Floyd Collins' quest in 1925 was to make a fortune by discovering
an alternative entrance to Mammoth Cave, one through which he hoped to entice
tourists to pay to enter the famous cavern. Unfortunately, his search
ended in tragedy when he was trapped in Sand Cave where, despite desperate rescue attempts, he perished some two
weeks later. While our quest to find Sand Cave was much less ambitious,
we were fortunate that it ended much more successfully.
The cool morning started with a hearty breakfast at Gene's in Henderson.
From
there we meandered along Kentucky backroads through Sebree, Calhoun, Island,
Beaver Dam, and Brownsville before entering the Mammoth Cave National Park.
The first stop was at the trail leading to Sand Cave.
The terrain surrounding the cave was suprisingly steep and rugged.
The trail platform provided a view of the Sand Cave entrance some twenty
feet below.
Marc and I ventured down the "unofficial" path for a closer look at the
cave's entrance.
We next visited the cemetery at the Mammoth Cave Baptist Church, Floyd's
current resting place. His remains were moved there in 1989 following
many years of lying in state at Crystal Cave which he discovered in 1917.
From there, we stopped at the visitor's center for lunch before heading
toward home.
