2009 Family Trip - Day 1

We just returned last night from a 4 day family trip. We realized before we left that this was the first time for just the four of us. We've gone to the beach and elsewhere with one or the other set of grandparents, and done a lot of things locally as a family, but this was the first time for something like this.

It all began many months ago, when Ian came to me asking what the largest instrument in the world is. "Mommy, can we wikipedia it?" So we did, and it's a pipe organ. We learned a lot that day online and discovered that there is an underground pipe organ made with stalactites and stalagmites in the Luray Caverns in Virginia. We knew we were taking a break from a big vacation this summer due to home repairs that have had to happen (and some that still need to happen). So we were going to go see this pipe organ and make a mini-vacation out of it. Turns out it would have taken 7 hours to get there for only a 1 hour tour through the cave. So we will make that trek sometime in the future, when it is a halfway point to another destination (like the beach :-)

This time around we opted for the Mammoth Caves, because there were so many options for tours, and so many other things around that we were interested in doing. After about 5 hours on the road we were able to make it for an afternoon tour the first day. This was the "New Entrance" tour - which is a man-made entrance to the caverns, and began with a bus ride. It was a great way to introduce Ian to what his school bus will be like NEXT WEEK. (Good grief. My child is going to school next week. But I digress.)

On the way, Caleb was all decked out watching Peter Pan while his brother tried to nap.

Mommy and Ian on the bus - proof that I was actually there -
thanks Matt for taking over the camera! :-)

Daddy and Caleb on the bus.

The boys seemed interested, but mostly just wanted to go off the trail and go exploring through the caves rather than listen to the guide going over historical facts. I think it was hard for them to grasp why that wasn't allowed! Anyway they had their mission from grandma, to figure out the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite, and they took that seriously. Ian also asked the guide how the caves got so big.


I did get some photos, but my forte is not low light... and it is really difficult to navigate these often narrow and slick passageways underground, towing a camera (no camera bag allowed), helping a little one the whole way.

a cave cricket

Frozen Niagra

Afterward we had pizza at the hotel and pool time and bed. The boys were very restless sleepers that night - Caleb had apparently swallowed some pool water, and was crying a lot about his tummy right before bed. He never did get sick but fell out of bed in the wee hours, and bit his tongue in the process. I helped him wash out his mouth and after that we all finally got a little more sleep.