One of the things I love about blogging is that it gives me
an opportunity to answer some of those “Why … ?” questions which always seem to
be rolling around in my head. Case in
point time zones and, more specifically, why some states in the U.S. actually have
two different zones. We first
encountered this phenomenon when touring Idaho back in 2002, but I never addressed
it then. When it happened to us again, I
decided to do a bit of poking around to discover “Why … ?”
In 1878, a man named Sanford Fleming proposed the idea of dividing the world
into 24 equal zones to combat the Earth’s rotation and afford everyone the same
number of hours for daylight regardless of where they lived. Several years later railroads jumped on the
bandwagon as they pushed westward and needed standard times to properly
schedule their trains. In 1918, Congress
conceded and passed the Standard Time Act.
Four time zones in the United States—Eastern, Central, Mountain and
Pacific—became official.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy. The map dividing our country into time zones
doesn’t always follow state lines. The determination
as to how to set the clock became a political matter. Governments of towns and villages located at
the points where a time zone intersects a state ultimately decided in which
they wanted to be.
There are actually 13 states comprised of two time zones,
one of which I was surprised to learn is Michigan. Most
of the Mitten State is in the Eastern Time Zone, but the counties of Dickinson,
Gogebic, Iron and Menominee in the western Upper Peninsula are in the Central
Time Zone. Who knew? Kentucky is also
one of the two-zone states. As we travelled
south from Lincoln’s Boyhood Home and headed to another national park, we
crossed into the Central Time Zone and gained an hour. I love when that happens! (Yeah, I know. That was
kind of a long segue ... )
We
arrived at Mammoth Cave National Park shortly before noon. The Visitor Center was teeming with tourists,
but that was expected. Not only was it a
holiday weekend, but during peak season the park receives 5,000-7,000 visitors
daily. Although advanced reservations are
available for various cave tours, we decided to wing it. Despite the masses, we had no problem scoring
tickets. I really wanted to do the six-hour Wild Cave Tour which allows you to
go off trail, but Mark wasn’t eager to jump into that hole. We compromised, settled on the Historic Tour,
and journeyed for two hours over two miles along a route that has been followed
for 200 years. Consider yourself warned
… taking photos of caves in low light conditions in a place that doesn’t allow
camera tripods is bad enough, but throw in having to keep pace with 120 of our
newest friends and pictures are bound to be sketchy.
Even before we descended through
the historic natural opening discovered in 1798, we felt a change in
temperature. Needless to say, the cool 54
degrees was a welcomed relief from the oppressive heat topside.
We traveled along the main underground
avenue and learned about the cave’s formation, history and unique
features.
Whoever was responsible for naming the caverns of central
Kentucky was spot on. With over 390
miles of surveyed passageways, Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in
the world. And geologists believe there
could still be another 600 miles of undiscovered tunnels. Ginormous?
Ya think? We felt dwarfed upon
entering the massive labyrinth but were in total awe.
Mammoth Cave is
compromised of limestone and, like most major caves, was formed slowly as the
calcium carbonate was dissolved by water seeping into the ground. As the water worked its magic, the
limestone eroded and a honeycomb of underground passageways and rooms emerged. Interestingly,
this is an ongoing process and the cave continues to form today. The limestone ridges are capped by a
protective upper layer of sandstone, almost 50 feet thick in some places, which
render this cave system very stable.
The history of these caves dates back thousands of years,
from Native American Indians who hunted the Green River valley to European settlers
who mined for saltpeter to make gunpowder.
By the end of the War of 1812, the notoriety of Mammoth Caves had grown
and more people started to visit. Stephen
Bishop soon became one of its well-known guides.
Bishop was an African-American slave of then-cave owner
Frank Gorlin. At Gorlin’s directive, he
explored many miles of the vast cavern, was one of the first people to make
extensive maps of the system and named many of the cave’s features. He began guiding visitors at the age of 17 by
lamplight and continued to do so until he died in 1857. He is interred in the park’s cemetery located
above the cave.
Photo from nps.gov
Our present-day tour was lit by the conveniences of modern
technology and led by park rangers who detailed the old saltpeter mine works
and pointed out the cave’s unique formations.
The website had warned that this was not the tour for those prone to
fear of heights or claustrophobia, as was evidenced by the Bottomless Pit—which
drops 105 feet
deep—and Fat Man’s Misery. Donut lovers beware!
The large cavern which follows this narrow tunnel is
actually 280 feet below the surface.
Though it has been excavated and is now easier to navigate, when Bishop
first explored this area of the cave it was barely large enough for him to
crawl through. When he reach the cavern,
he named it the Hall of Great Relief.
Amusingly, restroom facilities have been built at this site. Coincidence or just a cheesy guide spiel?
As with any ecosystem, Mammoth Cave has its own interactive
biological community. More than 130 forms
of life inhabit the cave system and have acclimated to living in darkness. They include eyeless fish and shrimp, cave
crickets and snails. And bats. In fact, there are an estimated 9-12 million
living in just the Historic section of the cave. Rats … now you tell me. Snakes I can handle. Spiders?
No problem. But I absolutely
abhor mice, and in my mind bats are mice with wings. Good thing we only crossed
paths with one of them!
But I do recognize measures must be made to protect
nature in all forms and was troubled to learn that White-Nose Syndrome is
considered to be present in Mammoth Cave.
While it is not harmful to humans, since the fungus was discovered in
2006 it has been responsible for killing more than 1 million bats throughout
the eastern U.S. In an effort to contain
and control it, everyone who participates in a tour is required to walk on bio
security mats saturated with Lysol after exiting the cave.
The grand finale of the Historic Tour was Mammoth Dome. Short of backtracking for two miles and two
hours, the Mammoth Dome Tower connecting the lower cave trail to the upper cave
trail is the only way out. Climbing 138
steps of a steep steel tower to transcend a cavernous dome which stretches 192
feet from floor to ceiling? Okay, I’ll
confess to a wee bit of acrophobia here.
Back on top the surface area of the park includes over
47,000 acres of the picturesque hills and woodlands of Kentucky.
They are perfect for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and canoeing or kayaking. Had we more time and the heat been more bearable, we would have meandered down a trail or two to see more of the native flora and fauna, sinkholes and historic buildings. We opted instead for an air-conditioned scenic drive around the park, which at one point involved fording the Green River via ferry!
There’s so much more to see and do at Mammoth Cave National
Park than what we obviously could accomplish in a half-day. A return trip is definitely in order. I may be prone to a fear of heights on occasion, but
that won’t stop me from further exploration of what lies underground. I have no qualms about donning knee pads, a
hard hat and head lamp to belly-crawl through rarely-visited muddy passages
and explore in the dark. I just need a willing
partner in slime. Any takers?
1 comment:
Ok, I'll comment.
She's back, she's back!!!! So glad she's back. Keep em' comin', cause we lovem'.
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