Jun 20, 2012 - MAPS - Day 4

Today we got 11 birds and 7 different species! What's even better is that there were 2 new species for the year - a Cardinal and a Hooded Warbler. Cardinals seem to hate Brice and bite him every time. It's a running joke, so this time, Shannon's nephew brought the bird back and handed it to Brice because if Shannon did, Brice would be suspicious and might not take it. It did bite him as he was trying to get it out of the measuring cone and place it in Matthew's hand, so it flew away immediately. When we got back, we were called to the kiosk...

Jun 5, 2012 - MAPS - Day 2

Today was the 2nd time we captured and processed birds. There were 3 interns and 3 rangers and 2 children this time. One of the law enforcement rangers came by also. Oh - we were filmed by a PR guy from another park at the beginning of the day. Today we caught 7 Louisiana Water Thrushes (one of them 3 times!), a few Common Yellow Throats, and at the end a red-eyed vireo that sings like "I am here, where are you?" which of course I can't hear it that way! Here are the pictures and a video I took but can't figure out how to trim the...

May 28, 2012 - Work & Play at Mammoth Cave

I volunteered to walk trails with a garbage bag to clean them up from people's garbage. I was given loppers to carry in case branches or bushes were growing over the path. I started out from the campground and couldn't believe I found garlic mustard plants not far away from my campsite! Then I went on the Mammoth Dome Sink trail and found it there too! Brice had shown me how to set a point on his GPS system so I marked the spots for his entry into his spreadsheet. Sure enough, they were new to him and I had more exotic plant picking to do...

May 24, 2012 - Mammoth Cave National Park

We had a quick trip yesterday through Nashville and over the state line into Kentucky. Just a short 4 hours to Cave City, Kentucky and the RV park here. When we got here, we decided to drive over to the park and make reservations for one of the ranger-led tours. Good thing we did. Turns out Mammoth Cave does not allow tourists to take self-guided hikes into the cave. The only way to see the cave is on a ranger-led tour. Mammoth Cave is actually a series of connected cavern passages under an area of 50 square miles here in central Kentucky....

May 18, 2012 - Another Interesting Hike with Brice

Today, Brice invited me and a girl named Morgan to go with him to find out if there are fledglings in an eagle's nest he knows about. We left the office at 9 or so and got back about 2 PM! When we stopped for lunch, I had a packet of peanut butter crackers with me and 30 ounces of water - phew! The hike was rather strenuous as we had to walk down several ridges, but he took us to neat rock outcroppings, a couple of small waterfalls, and old homestead remains. When we got to the river, we found the eagle's nest and eventually saw 2 babies...

May 9, 2012 - Preparing the place for bird nets

This morning Brice took me to a place in the woods where he and others had cut down a tree called Ailanthis or Tree of Heaven. He showed me that tree but it looks so much like either a sumac or locust or walnut tree that I can't recognize it yet. The tree is invasive - people plant it in their yards because it grows quickly and has pretty purple flowers in the Spring. But it smells like rancid peanut butter and is brittle, so it breaks easily in storms. Anyway, while he was checking out the area by walking into thick underbrush, I looked at...

May 1, 2012 - Another hidden cave area!

I am so lucky to be working with Brice who realizes that we cannot pull garlic mustard weeds all day long. After lunch, he showed me a film about invasive plants in National Parks across the nation and how volunteers are helping to restore them to their natural state all over the country. Later, a representative from Penn State who is working on early detection methods for invasive plants came to meet Brice. After showing him what she is proposing to distribute to parks willing to work with her, he offered to take her to see one of the best...

Apr 24, 2012 - Natural Wonders above Mammoth Cave

Today, Brice and I weeded out garlic mustard plants along a dirt road and along the road to a ferry. At the end of the dirt road is another old cemetery where family members recently installed new stones for old time deaths. I couldn't take my car in on this road because it has such low clearance, so I was glad to get to see this with him. After getting all the garlic mustard alongside the mile long road to a ferry, Brice led me into the woods and up a steep incline to show me the Park's largest natural bridge. I liked the formation of the...

Apr 2, 2012 - first glimpse around Mammoth Cave NP

Over the weekend, I drove around a little finding letterboxes and getting to know the area a bit. There is a 9 mile trail between the Park and Park City for biking/hiking. It looks like mountain bikes would fare best on the trail and a lot of it is hilly, but some of it follows the tracks of an old railroad line. I walked a small part of it and found 2 grave sites in the woods. There are quite a few graveyards in the park - families had to move out when this became a national park in 1941, just like what happened with the Shenandoah NP....

Oct 7, 2011 - Mammoth Cave National Park

Usually when people think about Mammoth Cave National Park they think about the underground caverns. And rightly so since Mammoth Cave is the most extensive cave system on earth. However, there is a lot above ground as well. The 53,000 surface acres offer a place for camping, canoeing, kayaking, bicycling, hiking, horseback riding, and auto touring. We, of course, are interested in the trails and we went there today for a hike. With about 60 miles of trail in the park, we had many to choose from. There are horse trails, bike trails, and...

Aug 3, 2011 - August 1, 2011 Day 59 Kentucky

We’re up at 6:00AM and off by 7:15AM. We take the back roads to Evansville, IN and stop at McD’s to catch up on the blog. No time to add pictures but at least we can let folks know about where we are. We cross the Ohio River into Kentucky. KY is green with rolling hills. We see tobacco fields for the first time since returning to the Lower 48. At 10:30AM, we stop for gas. At 10:40AM, it’s 87 degrees. Clear skies. We enter Mammoth Cave National Park at 11:30AM. We go to the Visitor’s Center and purchase tickets for two cave tours. ($19.50...

May 2, 2011 - Day Trip: Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

The young girl in the KOA office only knew McDonalds had breakfast. We drive through Horse Cave and Head to Cave City. “John, Wigwam Village!” “What?” “Pull over!” I jump out and take my pictures. This was the second wigwam village and one of only two that remain. The first was in Horse Cave. It is going to be a great day! After breakfast, we head to Mammoth Cave National Park so I can sign up for the Historical Tour. I said I and not we. The last time we were here, both John and I took the New Entrance Tour. That is one of the times he...