Travelling south, Big Bone Lick State Park Kentucky

     Since we left the Pittsburgh area several weeks ago, we have been making out way south to Rory's parents house in Georgia.  We have been taking it pretty easy driving only around 4-5 hours a day and then stopping to rest and then travelling again the next day.  We stopped off several places the last few weeks to teach and learn and experience new things.

Mastodon skull!

    When we left Pittsburgh our first stop was in a place called Big Bone Lick State Park.  I know the name is funny but the word lick actually means pond.  It was a place where people first discovered Mastodon and Woolly Mammoth bones and other animals.  Apparently the animals used to travel to the area to lick the salt that was streaming out of the ground.  The area is actually a large sulfur spring that smells like rotten eggs.  This stuff is supposed to be pretty tasty to animals and actually needed for humans.  The animals would travel in packs to this area and then while enjoying the goodness of the salt licks they would start to sink in the boggy terrain and became vulture bait.  All of sudden you basically have a killing ground for anything that has weight enough to sink in the bog, to die an early death.   Humans soon found the springs and for a certain period of time the salt was harvested by indians then later by those moving west to establish their new homes.  The springs are not very active anymore but evidence of all this previous activity is still being found in the archaeological digs that are going on today.   Apparently this park and area has supplied most of the museums of the world with their Woolly Mammoth and Mastodon tusks and bones.  It is also widely known of in Europe.  Who would of thought some podunk park in KY would be world famous!  Here are some pics of our time in Big Bone Lick State Park, KY.

Stuck but their bellies are full!

These guys were pretty massive!

Owen loving his sister.