Travelogue Part 1

 Day 1 was a three state day: Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

We moved from the coastal plain where we live (a few hills) into the Appalachian mountains.

This is the largest mountain range on the East Coast, but it doesn't have any peaks high enough to have snow year round.

 Which just means we are coming late to the party.  The Appalachians used to be the highest mountains on earth!

Right now that distinction goes to the Himalayas: mountains created by the Indian subcontinent crashing (in slow motion) into Asia.

The Appalachians were formed by all the continents crashing together to form Pangea!

So, in their heyday, the Appalachians were probably the highest mountains earth has ever seen, but now they're much easier to drive over.

We ended at a lovely hotel with an indoor pool.

Day 2 was only two states: West Virginia and Kentucky.  We went from the Appalachians themselves into their rolling foot hills.

We saw some strange things in Kentucky.


 Transylvania University?  I didn't know it was in Kentucky!

And a while later we saw this castle.  It turns out not to be owned by Dracula, but by a man named Post.  It was Castle Post and we took a virtual tour.

It looks to me like he wanted to live in a castle, and is supporting his magnificent obsession by using the guest rooms of the castle as a luxury hotel. Wow!

 We ended in Cave City to visit Mammoth Cave.  The cave was amazingly beautiful!  Unfortunately, this butterfly was the nicest part of the motel.

More on the cave next time!