Day 73: Springfield, TN Rest Day

Day 73

July 28, 2015

Miles: 0

Springfield to Springfield

We got up a little after 8:30am this morning.  Today is a rest day and when I remembered that when I awoke earlier at 6:30am, it made me so happy to turn over and go back to bed.  The free breakfast at the Hampton Inn is decent, so we headed downstairs and were eating breakfast by 9am.

Di eating a decent free breakfast

There have been a few comments regarding the lack of other patrons in the restaurants when we are dining.  I'm not sure why this happens.  Most of the towns we ride through are very small, so there just aren't that many people around to begin with.  Also, we tend to each lunch around 1:30pm and that is a time when most people have already eaten, so there is another probable cause for the lack of people.  But I have to admit that the suggestion that perhaps folks don't want to be around a couple of cyclists who have been riding in the sweltering heat has a lot of merit.  I know I would probably lose my appetite if I was in a restaurant and two cyclists riding through the heat of a mid-west summer plopped themselves down next to me.

We ate our breakfast and walked a mile and a half to the car rental office.  I remarked to Di that we didn't see a single person walking outside.  It became painfully obvious after ten minutes of walking why nobody else was outdoors - it was incredibly hot!  We were not a pretty sight when we finally arrived at the car agency.  This made me think of something else that has been commented upon: the lack of people walking around the towns we ride through.  I thought the reason for this is because folks had moved out of the towns and nobody was around anymore.  Now I'm wondering if its because people have too much good sense than to be outside in the summer when its hot and humid.  Obviously, because Di and I are riding our bikes through this weather, we have not been endowed with that good sense.

We picked up our car and rode the 80 miles to Mammoth Cave.  We signed up for a two tour that would have us walking over two miles of the cave.  You might think that a cave that is two miles deep is a large cave and you would be right.  This cave, however, is not just a large cave, it is a mammoth cave and as such, its passages total close to 400 miles long.  That fact alone is remarkable, but what is truly amazing is to be in the cave itself. The passageways are at times narrow and at other times so large they are used as an amphitheater complete with rows of seats.  Flash photography was prohibited and the cave was dimly lit, so I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures below.

Di navigating a passageway of Mammoth Cave

A vertical shaft created by falling water

Di going into one of the less spacious passageways

The view down from one of the ledges

Di enjoying her cave walk

Some of the dark recesses were actually other passageways

Rows of benches turned this cave room into an amphitheater

Some of the rock has fallen from the ceiling exposing the smooth layer that was once mud

The dripping water calcified into interesting patterns

This part of the cave is called Frozen Niagara

Another part of Frozen Niagara

Calcified drippings clinging to the ceiling are called stalactites

Stalactites

Another view of Frozen Niagara

A Di-prevention rail was in place to keep us from harm

More stalactites

Stalactite close-up

Looking up a vertical shaft from the cave floor

We finished our tour and drove the car back to the rental agency.  The folks there were kind enough to arrange a ride for us back to the hotel - they were shocked we had walked there in the morning and insisted upon giving us a ride.  They must have thought we lack sense enough to stay out of the summer's heat and I guess they would be right.

Tomorrow we ride to Nashville!  Its only 30 miles away, so it should be an easy day.