Half-Tank Trips: I-64 West

Tag : Dehydrated Onion Powder

Wyandotte Cave, discovered in 1798 and designated a NationalNatural Landmark in 1972, is one of the largest natural caverns inthe country, with over 23 miles of passages and several large andbeautiful chambers on five levels. You can spend the entire weekendwalking underground and not see everything the caverns have tooffer. After all, they have been in the works for some time --Wyandotte Cave began to form about 2 million years ago, and likemost area caves, did so when water dissolved through thesurrounding limestone. Included in its formations is the 135-foot tall Monument Mountain,the world's largest known underground mountain. If you're a true spelunker, then it might interest you to know thatWyandotte Cave is also home to a great many helictites, which areconsidered among the rarest of cave formations. The cave is alsoboasts the tallest stalagmite in the world, known as the Pillar ofthe Constitution, but you'll have to get down on your belly like areptile to see it -- it's only viewable on the extended crawlingtour. No one really knows who the first human to discover Wyandotte Cavewas. It was used by Native Americans for nearly 4,000 years beforethe Europeans arrived in the area. Evidence of activity has beenfound from up to 10,000 years ago. Shortly after the Europeansdiscovered the cave, it became known as an excellent source ofsaltpeter, which is an integral component of gunpowder and of Epsomsalts. Mining of these elements reached a peak during the War of 1812, andseveral of the remnants still remain today, along with several oldbarrels of dusty onions left there by a couple of guys who losteverything when they tried to corner the onion market and used thecave for cheap storage. However, the cave dehydrated their onioninventory into powder and they went bankrupt. While no evidence exists of any group of Native Americans orEuropeans settlers actually living within the cave, it does containa world of living things like salamanders, crickets, blind fish and12 different species of bats, which hibernate within the cave andare the main reason that the cave is closed to the public fromNovember 1 through the last day of February. Because of its very large passageways and huge rooms, those who arenormally afraid to tour a cave find Wyandotte an exception. But ifyou still don't get thrilled by huge holes in the ground, you canstay in the light, because the park offers plenty to do topside aswell. With picnic grounds, horseback riding, camping, hiking and canoeingup the Blue River just right around the corner, you can spend anentire weekend in the Wyandotte Cave area and never seen stalactiteone. So, depending on your own vehicle, at around 75 miles thereand back from Louisville, this could be a quarter-tank trip.Nothing wrong with saving an extra $30!