Cavern Adventures

When I was a child I was fascinated with outdoors and nature.  My father probably thinks I slept my youth away, you know, being that kids tend to sleep longer hours than adults can seem to tolerate.  I've learned this as I've gotten older.  The Boy, for example, didn't get out of bed until after 2pm yesterday.  *sigh*  But I digress...

Anyway... I loved all things rock and water, grass and trees, and skies galore.  I loved touching different things feeling the texture and learning about the markings that some things carried (fossils).  I collected rocks and shells.  A pretty white stone in our gravel driveway was quickly pocketed.  The neighbor girl once found a small Geode in the gravel driveway and it was amazing to watch her break it open with a hammer and see the crystallized formations within.

Photo Source

Even now, I want to pick fascinating rocks up and pocket them.  I have to really resist picking those things up now.  I choose not to, typically just stuffing my hands in my pockets, simply because I have no where to put them... and I need to stop collecting stuff! 

Today's adventure, however, was a rock-hound's dream come true.  I went to the Ohio Caverns with The Hubs, The Boy and The FIL (father-in-law).  Complete with miniature flying bats, we walked down to 10-stories below the surface of the earth.  And Oh!  The wonders that were there.  And as we were not allowed to touch anything (for fear of ruining thousands of years of growth), I came home with nary a rock.  But I did come home with something... here are just a few photos, in no particular order, that I took...

The lines you see near the center of the photo above, over the water, is water dripping from the ceiling.

See the bitty bat?

How about now?

I have so many more amazing photos.  It was just breathtaking in parts down there.  If you ever get a chance to go spelunking**... or even take a tour through some nearby caverns like I did... I strongly recommend it!  It's amazing!


**How did I come by having an amazing vocabulary, you ask? Why, I read a lot as a child.  I learned about spelunking - no joke - from my Trixie Belden (teen detective) series.  :)