Yesterday we visited another cave. I did look up the difference between a cave and a cavern and basically, you could call this place either one. It was no where as big as the cavern we visited a few days ago. Also, this one was a dead cave, no water running inside it to keep the structures growing, so they had no problem with us taking pictures (no flash), etc. I was able to get some very good pictures and some that, well… turned our not so very good.
Here is the link to the web page for this place. www.colossalcave.com
I really don’t know how to describe the cave experience. It was quite different from places like Luray Caverns or even Cave of the Wind. You could see where a lot of damage was done in the cave by the early tourist who were encouraged to remove stalactites and stalagmites from the cave. They did have several, very pretty, stalaglights which were quite awesome. If you are not sure what a stlaglight is, just think about it for a moment or two and the answer will light up for you. 🙂
Unlike a live cave/cavern the humidity in this one was only around 40 percent and the temp was a consistent 70 degrees so overall it was pleasant. The walking path, lighting, etc., was done by the CCC back in the 30’s. Originally they installed so many lights that it actually raised the temperature of the cave so back in the 70s they took most of them out, hence the low light photos.
The tour was about .5 miles long and took around an hour. Our tour guide, I just know, was trying out for a job at a Disney park. I’m glad the tour only lasted an hour because I don’t think I could take his sing/song voice pattern much longer. He did have a lot of good information to share, but I could really have done without the theatrics.
From the cave we all went out and got some Ice cream. Those of you that know me know that when it comes to Ice Cream, I can put away quite a bit in a single sitting. At this place they had a concoction called The Farmer House. It is designed for multiple people to share and consists of 8 scoops of Ice Cream with lots of toppings. Well, when I eat Ice Cream I eat Ice Cream. I don’t care for toppings at all. I asked if I could get the Farm House with just the Ice Cream. Initially I was told that I could just order 8 scoops of Ice Cream but believe it or not, doing it that way was about a dollar more expensive. So I ordered the Farm House and told them to stop when it was time to add toppings. They have a wall in the store where they have a picture of the folks who order this delight and from what we could see, my picture will be the only one on the wall that is alone. All the others are groups setting out to tame the monster. Their Ice Cream was quite good and as I expected, I had no problem eating it all. I’ll see if I can find a photo of my Ice Cream endeavor.
Well, that’s about all for now. I need to get these pictures posted then start with the photos we took today on our travels to Nogales (got to see the famous “Wall”), Tumacacori, and Tubac.
TTFN
