One of the things I’m prioritizing on this road trip is staying at as many U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds as I can.

Why? They check a lot of boxes for me: they’re affordable, they’re usually right on a lake, and they tend to put me within striking distance of the places I actually want to explore. They can be a little farther out than some state parks, which I also really enjoy, but the COE campgrounds I’ve seen so far look pretty hard to beat.

I actually got the idea from my experienced road-trip cousins, who will probably be popping up in a lot of these stories along the way. From here on out, I’m calling them my “Van Cousins.” They’ve been doing this road-trip thing for a while, so I’m happy to steal a few good ideas from them.

Moutardier COE Campground is my first official COE stop. It’s about 40 minutes from Mammoth Cave and sits right on Nolin Lake.

And so far… wow.

The view from my campsite is pretty tough to beat. I’ve also got the rooftop deck on Frank the Tank, so I have a feeling I’m going to be spending a lot of time up there while I’m here.

Not a bad way to start this part of the journey and my latest place to call home for 2 full weeks.

I ended up leaving Frank the Tank at the campground for a few days and taking a quick side quest to Nashville to visit my son, Taylor.

He was less than two hours away, and I knew that the farther I traveled on this journey, the farther I would eventually be from him. So I’m really glad I took the opportunity to make the trip and spend a weekend with him and a few of his close friends.

We had a great night out, spent a day on the lake, and most importantly, got some good time together to catch up. It was a quick detour from the journey, but one I’m really glad I made.

When I returned to the campground, it was time to see what Mammoth Cave was all about. I still can’t believe that the world’s largest known cave system is right here. With more than 400 miles already discovered — and who knows how many more still waiting to be found — the scale of this place is truly, well… mammoth.

The history was just as incredible as the cave itself. There is something pretty amazing about walking through a place that has been explored for generations and realizing there is still so much left to discover.

I wish I had made time for some of the additional tours, but I guess that just gives me a reason to come back. Highly recommended, and another National Park checked off the list!