4June2008 A Different Type of Experience at Cave City Ky
Before setting out for Cave City that’s just outside Mammoth Cave NP in Kentucky, we breakfasted at the Atrium. This was a pancake house opposite to the Best Western in Gatlinburg. Why pancakes in the morning when we should be on porridge and cereals? Because we were cheapskates - there was a discount for hotel guests. Anyway, I ordered ‘pig in the blanket’! Amy had pork chops, eggs and biscuits. We were filled and ready for the drive.
The weather was beautiful. The 250-mile drive took five and a half hours. There was a single lane stretch of five miles due to road repairs. We thought the greenery on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains would have satiated us. On the contrary, the verdure on both sides of the highway was like dessert after a good meal. The Kentucky countryside was lush and bucolic.
We checked with the rangers at the Visitor Center, Mammoth Cave NP and bought tickets for next day’s tour. The tours were graded according to the length and degree of difficulty based on the depth of the descent into the bowels of the earth. Naturally, we would do the easy one and see whether we like it. We were told no bag packs or camera bags were allowed underground. Even here, there were repercussions from 9/11. However, we were most concerned that toilets were only accessible at a couple of points underground. Boy, was this reflecting our age or what?!
Everything has been going well since our arrival for Romina (our daughter) and Ben’s wedding by the Finger Lakes. Then there were the great visits to Washington and New York to kill time before Romina’s graduation in Baltimore. Can things go smoothly all the time? Something had to happen eventually – dinner that evening was disastrous. This was at a nearby restaurant recommended by the hotel. It started well enough – pleasant chitchat with our server and all that. However, when the vodka martinis came tasting like olive juice (where was the vodka or the martini?) we should have expected the worst was still to come. My wife was still working on her appetizer when our two entrees arrived at the same time as the soup I was to start with. We decided to work on the main courses. It made no sense sending them back - they would only have died in the microwave later. However, the soup - a very heavy beef stew in a huge loaf of bread - was sent back with instructions for it to be brought when we were ready. What else could we have done? Twice the soup came back cold from the kitchen and I didn’t touch it. The waitress volunteered to have it taken off the bill. However, when the check appeared with the soup still included, the waitress apologized profusely. She admitted that she was having trouble with the kitchen and the cashier refused to make the deduction. She offered to pay for the soup herself and amended the bill then and there. She has had enough of this restaurant and will be leaving them shortly! What was there to say? How were the entrees? Amy’s tiger shrimps were satisfactory and I have to admit that my rib eye steak was quite good. So in spite of the aggravation, I gave her a tip which should cover the cost of the soup. To my surprise, she gave me a big hug and said: “God bless you”.
Always one to react slowly and see things clearly only after the fact, I concluded that the whole affair should have been worked out with the manager. But - that was when I was back in my room, shoes off, feet up on the bed! (Sigh). Next morning at breakfast, a couple told us they were also in the same restaurant and had to wait a long time for the worst meal they ever had!
Distance traveled 283.6 miles
Try figuring out all the traffic signs - luckily our GPS made the decision for us
Kentucky, you were so deliciously green.
(The slight haze was from our shooting through the windscreen; any uncalled for shadows were from our over-used and under-cleaned camera. Kentucky you were just fine.)
Another wild turkey!
Lots of interesting roadside sights - how about a birdhouse shop; a blurry shot from our little Honda on the go
There were many churches along the way too
Rocks for sale - neatly laid out
One of the many gift and souvenirs shops along the way as we approached Cave City Ky
All kinds of recreational activities for vacationers
The weather was beautiful. The 250-mile drive took five and a half hours. There was a single lane stretch of five miles due to road repairs. We thought the greenery on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains would have satiated us. On the contrary, the verdure on both sides of the highway was like dessert after a good meal. The Kentucky countryside was lush and bucolic.
We checked with the rangers at the Visitor Center, Mammoth Cave NP and bought tickets for next day’s tour. The tours were graded according to the length and degree of difficulty based on the depth of the descent into the bowels of the earth. Naturally, we would do the easy one and see whether we like it. We were told no bag packs or camera bags were allowed underground. Even here, there were repercussions from 9/11. However, we were most concerned that toilets were only accessible at a couple of points underground. Boy, was this reflecting our age or what?!
Everything has been going well since our arrival for Romina (our daughter) and Ben’s wedding by the Finger Lakes. Then there were the great visits to Washington and New York to kill time before Romina’s graduation in Baltimore. Can things go smoothly all the time? Something had to happen eventually – dinner that evening was disastrous. This was at a nearby restaurant recommended by the hotel. It started well enough – pleasant chitchat with our server and all that. However, when the vodka martinis came tasting like olive juice (where was the vodka or the martini?) we should have expected the worst was still to come. My wife was still working on her appetizer when our two entrees arrived at the same time as the soup I was to start with. We decided to work on the main courses. It made no sense sending them back - they would only have died in the microwave later. However, the soup - a very heavy beef stew in a huge loaf of bread - was sent back with instructions for it to be brought when we were ready. What else could we have done? Twice the soup came back cold from the kitchen and I didn’t touch it. The waitress volunteered to have it taken off the bill. However, when the check appeared with the soup still included, the waitress apologized profusely. She admitted that she was having trouble with the kitchen and the cashier refused to make the deduction. She offered to pay for the soup herself and amended the bill then and there. She has had enough of this restaurant and will be leaving them shortly! What was there to say? How were the entrees? Amy’s tiger shrimps were satisfactory and I have to admit that my rib eye steak was quite good. So in spite of the aggravation, I gave her a tip which should cover the cost of the soup. To my surprise, she gave me a big hug and said: “God bless you”.
Always one to react slowly and see things clearly only after the fact, I concluded that the whole affair should have been worked out with the manager. But - that was when I was back in my room, shoes off, feet up on the bed! (Sigh). Next morning at breakfast, a couple told us they were also in the same restaurant and had to wait a long time for the worst meal they ever had!
Distance traveled 283.6 miles
Try figuring out all the traffic signs - luckily our GPS made the decision for us
Kentucky, you were so deliciously green.
(The slight haze was from our shooting through the windscreen; any uncalled for shadows were from our over-used and under-cleaned camera. Kentucky you were just fine.)
Another wild turkey!
Lots of interesting roadside sights - how about a birdhouse shop; a blurry shot from our little Honda on the go
There were many churches along the way too
Rocks for sale - neatly laid out
One of the many gift and souvenirs shops along the way as we approached Cave City Ky
All kinds of recreational activities for vacationers
posted by Regamy at
2:32 AM
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