Sunday Breakfast

Part 10

Sunday I awoke and turned on my pocket transistor AM/FM radio to a AM station playing terrific songs of yesterday, not just top 40 oldies but forgotten oldies, at least in the Cleveland area they are.  And - YES I still carry a pocket transistor radio.  I feel it is a must to have one when traveling for weather alerts plus I just like it, no frills just 2 watts of awesome sound. 

The other sound we woke to was the sound of gunshots.  At first I thought someone was hunting maybe a little too close to the resort but that’s when I remembered on the grounds is a shooting rage.  Thank goodness.  That reminds me of when I made the reservations the lady told me they have a golf course and a shooting range.  I told her I don’t do either one and if I got a hole in one it may be because I misfired a gun and not from the golf course

 We met Dan and Paul for breakfast in the restaurant of the hotel called Look Out Restaurant.  I asked the waitress if it’s the name because of the lookout or because the food is so bad you need to look out.  She laughed but I think it was named for both reasons the scenery and the food which was average at best.  The lookout is terrific and added to the rustic old decor of the restaurant.

  We decided on finding a church before heading out to the caves.  One of the things I love to do when traveling is attending a local church.  I love to experience how others worship and conduct their service, plus it really gives you a feel for the area you are visiting.  Paul asked our waitress whose dad happens to be a pastor.  She gave us directions to Rocky Hill Baptist church.

fiery preacher

weird manner of joining

 any bears

off to mammoth cave

 turkey

World heritage site

Paul got sick

Batman  bat

caves closed

John from wounded warriors

rain and rain and a siren

Lincoln

State rep

gas cap

The dated resort

Part 9

We went from laughing to nervously saying is this where we will be staying?

We left the few lights in town for nothing but darkness.  What made the motel even more eerie was the steep incline to get to it.  Once you get to the top you just about enter the parking lot and there it was – dark and gloomy.

The best way to describe Park Mammoth Resort is a celicant, a real throw back and I mean a real throw back to years ago.  It’s only 2 stories but spread out in a ranch fashion, dark brown siding with few bulbs lighting it.

The overhang where you park under to enter the lobby was also poorly lit.  Once you entered it didn’t get much brighter.  The lobby, sign in desk and the dining area was as dark as the outside.  It looks way older than the year it was built – 1964.  I learned the reason is they built it to look rustic and old - so you add the old look they wanted plus 50 years and the place looks really OLD.  Very little has been updated.  At one time this was THEE resort to stay at.  The golf course, caves on the property, shooting range, swimming pool, a little train circling the hotel and if I heard correctly it sits on 2,000 acres made this the place to be.  I believe the winery and wine tasting room have been recently added; they are in the slow process of updating so you best visit soon if you are into time-warps.

The women at the front desk were quite friendly.  They handed us our room keys and explained that if we get hot they can give us a fan.  The place has air-conditioning but it is only turned on during certain months.  And yes I wrote a room key.  No cards in this place. I loved it.  

I walked the place before retiring for the night.  The halls were sparse and by the entrances old yellowed framed photos hung on the wall.

 

 The one that startled me was the one with the hand.  It seemed as if one time their honored guest Thing from the Adams Family stayed, or maybe it was their place.   

 One balcony I walked out on was a small table and on top were candles.  Yikes!  What ritual went on here?

The rooms are also seriously dated.  If you like frills with new mattresses don’t stay here.  I personally loved the decor and dated look, the feel of the place, the GoGo Bus looked at ease here.

What about that time warp smell?  Well yes it had that too.  In our house we call that smell moof, spelling it as it sounds.  It’s an Italian word translated from broken English.  You know that damp smell found in an old musty basement or cellar filled with old things well that’s the smell.  In today’s sanitized world of man-made products even smells have changed and this resort’s smell reminded me of yesterday, my grandma’s house.  After awhile that smell actually became like an old friend returning and brought back memories.  I started to miss it when I left.  

Gotta GoGo!!

Carey