Honest Abe

We visited 6 places where Abe Lincoln was featured. Starting in Kentucky, this is a recreation of the log cabin where he was born and lived until he was 2 years old. . A few miles away we visited the farm where he lived from age 2 until age 7. Then the family moved to Indiana and lived on the frontier.

Here is his house in Springfield, Illinois where he was a state senator.

The parlor of his house.

The room where the family gathered in the evenings to read or sew or wrestle on the floor.

A bedroom.

Near the train depot where Lincoln thanked the people of Springfield before heading to the White House.

The kitchen of his home in Springfield. Mary Todd Lincoln liked this stove so much she wanted to take it to the White House. She was talked out of taking it.

His tomb in Springfield.

The train depot where the Lincoln family departed Springfield.

 

Mammoth Cave

 After our trip to New River Gorge we headed west into Kentucky. We camped at Mammoth Cave camp ground which is only a short walk from the visitor center. We set up camp. I had the 2 person mother-in-law tent. Our cave tour was set for 4 p.m. Unfortunately one grandgirl puked at 3 p.m. We rescheduled our cave tour for the next morning and it is a good thing we did because she puked again when we would have been in the cave. That afternoon a doe visited our camp and put her nose into our fire ring looking for treats. She was followed by 3 speckled fawns. I have never seen a deer have triplets before. At dark we went to bed. Thunderstorms rolled in at 11 complete with lightening and thunder. When the rain felt heavy I could feel droplets splashing me everywhere except under the rain flap which was about 2 feet square. I quickly hung my phone from a cord under the rain flap. Thunderstorms continued until 2 a.m. Oh, what a night.  I slept between 2 and 5 a.m. when I got up to get dressed. I was smart enough to keep all my other clothes in the car so they would stay dry. The next morning we headed for our cave tour. None of my photos turned out but we did have a nice trip into the cave. Now we need to work on a way to dry out a pillow, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and tent. Last time I was at Mammoth Cave we had bad weather. Tornadoes touched down in the area ruining a candle factory and killing people.

Happy Independence Day

What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to visit Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home? Earlier this week, in Kentucky, we visited his birth home where he lived until the age of 2. Five miles down the road was his other boyhood home where he lived until the age of 7. Today, in Indiana, we visited the farm where he lived from age 7 until age 21. The farm has the footprint of their original cabin and some barns and sheds. There were sheep and chickens. Sometimes they have people in costumes reenacting the farm practices of the era. We didn't get that today though. Here is the grave of Abraham's mother who died at the age of 35 from milk sickness. The cows must have eaten white snake root plants. 

Happy Independence Day!

 

Tornado Damage

Today we drove north and west from Waynesboro, Tennessee, through Kentucky, to Missouri. We bypassed Paducah and drove on smaller roads through rural Tennessee. We were running low on gas by the time we came to Mayfield, Kentucky. Mayfield is a disaster zone. Power lines tipped dangerously toward the road. Barns were destroyed. Roofs were missing. None of the stop lights worked. Some roads were closed. Stores and gas stations are without electricity. FEMA trailers were pulling into town also looking for gas to buy. We saw relief workers handing out water and supplies. All through the country side sheet metal littered the road sides. We saw trailers on their sides. We saw cars and pick ups out in the middle of a field with no tire tracks leading to them. The tornado must have lifted vehicles and put them down again. The entire town was a mess. The devastation was heart breaking to witness. We left Mayfield without gasoline and headed north where electricity and gasoline were available.

Mammoth

 

Yesterday we went to Mammoth cave which is named after it's large size; not any wooly beasts. We went into an entrance that was developed in 1971. We walked with a ranger for several hours. Unlike other cave tours I have been to, this one required we all stay close together. We stopped 4 times for a ranger talk but we were not allowed to explore at our leisure. This cave had very few stalagmites nor stalactites. The walls were mostly smooth. The limestone roof of the cave is covered in slate and then some top soil. This is the longest cave in the world with tunnels that total 400 miles.  Last night we stayed at the Mammoth Cave lodge which was very quiet. 

Abe's Birthplace

Yesterday we went to Hodgenville, Kentucky. This is where Abraham Lincoln was born. Here is the spring at his parent's farm where he lived with his sister, Sarah. This spring is called sinking spring. This area is karst country. Limestone under the soil allows water to flow through causing sink holes.

Abe wasn't born in this cabin because the wood is carbon dated to be later than Feb. 12, 1809 but it is similar to the one he was born in.

The 56 steps leading up to his memorial represent each year of his life.