There’s nothing like getting out on the trail…but, we had to put in our time below ground before we could enjoy some of the pleasures above. From D.C. we made a beeline through the wind and rain for Mammoth Cave National Park. By the time we got there at 12:30 am after 14 hours of driving the skies had cleared and the moon was shining. We spent a few days at Mammoth, waiting for our Wild Cave tour on the third day. This was a 6 hour tour in the cave, walking, crawling, climbing, and squeezing through some of the largest known cave system in the world.
After Mammoth, we had a great time visiting our Bear Brook friends Tom and Shire, who happen to live about 20 minutes from the Maker’s Mark distillery. This is a beautiful part of Kentucky with rolling hills, horse farms, and the sweet smell of aging bourbon wafting through the air. We also visited Buffalo Trace distillery, and at both places we got personal tours and tastings. At Buffalo Trace we just missed Elmer T. Lee (his namesake bourbon that he personally selects the barrels for is one of the finest), and our guide told us that he is “what you would call a real Southern gentleman”. I bet. It’s hard to think of a better place to be than in a 150 year old warehouse, surrounded by thousands of barrels of bourbon and the smell of the “angel’s share” (that’s what they call the evaporating bourbon that escapes from the barrels).
