Natural Bridge Caverns pictures

[celticdragonfly]

fordprfct has talked about the various cave tours he went on with his family while growing up. I have envied them. So when the word "cave" came up in an Apples to Apples game at selenite's birthday game day earlier this month, I said darn it, let's go to one! So we did, last weekend. We went to Natural Bridge Caverns, and took the North Caverns tour. It was marvelous. It's officially 70 degrees in there, but with the 99% humidity, it feels like high 80s. We went down 180 feet and came back up. Whee, 18 stories down! I was enjoying the tour very much. Also seemed to be the one person with answers for the stuff the tour guide was asking - yes, mythology and geology are both interests of mine, but I did learn new stuff.

	So many of these rock formations defy me captioning them. I'd just be saying "OOoh! Wow!"
	Miles carried Alanna down the cave. Here they are just before having to duck to get through a tunnel - yeah, that's the top of it at his shoulder height. This made never touching any of the live rock a tricky thing.
	A lot of this place made me think about science fiction and other planets. But no, this is right here in Texas.
	On these ceiling ribbons, you could see the most amazing ribbed textures.
	The fern is named Fernando. I think it's cool that they named the fern. It lives in there because it can live off that light.
	Some of the stalagmites reminded me of carved walking sticks, and were big enough to serve as such.
	One cubic inch every hundred years. Doesn't it boggle the mind?
	Some of the formations looked as if they were glazed. Apparently our tour guide does occasionally get people asking if they can lick them. NO.
	Wow! Lots of soda straw formations!
	A lot of the cave formations made me think of the Cthlulu mythos
	The texture on this section of floor was just amazing
	Awesome ribbon formations - looked like you should almost be able to see through them.
	fordprfct carried her down, I carried her back up. She got kinda hot and sweaty, but overall did great. She was admired by a few people, and was a very good girl, and Miles said she was looking all over at everything.
	From the right angle, this formation looked just like a standing meerkat!
	They point this formation out - our tour guide says it looks just like a gnome, with hat and beard, holding up one hand to do the Longhorns symbol.
	This pic and the next are of a small extra cavern, unattached to the rest, that they found when they made the exit tunnel. It has "soda straw" formations that are like 3 feet long, which is way beyond the length they usually fill up at.
	We went and sat down at the picnic tables outside afterwards - beautiful day, sunny and warm. Her outfit had gotten sweaty up against my back in the hot cave, so I changed her. Naked baby in the Texas air on January 27th, and she was enjoying that. It was freezing a couple days previously, and will be again in a couple days after.
	Happy bare girl!
	Miles and Alanna enjoying the pretty day
	"Oooh, look! An ear!"
	Does it come off?

Afterwards in the visitor's center you can see the bones they've found in the cave - the bear jaw is impressive, the bat jaw is amazingly tiny. There's a list of all the species they've found bones of in the cavern. We were reading through the list, lots of types of mice, voles, shrews, bats, raccoons, yeah, yeah - then near the bottom we saw "Bison". I said "I wouldn't have expected a bison in the cave!" fordprfct replied "The bison didn't expect it either!"

I may or may not have another short Alanna video afterwards, it failed the first time.

Outside afterwards we spent some time at the picnic tables - my, it was such a beautiful day! I got to see woodpeckers pecking at the trees, and a cardinal.

Comments

Great pictures!

[bkseiver.livejournal.com]

Well, you have been in at least two caves with us: Hannibal, MO,(8-2-81)and Carlsbad, NM (8-82). I, on the other hand, had a broken L great toe, and couldn't do the Carlsbad bat cave.

Re: Great pictures!

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

I remember them vividly and fondly, and have talked about them to Miles. They were great expeditions. I wish we could have stayed at Carlsbad until sunset to watch the bats come back. Miles and I have talked about how much we'd like to go to Carlsbad sometime in the future. This is just my first Texas cave!

[joyeuse13.livejournal.com]

I have always wanted to go caving!

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

You guys go to St. Louis fairly often, don't you? The cave Mark Twain wrote about isn't far. Here:
http://www.marktwaincave.com/Main.html

I've been to that one, it was cool.

[joyeuse13.livejournal.com]

I know, the last time we were there (that wasn't a family crisis), I wanted to go to Hannibal and do Mark Twain stuff, it it wasn't to be. There's also Ruby Falls in Chattanooga. But life has narrowed down to before-baby and after-baby, and caving doesn't seem a good activitiy for either. Maybe way-after-baby.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't so much recommend it for before-baby, no. But after-baby, sure. Not immediately, maybe, but once he's past the nursing-every-hour stage. You saw the pictures, we had Alanna there. And from what I remember, the Hannibal, MO cave is far easier and more accessible than what we went up and down last weekend at Natural Bridge. I can see you guys eventually strapping little ZX to his Daddy with a carrier and heading into a cave!