Tag: Caves

Battling August Heat at the Olentangy Indian Caverns

It would seem that summer has finally arrived in Ohio and while temperatures in the mid to upper 80’s and low 90’s might seem insignificant to the majority of people in America, it’s the humidity that’s bothering us.  We’re Ohioans, we don’t do humidity!  Besides, it frizzes my hair.  The most logical alternative is to stay indoors in very close proximity to an air-conditioner and a well stocked refrigerator.

I’m not logical.  (I blame the kids–they incapacitate the area of my brain responsible for rational thought.)

Sufficient Cause for Insanity

Sufficient Cause for Insanity

Kids thrive on adventure, activity, intrigue.  I thrive on cool temperatures.  I found both at the Olentangy Indian Caverns Read More »

The Lost Sea of Tennessee

Awaiting The Lost Sea

Summer plans to visit my mother in-law allowed us our first ever visit to the lovely southern state of Tennessee.

Never having been to Tennessee I was sort of excited about the idea of visiting a new state. The boy did his 5th grade state report on Tennessee so we got to read a lot about the Civil War, the Chickasaw, and Choctaw Indian tribes, the Predators, the Grizzlies and the Titans (the boy was sorely disappointed to learn that Tennessee does not have a pro baseball team), Elvis Presley, Davy Crockett and Billy Ray Cyrus. But nowhere in our research did we come across anything about …The Lost Sea.

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Arizona’s Kartchner Caverns

Kartchner Caverns Entrance

Kartchner Caverns Entrance

Kartchner Caverns State Park is located in Benson, Arizona. The “live” cave system was discovered in 1974, and extraordinary lengths have been achieved to preserve the fragile state of the cave’s environment.

Upon arriving at the park, visitors first enjoy a “Discovery Center” where they can peruse displays showing the different formations, minerals, and photographs of the original expeditions into the cave. A 15-minute video is played while people await their tour to begin. It describes how two intrepid amature spelunkers discovered an opening the size of a stretched-out coat hanger, wiggled their way along a shaft 200-feet long on their bellies, and discovered one of the most important series of caves in recent years.

This cave is “living”, meaning it still supports bats, and is still “wet” (limestone formations are still forming drop by drop). The explorers knew that once the word got out that the caves exist, they (the caves, that is, not the explorers) would be converged upon and killed in short order. So they, along with the Kartchner family (the landowners) appealed to the State government and made it into a State Park. They kept the modifications as subtle as possible to preserve the caves as they were when they were discovered. As it is, 85% of the cave network has never had a human foot upon it.

There’s lots more information and pictures! Click here to Read More »

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