I am powerless to the lure of Western’s campus anytime I’m in Bowling Green or within a 20-mile radius—even if it’s cold enough to turn puddles into miniature skating rinks, which it was last weekend. And so we packed our long johns, long janes, and a variety of other frost bite deterrents for our Western in winter tour.
The route through campus may vary each visit, but the stops do not. At the top of the hill for which the student body is named stands the bronzed likeness of Henry Hardin Cherry, Western’s founder. Behind Cherry Hall, a small wooden bridge spans an exposed rock pathway, the last remains of a Civil War fort.
Every structure on campus is named for a benefactor, president, or coach—every structure except that small wooden bridge. It’s known simply as the “kissing bridge”. And though I never used it for that purpose, the Jane Austenite in me cheers for those who have and will.
Western is the only place I’ve ever known to build an elevated walkway around a tree—the fact that the tree-circling walkway leads to a library entrance makes the deal even sweeter in a Swiss Family tree house kind of way.
Tree through walkway in background; shivering woman in foreground
Besides increased parking, the best change to campus since the days I thought dark lipstick was a good idea is the addition of sculptures. My favorites in ascending order from bottom to top of the hill are “Woman Walking” in front of Grise Hall, “Crane Unfolding”, a stack of origamis in front of a math building, and “Chauncey Too”, a bunny near the top of the hill. Click here for the entire sculpture walk including artist credits.
Woman Walking
Crane Unfolding
Our campus walk made the next day’s 55⁰F cave tour seem downright balmy. Mammoth Cave was so named because it’s, well, mammoth. And if you want to know how many jokes a park ranger can make using the word “mammoth”, I’ll tell you—no less than 10 in a 2-hour time period. But he provided access to 2 miles of a 365 mile cave system, and for that I am grateful.
Just as Todd knows I can’t resist campus tours, I know he can’t resist tinkering with my camera’s shutter speed and aperture settings…especially in dimly lit cave interiors.
As it happened, Todd wasn’t the only underground shutterbug. The couple in front of us couldn’t keep their cameras off each other. They alternated at 6-step intervals taking pictures of each other and then holding the camera at arm’s length for couple shots, which sounds romantic until you’ve walked behind it for two hours. I know a bridge they might like.
Bat!
We squeezed through “Fat Man’s Misery” and ducked under “Tall Man’s Misery” before climbing back to the surface by way of a subterranean fire tower. Our long walk was followed by a long drive home, during which Todd napped and I read Great Expectations. Not at the same time.
Thanks for the tour. I’ve never seen Bowling Green. But the former president of the university I work for got his bachelor’s degree there. I love that walking woman statue.
I love that statue too. When I was reading about the campus statues afterwards, I found out that there is one of another woman by the same sculptor somewhere else on campus, but I didn’t see it this past trip. Will have to look next time!
That brings back memories of when my older brother was going to school there, and I would drive down and visit with him on the weekends. As I recall, that was about the time he stopped treating me like a kid.
It’s a gorgeous campus. – Tim
I fell in love with the campus by description alone when an older cousin was going there. She had me at ‘big hill’.
Cool places! I love the elevated tree walkway! And I’ve always loved bats, ever since I was a kid! I recently visited my alma mater, the University of South Alabama–and though I was amazed at the new buildings and features, I had some difficulty finding everything, amidst the new stuff.
I think the trick is to go often. Like, oh say, every six months because it’s crazy how quickly they build new buildings and such.
I love caves! I’ve always felt “better” in confined places. I’m sure there’s some “womb” syndrome to explain that away.
I want to go back for the wild cave tour that requires belly crawls…that should step being confined up a notch.