Descending into the Deep

Capable. Once again, I found myself being shepherded through an air lock door into a dimly lit stone hallway. With hushed voices, the twenty people in front of me huddled together, waiting to see what was next. Our guide pushed his way through the mass of bodies, and turned to address us once he reached the front of our group. Almost as soon as he started talking, I have to confess that I stopped listening. Julia and I were at the very back of a large tour group that had just entered Natural Bridge Caverns, a privately owned  cave just north of San Antonio, Texas. Sure, we got the initial welcome and the history of this particular cave, how it was discovered, what bits were explored, and how it became a commercial cave. Then every single tour guide I've ever followed goes into the formations we see, explaining how each was made, how the cave was made, why it was in that particular area of the country, a bit of geology, ect. 

The Natural Bridge over the entrance to the cave

Now, I love caves, don't get me wrong. But I've been in enough caves that I'm absolutely positive I could guide tours myself. Being at the back of the group (by choice) Julia and I could hardly hear our tour guide anyway due to distance, the acoustics of the cave, and the fact that he seemed to be talking rather quietly. As we viewed different formations from our excellent vantage point, I kept up a running commentary about what each was called and how it formed. I talked mostly to Julia, but I caught several people near us listening in as well. From the little snippets of the tour that we actually did hear I knew I was relaying correct information, and even wondered aloud if there were certain formations in this particular cave that I'd seen elsewhere. 

A stalactite is a stalactite no matter where you go. Flow stone is flow stone. If it's a dead cave, there is no more water flowing through it, dripping from it, or otherwise growing formations. If it's an active cave, there is water somewhere. In the case of Natural Bridge Caverns, there was water everywhere. I have never been in a cave so wet, or so warm. I'm used to typical cave temperatures being somewhere in the 50's, maybe 60's. This cave was nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was strange enough to me that I actually asked our guide about it. Apparently the ground temperature in Texas is in the upper 70's, so the cave is warm. Makes sense! As for the enormous amounts of water, that area of Texas had received around two inches of rain within the previous 12 hours, and since caves are underground...well, you get it. It was like it was raining inside of the cave itself. There was even water running along the concrete pathway, and we often found ourselves stepping into standing puddles of water. It was actually pretty neat.

Julia and I took two tours into different parts of the cave, and some awesome formations. We spent just enough time to get a good feel of the cave, and to make me want to go explore the area some more. Next time, I think I'm going to have to shell out some cash and take a spelunking tour.. Tight spaces, near total darkness, and no crowds? Count me in!

What I'm listening to: The World Is Ahead by Howard Shore