The first time I ever set foot in a cavern I was about 13 or 14 years old, and we were driving back to California from Minnesota --- my dad, my two younger brothers, and myself – and we were finding interesting sites to see all along the way.
It was on that trip that I saw Mount Rushmore for the first time ---and somewhere along the journey --- we went down down down into some amazing caverns ---and I remember so vividly, all of us in our “matching” Red & Blue striped rugby shirts, which had become the “Wilkinson Uniform” of that trip --- I’m sure in an effort for us not to lose each other.
Ever since that trip I have avoided situations where I have to dress like everyone else!
We’ve also visited caverns outside of San Antonio Texas ---and I remember that the cool temps down deep in the earth were such a relief from the the Texas heat outside ---
The Linville Caverns are no different. The temp stays at 52 degrees f all year round, winter and summer, and I was glad that I wore my jeans and brought a sweatshirt.
I showed this picture in the iphone-o-gram earlier – but I can’t believe how pretty this butterfly is on this bush! I took this while we were waiting for our tour to begin:
You can see the spots on his head!
I found the caverns to be really fascinating ---and I loved hearing the folk lore stories of how army deserters from BOTH sides during the Civil War found the caverns a great place to hide away. Only one problem – they should not have lit fires inside the caverns ---the smoke made its way up through the cracks and fissures and alerted near by residents that SOMEONE was under the mountain!
The tour is really great, and it’s quite the bargain at only $7.50 per adult visitor.
I took a lot of photos –all of them with my phone. Some with flash, some without. Some --- I can’t even tell which end is up when I went to shrink them to be more web friendly!
I decided since there are so many to upload these as an album – I hope you enjoy them!
I loved seeing what this critter had done in the dark --- when people aren’t visiting, the lights are off and you really experience total darkness in there --- and yet…..look how intricate:
Oh, for those who asked…the folding table I have with me is labeled “lifetime” and it came from Sam’s Club for about $40.00. The legs fold in, they also extend to cutting table height ((Which is great for us tall girls)) and the table top itself folds in half and makes it extremely portable. It’s lighter weight than my sew-ezi table ---and I do find myself using this table a lot when I am on car trips. You just never know if a hotel is going to have a place for you to set up a machine…this one is great.
This is our last night in our little rented cabin! Also for those who asked, we are big fans of VRBO.com
THIS is the listing for the cabin that we rented.
We have loved it out here. I hope it won’t be too long before we are back!
I've been to linville 2 or 3 times now, last time my son was 3 and my daughter was hardly 1 and she was in a front carrier and got slimy feet from me squeezing thru those narrow places. I do remember the total darkness part too, my son was wearing light up shoes, so we tried hard to have him stand STILL!
ReplyDeleteWOW Bonnie, Those pictures are very cool and very creepy all at the same time. Glad that you are enjoying some relaxing down time. Andrea Diamond
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links! Im planning already for a trip next year!
ReplyDeleteI swear Bonnie we live connected lives. We went to a cave last Sunday!! It always seems we are doing the same things. On another note, Kelli and I each started our own Turkey Tracks quilt today. We are hoping to get a few blocks done before the book comes!! Can't wait!!
ReplyDeletelast year was the first time i had ever been in a cavern. hubby and i went to meremac caverns in missouri (jesse james' hideout). at least that's what it used to have as it's claim to fame. not sure if it's true or not. was very pretty, kinda surreal.
ReplyDeleteThey sure have change the cave at Merimac Caverns since I used to go as a school kid. We had to take our own flashlights back in the '50's and 60's! Was a lot more fun because it was a bit scary! Plus, it was free in those days! Bev
DeleteI love visiting caves--Lewis and Clark Caverns, Mark Twain Cave, Carlsbad Caverns--we work then into our vacations wherever we can. Great shots. I feel like I was there! : )
ReplyDeleteVRBO is a GREAT resource if you're looking for a place to stay that is NOT hotel-like. We've used them a lot in Northern Michigan and without exception we've had nothing but great experiences. Highly recommend people checking out their website for opportunities. Even though I'm not a "cave person" the pictures were great. Really appreciate all the sharing you do, Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteOh my... Not sure if it was because i viewed pics on tiny iphone screen, but some of those photos looked like petrifried monstors! Amazing ... Thanks for the show!
ReplyDelete