Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Visiting the caverns

We live somewhat near Luray Caverns. There is a huge mountain between us and the caverns and a decent amount of flat & foothills, but it does qualify for spur of the moment trip status.

sidenote – when I lived in the suburbs, the first 25 or so years of my life, anything 30 miles or more away was a day trip. It was just too far to go without advanced planning. Now that I live rural and just buying milk is a 20 mile drive, anything under 120 miles is considered ‘nearby’

I enjoy Luray Caverns. They have an interesting history, are a nice ambient indoor temperature, involve just enough walking to feel you have earned an ice cream at the end and are a good ‘nearby’ place to take visitors when the weather goes all rainy on a holiday weekend (apparently everyone in a 100 mile radius agrees with this because the parking lot was packed, mostly with Virginia plates with nearby county stickers on them). We’ve been there 3-4 times in the 15 years we have lived in the area. I went once with my parents when I was kid, I think on the way back from Myrtle Beach. The only thing I remember about it is that they put a bumper sticker on my dad’s van while we were on the tour and he was FURIOUS about it.

We were last there when Havoc was a couple years old.  Mayhem was an infant. They were still offering guided tours then. Now they give you a headset with prerecorded information you access at different spots & let you follow the path on your own. It’s nice to go at your own pace but with everyone listening to their own headset it sort of stops conversation.

The caverns are huge and full of fascinating rock formations.

There is the fish market

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reflection lake

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Pluto’s ghost

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The Saracen’s tent (though I think it has a different name now)

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It’s cool, the rocks look like tried out stiff towels

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This one reminds me of Jabba the Hut

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Can you see the bearded man  & the dragon?

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And a couple of fried eggs

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We’re headed to Wheeling this weekend. I’m going to stuff myself with diCarlos’ pizza and hang out at Wheeling Park, just like I did every summer of my life until I was 20 years old.

4 comments:

The Four Week Vegan said...

I love caverns/caves. It is amazing to see how water has cut and molded them. Just small drops of water over a long period of time can create totally cool formations. I could see the dragon and bearded man. I bet your boys loved it.

ptooie said...

That is very cool. Looks way more interesting than my nearby cave-type area (Old Man's Cave, in the Hocking Hills in Wayne National Forest, yay Ohio). When I went to France to visit my aunt a few years back, we did a day trip to Pech Merle, which blew me away. I have been much more interested in caves since that trip.
Have fun in Wheeling!

Madge said...

I have always wanted to go there..... some day.. love your photos

Creative Junkie said...

Love those pictures! We live near Howe Caverns - I've been there twice and both times I was in awe of the formations. Aren't they amazing?