Mammoth Cave National Park

Hi, my name is Sabra and I am claustrophobic. ("Hello, Sabra!")
Intentionally going into a cave required a stern talking to myself,
"If you do not try this, you will really, really, regret it." Ranger Joe was well-versed on all things cave related and assured all seventeen of us that we would probably not have a huge boulder fall on us.
Do you see me going down the VERY small staircase? Well, I did. Breathe, Sabra, breathe.

The "Historic" tour begins with a display of the apparatus used during the War of 1812 to extract Saltpeter from the dirt in the cave in order to supply the fledgling U.S. with gunpower, seeing that all of our foreign sources were cut off by the British blockade. There was some ingenious hydro-engineering involved, getting water into the cave by means of augered-out logs tapered at the ends like pencils and then stuck together to form a pipeline. Amazing. And all figured out by the slaves working on the project.

If ever you should find yourself in Western Kentucky, make time for Mammoth Cave National Park. And don't forget to breathe.