incredible and true works of art. Kaffe Fassett’s works were on display and the colors were incredible. We toured the 2023 School Block Challenge, including quilt blocks made by K-12 students. We suggest you search out Velda Newman’s larger than life quilts. After the Museum Melinda checked out some of the local quilting stores.

We survived the big rainstorms that hit Kentucky today. BTW: This past winter Otto was agitated by snow falling off the roof of the house. On this trip at times he is spooked by rumblings of the car and thunder. Tomorrow we head to Hot Springs, Arkansas.