Mammoth Cave: Weird stories of fish, TB, mummies and more

by Jamie Rhein on

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is the largest known cave system in the world and one of the United States’ oldest tourist attractions. Because of its unusual geological characteristics, the cave has been a backdrop for downright odd aspects of human endeavors. Even nature has tossed in some weirdness for good measure.

The first time I visited Mammoth Cave National Park was as a child. What I remember most are the odd tales told by the tour guide. Of course, the vastness of the various chambers and the narrow squeezes of passageways between them did add a mysterious awe to my experience but the guide’s stories are what have resonated.

When I revisited Mammoth Cave as an adult years later, the weird details I remembered were still part of the tour guide’s routine. If you visit the cave, depending upon the tour you take, perhaps these details will stay with you also. Tours range from 30 minutes to more than four hours.

For 10 weird things about Mammoth Cave, keep reading.

10 Weird (or unusual )Things about Mammoth Cave

Weirdness 1: This is more unusual than weird but it is information that you can pull out at a party. If you put the second and third longest caves together, Mammoth Cave would still be the world’s longest by 100 miles.

Weirdness 2: In 1830, a preacher would gather people together for church in the cave. He would take all their lanterns, set the lanterns at the edge of the rock ledge where he stood, and preach about good and evil and the fear of God. The people couldn’t leave because he had the lanterns.


Weirdness 3: Stephen Bishop, a 17-year-old slave, gave tours of the cave to wealthy white people until he was sold (along with the cave) to a new owner. Under his new owner, Bishop became one of the cave’s greatest explorers and, even after he gained freedom, was unable to move away from the cave’s pull despite his plans to move to Liberia. He died from unknown causes a year after he became free.

Weirdness 4: Because large portions of Mammoth Cave are dry, items left there can remain intact for years and years and years. This includes dead bats and bodies of Native Americans who lived in the area thousands of years ago. (Keep this weirdness in mind; it is connected to Weirdness 5.

Weirdness 5: The mummified bodies of the Native Americans were taken outside of the cave to be used as traveling shows.

Weirdness 6: The traveling mummy shows helped grow interest in Mammoth Cave. When the cave started its reign as a tourist site, it was considered to be exotic.

Weirdness 7: In 1843, a doctor set up a tuberculosis ward in the Main Cave near the Star Chamber where he treated 16 patients. The idea was that because the cave was dry, it would help the patients’ lungs heal. It was a decent idea that didn’t work. Because of the cave’s cool temperatures, plus the fires from cooking and heating, the patients didn’t get better. After patients started to die, the doctor gave up the idea of a cave holding a cure. He died of TB a few years later.

Weirdness 8: In the early 20th century music concerts were held in certain chambers of the cave. This included bringing in food to set up a festive atmosphere.

Weirdness 9: Because of Mammoth’s Cave popularity in the 1920s, people who owned other caves in this part of Kentucky would stop travelers on the road to tell them lies about Mammouth Cave in order to get visitors to come to their caves instead.

Weirdness 10: There is a river that flows through part of the cave. Because of its darkness, the fish that live in it don’t have eyes. Depending upon the tour of the cave you take, you can travel by boat on this river.

Bonus weirdness: Up until 1976, the remains of a Native American named “Lost John” was on display in one part of the cave at the spot where he died. In 1976, it became illegal to have dead bodies on display in national parks so he was buried near where he was found.

The blind fish, Lost John and the TB hospital are the three things I remember the most. These recollections add to my thoughts about why it’s important to travel with children.

The details of the places children visit can instill a sense of mystery, curiosity and wonder that can last for a lifetime. Those feelings can keep you traveling.

Report lists America’s most polluted beaches

by Katie Hammel on

On Tuesday, the Natural Resources Defense Council released its annual Testing the Waters report, which lists the most polluted beaches at the country’s oceans, lakes and bays.

The worst offenders have been on the list for several years, with contamination levels exceeding national standards anywhere from 60% to 90% of the time. The top beaches for contamination include Shired Island, Florida; Kings at Stacy Brook, Massachusetts; and Joerse Park in Indiana.

The report lists the number of days that beaches were closed or that contamination warnings were issued. This year’s number, 20,000, is one of the highest in the 19-year history of the report. The full report also shows how often each beach checks its contamination level. While the majority perform checks every day, others lack the funds and only check the water a few times a week, so contamination levels may actually be higher than reported at some beaches.

The biggest culprit of beach pollution: stormwater run-off and poorly designed sewage systems. For those of you as grossed out as I am right now, don’t worry. The report also lists the beaches that are the cleanest.

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Unusual hotels around the U.S.

by Katie Hammel on

Ever wanted to stay in a treehouse? How about in a wigwam, a light house, or even 30 feet underwater? At hotels around the United States, you can indulge these wacky fantasies and more. From yurts to train cars, here are some of the most unique places to stay around the country.

Kokopelli’s Cave Bed and Breakfast – Farmington, New Mexico
Located in the cliffs of New Mexico, near Mesa Verde National Monument, Kokopelli’s Cave B&B is just what it sounds like – a hotel dug out of the rock, where guests sleep in a carved out cave 70 feet underground. It’s perfect as a home base for hikers who want to explore the surrounding area, or for couples looking for a luxurious, relaxing retreat.

