Morning Ride to Mammoth Cave!

Our ride to Mammoth Cave was a fun one, I was second to last in the group and the sheep herder behind me was hilarious! Every time we passed a herd of sheep I'd look back to see if Spencer was still behind me and he'd be off the trail following the sheep with his 4 wheeler. One time I was close enough to hear him baa-ing at them! I was just waiting for him to ask if we wanted mutton for dinner!

Right before we reached Mammoth Cave we came to the very top of the mountain range, it was so pretty & green with all kinds of flowers in different colors. For some reason I became so over whelmed, maybe it was because I was thinking about the sheep & searching for one if had became lost like the Lord. For some reason I couldn't help but think about how our Heavenly Father knows each of us so intimately, as he does all of his creations, and never wants any of us to be lost. It was a very quick reminder as I look across the mountain top, of how very small my part is in the whole scheme of things, and how truly beautiful this world is....

Any ways, Mammoth Cave just confirmed what I was already thinking...I knew a little bit about the cave from coming when I was a kid. My Grandfather would go with other young men from panguitch and cut blocks of ice from the cave. They would rap the ice in hay & cloth to take it back & use in their ice boxes to keep there food good for the summer. (remember I'm talking about a long time ago...they used wagons to get there, not 4 wheelers or cars)
The Cave it self was made from an air bubble in the lave as it moved to the surface and popped. The cave was about a 1/2 mile long, it's home to 5 different kinds of bats (which we didn't see, or Kasi may of had a heart attack) and had to have a gate put in front of one of the entrances to stop large animals from hibernating there in the winter. Well, the gate created a bit of a challenge for all of us, (especially Todd) with such a small opening very low to the ground! Once we were in, it was rather comical as we all moved blindly over rock after rock. We had two flashlights, Darwin in the front, & Todd in the Back. The flashlight helped some but most of us spent our time hanging onto the walls or ceiling to help us navigate over the rocks. It was nice and cool inside and became more and more damp as we worked our way to the back. Finally at the very end of the cave we started to get stuck in mud from all the water that had been dripping from the ceiling. I almost lost a shoe, and we all had a fare amount of mud on our feet at the end!
Some of my favorite comments made in the dark!
"Wouldn't it be funny if my flashlight went out?" - Darwin.
"Babe where are you? That's just like my husband not to need a light!" - Miriam. Ouch! My ankle....I can't believe I'm doing this!" - Todd.
"Ooh, I just touched something furry!" - Jared. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" - Kasi.
"_______________________" - Spencer.
"This was fun!" - Sara.
The pictures are of: Spencer & Miriam by the opening of the cave, Sara & Darwin followed by Kasi climbing in, Todd dealing with the small whole in the gate, Todd shining his light to Darwin across the mud while Darwin shines back, and the girls on there way out! (Miriam, Sara & Kasi)