November 18

Today will lead into tomorrow, the last day of the Quest. Adrenaline is pumping. But first things, first. Russell Cave NMon preserves a cave, and surrounding land, which was used by pre-historic humans. A deer surprised me as I waited at the front gate to the park. The park opens at 8 AM. I had arrived a bit early, probably in no small part to the adrenaline. A ranger drove up to the gate, opened it, and both of us drove to the parking lot. I headed out on the short trail to the cave. Archeologists have found evidence of human activity being in this spot for over 10,000 years. The cave makes for a great shelter from the weather and seems defensible. Due to the delicate nature of the cave, the interior is off limits to visitors. But the VC has a few old artifacts on display. For this year, the VC is in a temporary building. The permanent VC is undergoing renovations.

A few turns on two county roads and I was back on US 72, going north to I-24. Then an hour or so to Murfreesboro, where Stones River NB is located. A 3-day battle began on December 31, 1862, with the Union gaining control of central Tennessee by the end of the carnage. Over 23,000 casualties were recorded between the two sides. This was the highest percentage of casualties, at 31% of the 73,000 men engaged, then any major Civil War battle. Union General Rosecrans (commanding officer of the Army of the Cumberland) troops were so exhausted and depleted of men and supplies that they did not campaign for six months. Confederate General Bragg (commanding the Army of Tennessee) thought his initial punch at 6 AM on New Year’s Eve which drove the Union army back 2.5 miles would be enough to secure a quick victory. But the follow-up attacks during the day were uncoordinated, allowing the Federals to regroup. The next day was a repositioning of men and cannon. Massive artillery bombardments on the third day pushed the Confederates out of Murfreesboro. Eleven men were awarded the Medal of Honor. I took the 6-stop auto-tour drive to see the main areas of the battlefield. This was after talking to a ranger and staff volunteer at the VC who pointed out to a nearby field where 21st century volunteers, dressed in Union blue, were training on how to load and fire muskets. Much of the battlefield has tall, yellow grass. Wood rail fences border the tour route. Cannons are placed at strategic locations along the drive. One stop is across the road by the VC, that being the National Cemetery. Another stop is at Redoubt Brannan. This is located in Fort Rosecrans, built immediately after the battle and named for the Union’s victorious general. This was the largest enclosed earthen fort built during the Civil War. Over on route US 41 is the McFadden Farm. This is where the Union positioned 58 cannons which swayed the battle on Day 3 in favor of the Federals. A large obelisk stands silently, honoring the units who were part of the artillery barrage.

Taking I-24 into the Nashville area, then I-65 up to Mammoth Cave NP, is relatively easy. There are a few entrances into the park. Google Maps had me coming in from the south (not the east via I-65) out of Rocky Hill, on Park Boundary Road, after passing Cedar Sink Trailhead (a number of cars were parked here). Five miles later I was parking at the VC. There were many vehicles here, an indicator that the cave tours were full. A check of the Tour Board inside confirmed that thought, with only three tours for the day still having tickets. I had a reservation for the Domes and Dripstones Tour (use www.recreation.gov). I had just a few minutes to get the Passport Cancellation stamp and return items to the car before boarding the green buses which would drive the tour group to the cave entrance. In my previous visits to the park, I had taken the cave tours which lead out of the VC. As I approached the bus boarding area, I saw a couple hundred folks heading down the paved path for one of those other tours. The Domes/Drips tour is in a section of the park not as heavily visited as other sites. But it sure holds its own for excitement. There are over 700 steps to climb, along the 0.75-mile length. The tour stops in two large caverns where benches have been placed so the ranger can give short presentations on this cave and the Mammoth system, the longest in the world at 426 miles. A surprise on this tour was seeing Mike and his daughter Madison. Mike had flown/driven with me in Alaska back in June when a bunch of us NPTC members banded together to split costs on the parks above the Arctic Circle and down the Alaska Peninsula. When the bus unloaded at the VC, we rushed inside so Madison could take her Jr. Ranger Oath. When the NPS says a building closes at 4:30 PM, it closes at 4:30 PM. But she made it and now owns a nice Jr. Ranger badge for Mammoth Cave NP. Congratulations.