Jules Undersea Lodge – Key Largo, Florida
Dive enthusiasts who stay at the Jules Undersea Lodge won’t have to go far to don their scuba suits. Actually, they’ll need to scuba dive just to get to the Lodge, which is located 30 feet below the sea. The Lodge still functions as an underwater research station and welcomes guests for overnight stays, but the claustrophobic may want to look elsewhere for accommodations.

Treebones Resort – Big Sur, California
Staying in a yurt, a kind of permanent tent structure, isn’t exactly roughing it at Treebones Resort. The yurts here feature hardwood floors and French doors, and restrooms and a large swimming pool are just a few steps away. The yurts overlook the Pacific Ocean and the resort offers several tours and activities.

Out’n’About Treehouses Treesort – Takilma, Oregon
Never had a treehouse as a kid? Here’s your chance to make up for lost time, spending the night in a souped up treehouse in the Oregon woods. The treehouses don’t have TV, phone, or air conditioning, but they do have comfortable queen beds, and some have kitchenettes and bathrooms. The treehouses are accessed by stairs, swinging bridges and zip lines and the resort offers a variety of active adventures for guests.

Dog Bark Park Inn – Cottonwood, Idaho
If you’ve ever dreamed of sleeping inside a two-story wooden beagle (because really, who hasn’t?), head to the Dog Bark Park Inn in north central Idaho. Billing itself as the “world’s largest beagle” the Dog Bark Park Inn may not be a destination unto itself – other than typical outdoor activities, there’s not much to lure you to Cottonwood, Idaho – but if a road trip brings you through the area, this will make for a memorable place to stay.

Aurora Express Bed and Breakfast – Fairbanks, Alaska
Sleeping on a train is nothing new. Sleeping in a retired rail car turned into a hotel is a little more unusual. Each train car on the Aurora Express Bed and Breakfast holds one to four hotel rooms, featuring lavish bedding and gilded decor reminiscent of the golden age of train travel. A dining car serves breakfast daily. The hotel is only open in summer months.

McMenamin’s Kennedy School – Portland, Oregon
For the ultimate trip down memory lane, head to Portland, Oregon and book a room at the Kennedy School, a hotel built out of a former elementary school. Many of the original furnishings remain and nearly every room plays on the educational theme. Sip a brewed on-site beer at the Detention Bar, party to live music in the gym, or tour the brewery housed in the former girls’ bathroom. Even the guest rooms get in on the fun theme. They are housed in converted classrooms and many still have their original desks and chalkboards.

America travel inspiration: Blue Highways

by Katie Hammel on

For many Americans, dream trips involve far-flung international destinations. Traveling thousands of miles from home to a foreign land just seems more exciting. You get to experience a new culture, sample unfamiliar cuisine, and of course, get that all-important passport stamp to add to your collection.

A trip within your own country just can’t compete with that. The food is the same, the history is shared, the language is (usually) easily understood and you don’t even have to exchange money. There’s nothing exciting or exotic about that. Or so you may think.

But travel around your own country with open eyes and an open mind and you may realize that the good old US of A isn’t as homogeneous as you thought. Approach your homeland with the same anthropological curiosity and cultural hunger than you do to foreign lands and you’ll see that there may be as much to learn about different regions in your own country as there is places on the other side of the world.

One of my favorite sources for inspiration to explore more of the U.S. is William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways: A Journey into America. Down on his luck Heat-Moon takes off on an epic journey around the country, sticking only to the two-lane country roads called blue highways. Along the way, he finds solace in the road and in the characters he meets on his journey. He explores the cultural differences that can exist between people of the same country and paints a captivating picture of life in rural and small town America. If you’ve never had much interest in traveling the lesser-known routes of the U.S., just wait until you see the country through Heat-Moon’s eyes. I know that I can’t read the book without feeling an urge to hit the open road and discover my own America.

Jay Leno’s traveling to his future song. What’s yours?

by Jamie Rhein on

Last night on The Tonight Show, Jay Leno’s musical guest was James Taylor. Before Taylor played, Leno told the story about why he picked Taylor to do the honors of Leno’s last show farewell. He said that as he was moving to California to give himself a shot at big time show business, he played James Taylor’s song, “Sweet Baby James.” The line “With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go” seemed apropos. [song after the jump]

Leno’s nostalgic look at a song significant to his life as he traveled from his past to his future by traveling to a new place, reminded me of my own traveling from my past to my future song.

When a friend and I traveled across the U.S. for three months–mostly by bus, after our two-years in the Peace Corps the song “America” by Simon and Garfunkel captured our emotional state the most. I remember looking out the bus window watching the scenery roll by while listening to that song with a shared Walkman and two pairs of headphones.

Neither of us had any idea what was ahead for us, but we were looking. Three months of interacting with the physical America helped with our direction. I ended up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and she headed to Washington, D.C. Since then, we’ve both traveled elsewhere.

Of all the experiences I’ve had in life, nothing was more strong than that move back to the U.S. from The Gambia, looking for a place to land where I would feel comfortable and thrive. Simon and Garfunkel were fitting companions on that journey.

By the looks of the hug James Taylor gave Jay Leno after he sang, Taylor’s song helped Leno find his way.

Have any songs helped you find your way as you’ve traveled to a new destination? Metaphorically or physically, it’s all part of the the traveler’s path. For more songs that have inspired us at Gadling, here’s our series Sounds of Travel. One of Annie’s songs was “America” as well.

And, here’s James Taylor singing “Sweet Baby James” in 1970. He’s traveled a bit himself since then.