Wednesday July 3 Lark Valley Ziplines

One of the customers at EW told me about a zipline in French Lick, Indiana, but said it was only open Fri - Sun, so I headed west. At the first rest area I stopped to look for zipline fliers and saw the one from Lark Valley Ziplines in French Lick, Indiana. I decided to call and found out that they were open, so I headed that way; I was only 35 miles away. 

I was asked if I could be there by 3 P.M. (it was 2:15) and I said that I could. I was rushing trying to get there when I looked at my phone and realized I was on CDT so I had an extra hour. Well, ignorance is bliss because, what I didn't know for a couple of days is, I was an hour late. I had crossed back into EDT. No one ever said a word... Best I didn't know until later for I am one that consider myself late if I am not 15 minutes early.

The owner, Matt Lark, was there and he sent me on a private tour with his four best guides, Kyle, Adam, Kayla and Ashley! We all had a blast. They were so much fun. I went on 10 zips through a beautiful canopy and ended with 3 long lines, 1800 ft, 2200 ft and 2400 ft.

Now, Matt is a character and we got along great! We also went for a nice Mexican dinner.

He then called his friend, Gary, in Nashville, Indiana, and sent me up there to zip his lines and also talked him into letting me have a great cabin for the night.


Lark Valley Ziplines

Located 7 miles from French Lick, IN on Hwy 150 between Shoals and French Lick. Look for signs on Hwy 150!

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info@larkvalley.com

812-295-9000

www.LarkValley.com

Wednesday July 3 Eagles Wings Zipline

I received a passport book from Squire Boone Zips in which I can collect signatures from 3 other Indiana ziplines. Learning about Eagles Wings Zipline in Leopold, Indiana, I next headed there.

They have a very nice facility and some awesome ziplines through the trees. My guides were Jenna and Bailey and they took good care of us. A beautiful tour with 8 ziplines.

Eagles Wings Zipline
10227 Lorainne Rd.
Leopold, IN 47551
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 (855) 947-8474

Tuesday July 2 Squire Boone Zipline Adventures

I left Louisville about noon, not knowing where I was going, but headed in the direction of St Louis.

Seeing a roadside sign about a new zipline at Squire Boone Caverns, I headed that way. 

Squire Boone Zip is owned and operated by two sisters, Jean and Robin! The tour consists of 6 ziplines spanning 1600 feet and a 50 foot swinging suspension bridge. It is a beautiful canopy tour. Enjoyed my afternoon!

Squire Boone Caverns Zipline Adventures
100 Squire Boone Rd SW
Mauckport, Indiana 47142
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812-732-1200
info@sbcza.com

Monday July 1 Louisville Mega Cavern Mega Zips

I checked in at Louisville Mega Cavern Mega Zip and found they could fit me in on the 2:00 tour. 

This was really cool; it was all underground through a cave. Needless to say it was dark, but we had headlamps on our helmets; white for walking and red for zipping.

Katie and Zack guided me through the cave on 6 ziplines and over 3 suspension bridges. Awesome experience.

A very different experience and lots of fun!

Louisville MEGA Cavern - MEGA Zips
1841 Taylor Ave.
Louisville, Kentucky 40213
(502) 855-6342

6 ziplines 2 bridges
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877-614-MEGA (6342)

After exploring the cave, I met a friend from high school, Rita, for a Mexican dinner and then spent the night with her!

Sunday June 30 Diamond Cave, Mammoth Cave and Hidden River Cave.

First on my agenda for today was to take the cave tour at Historic Diamond Caverns. It was beautiful. Unbelievable cave formations. 350 steps!

Historic Diamond Caverns

1900 Mammoth Cave Pkwy 
Park City, Kentucky 42160 

http://www.diamondcaverns.com/

Next I toured Mammoth Cave. As the name implies, it was huge! About 2 miles of walking and another 450 steps!

Mammoth Cave

1 Entrance Rd

Mammoth Cave, KY 42259

Then I drove to Horse Cave, Kentucky to visit Hidden River Cave. At Hidden River Cave I was able to try something new; rappelling.  I rappelled down about 70 feet to the mouth of the cave beginning on the same platform as the zipline. A new activity! Awesome!

The American Cave Museum is here with exhibits on the underground and natural history of the area. Exhibits on bats, blind fish and other cave animals; prehistoric and modern cave explorers; saltpeter mining; groundwater science and cave geology; and more.

At the present, they have only one zipline, but are planning to have more; some inside the cave!

Clayton and crew guided me through both activities then I had a nice, informative cave tour. 

Hidden River Cave

119 east Main Street

Horse Cave, KY 42749

Needless to say, I was exhausted after all of these activities. 

I drove to Louisville, KY to spend the night.

Saturday June 29 Mammoth Cave Adventures Zipline

I headed to Mammoth Cave. 

After checking out the visitor’s center and obtaining info as to the times of the tours, I drove to Mammoth Cave Adventures in Cave City, Kentucky. 

Stephen and his crew were closing up, but decided to take me on a private tour of their course. I was a very nice canopy tour with 6 ziplines and 3 suspension bridges.  They were a very fun group with a great course. Lines up to 950 feet long  with speeds from 20 to 40 mph. They also have 2 lines that kids 40 pounds and over can ride.

The reason for the weight restrictions on the low end is gravity and weight play an important role in someone being able to get to the other side. There is a dip in most lines, and if the person doesn’t weigh enough they will not get to the platform and a guide will have to zip out and retrieve them. No danger, but it might be scary for a kid. The lines specifically for lighter weights are tighter, so an adult would come in too fast on those lines.

They also have a giant super swing, tower leap, and horseback riding.

Mammoth Cave Adventures Zipline
1994 Roy Hunter Rd.
Cave City, Kentucky 42127
(270) 773-6087

5 ziplines and 1 sky bridge
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Friday June 28 Ocoee River Rafting

Today I enjoyed whitewater rafting! I had a great time rafting down the Ocoee River for the second time this month. I was rafting with Outdoor Adventure Rafting out of Benton, Tennessee. I was joined by a family of four. The Ocoee River has class 3 and 4 rapids; making for an exciting trip. Norwood, our guide, had been taking people on the river for over 20 years. It was a great day of fun!

Outdoor Adventure Rafting

629 Welcome Valley Rd

Benton, TN 37307

800-OARSMEN (800-627-7636)

oar@raft.com

http://www.raftoar.com