Sunday morning goodbyes, Lincoln's digs, and Sam Walton's dream for America realized

On Sunday morning we said goodbye to the Yeast and Tague families and got Scotty hooked up for our trip toward Mammoth Cave National Park. Having the Ashraya children together again felt so natural, that it seemed especially sad to split them up.

Jonah and his buddy, Manu

A bit too much love for Manu!

Nisha (sans headwrap), Anju and Manu

Nisha & Anju

Anju & Manu

Goodbyes accomplished, it was off to our first stop: Hodgenville, Ky to see Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek Farm, and the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Site a few miles away. As luck would have it, we hit the boyhood home enroute before the birthplace, and the movie/exhibits/museum were at the birthplace, so we were left kind of winging it at the boyhood farm.

As luck would also have it, the birthplace memorial itself was closed for renovation, so we couldn't go in. However, the ranger at the boyhood farm pointed out that the cabin in the birthplace memorial is a "symbolic" cabin (and actually is too new to be of Lincoln's birth era), and the one at the boyhood home which we were able to enter was the actual cabin (20% original reportedly) of Lincoln's best friend, Austin Gollaher. So, Lincoln had actually been in that one. (This is the same friend that saved his life when he was drowning in Knob Creek if you have done any reading about Lincoln.)

Inside the Gollaher cabin

Anju enjoyed "Lincoln's potty" at Knob Creek Farm

Nice group pic with construction fence

After checking out the Lincoln family Bible on display at the birthplace museum and viewing a film on Lincoln, we continued on to Mammoth cave with one stop:

What could be more redneck than Wal-Mart? Why a Wal-Mart in Kentucky!

Actually, it didn't contain drastically different clientele than our Wal-Mart back home. (You can take that as a compliment to Ky or a slam to N. MN--either way works.) It took a few moments to find the sauerkraut in the veggie section, as there were so many cans of types of "greens" there I didn't even realize existed. We also took advantage of a sale to get Ky t-shirts for the crew for $3 a piece.

We arrived at Jellystone Park in Cave City, Ky and made use of the laundry facilities which were located next-door to the playground. It was a beautiful night with a clear, starry sky and a cool breeze to give us a break from the heat and humidity. Mammoth Cave tomorrow!