Day 2 vacation 2007

Day two started off with and interesting twist. We got up everyone was organized went down to breakfast and just as we were leaving a lady comes up to Don and hugs him like they are long lost cousins. Well I don't think the long lost part is correct but it was his cousin Donna and her husband. Now we are in the little town of Horse Cave, Kentucky and we run into his cousin from Pittsburgh, isn't that neat. I have only met her once so I didn't know really who she was but when I saw them together it was strange how much they looked alike.

After that we headed to Mammoth Cave. It was just a short drive but we did make a wrong turn and came into the park from the back side and got a bit nervous we were going to miss our tour. We made it however, with time to spare and so the kids got a chance to play on the rocks for a while and we looked at books about bugs. Grace was quite excited about going into the cave and she also like the fact that there were extra kids going to be on the trip. She talked to anyone who would talk to her as we waited.

We had to ride buses to the cave and both Grace and Mac were quite funny. First of all Mac wanted to sit with Grace. So he got up out of his seat with his Dad and came back to sit with me. Then Grace decided to sing "The Wheels on the Bus" not at the top of her lungs but everyone could hear her. It was quite cute... we tried to get a movie of it but I don't know if that happened because Don was in charge of the camera at that moment.

When we got to our stop the tour guide, Will, told us if we were going to be or wanted to be slow to come to the front and stick with him because he sets the pace for the group. I beelined it to the front with Grace in hand but Don with Mac was just a few people behind us. I knew that Grace was going to want to ask Will questions so I just decided I would make my way to the front.

Entering the cave we had to go down 250 or so steps, made of metal, that you could see through, all the way down... I'm afraid of heights and I didn't think going into the cave I would be so scared but my legs got so rubbery. I was was nuts about the fact that Don had Mac and some times he thinks Mac can do more than he can and I was worried they were holding on... and then I heard there was a big gap and couldn't hear Mac or Don... so I tried to focus on my daughter and the new love of her life, Will, the tour guide. She was so cute. She would talk to him ask questions about bats and cave crickets. Then she would be quite for a minute and say, "Mom what's his name again?" and then say oh yeah and start talking with him about nothing really and he was so nice to her.

When we came to the first stop along the way and my family caught up with us the people right behind me let Don and Mac come up to us because Mac started crying ... he wanted his Mom. We walked a few more feet and there was a place to rest so we sat on long benches and Will talked about the cave. The only thing I could think about was that my kids were too young ( at least Mac was) to be doing this and why was I in this big cave. If the kids were older I know that I would have felt differently. They kept saying that when we get to the end we will see the Frozen Niagara and the beautiful rock formations. So I kept walking. We kept Mac walking but it was a long walk for him and hard to maneuver but he kept trudging along. And Grace, well she was with Will and that's all that mattered to her.

At one of the breaks along the way these two people butt in between Grace and me, Don, and Mac. I decided these people had never had children but I was nuts about it because Grace was sort of up with Will without me to catch her if she were to fall. The guy was really rude about it also and I wanted to knock his block off... but I just waited and then the next opportunity I had I went around him and got Don and Mac up there too. I just couldn't believe some of the people.

So we get to the end the last 50 feet or so to the Frozen Niagara. Now I had walked this whole trip looking at nothing but a cave and boring rock. I had been looking forward to seeing these beautiful rock formations... and Will says we have to go down 50 steps and then back up 50 steps but says that Josh the guide in the rear would be coming up to guide us out. I don't know what we were thinking but I thought Josh would be right there and Mac and I would be able to go out right away and that would be the best.

That was not the case... Don hands Mac to me, him and Grace head down the steps to the frozen Niagara, and I stand to the side with a 40 pound two year old who does not want to be separated from his Dad and sister. I can't even tell you the fit he through. And I have to hold his because there is a drop off. I have all these people... around 150 looking at me with this kid throwing a fit, I know they are wondering why I brought him... but this was the only time he got upset when there were other kids who cried the whole time... but I'm in the front and my kid is throwing the fit. I was mortified. At one point I had to spank him... sort of knock him out of it... Finally what was probably only 2 minutes but seemed like a life time the front of the line made it back to the top. Maybree, a little girl who Mac took a liking to came right up the stairs and took him from me and held his hand on the way out.

Now... we have just spent 2 hours in a cave walking through all this rock that was formed over what some say thousands of years and others say millions but none the less it was rock... and I was waiting to get to the beautiful rock... AND I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL ROCK. For a moment I could not believe it. I walked all that way to see rock. UGH!!! But Grace had a great time and so did Don. So it was worth it.

Once out of the cave we had to wait for Will so that Grace could have her picture taken with him and then we got on a bus to go back to the Visitor's center. Once there we knew that we had a long trip ahead so we decided to feed the kids and then off we went on the next leg of the trip.

Pigeon Forge was about 4 1/2 hours from where we were in Kentucky. The kids were exhausted and slept for the better part of the trip. The last hour and a half was a bit brutal but we muddled through. I'm working on sweaters for both of the kids so I just kept knitting and Grace and Mac watched Heffelump in the back. Don was getting very bored driving but he was a trouper.

We got to Pigeon Forge around 6:00 and got our room and then decided to go eat at this buffet place that we had seen the last time we drove through. It's name is Duff's and the parking lot the last time was just packed and so we thought this would be a great place to go... well we were wrong. There was nothing on the buffet eatable except for some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. We were a little bummed that we made a bad choice but oh well... Mac and Grace liked dancing to the music of some old guy who wanted to be a star. It was like being in a REALLY bad B movie.

From there we went back to the hotel and went swimming with the kids. They didn't get to bed until about 11 (10 CST) but none the less late. We brought a mattress for Mac to sleep on the floor and Grace gets the hide away. It is cramped quarters but it works.

I'll write more tomorrow.