Friday, March 15…The Cave (Mumford & Sons)

   We don’t have too many alarm-setting days when we’re out here.  Only on those days that require us to be somewhere early in the morning.  Today was an alarm day. Yesterday, I booked a 10:20 a.m. tour for today at Kartchner Caverns (Kartchner State Park) which is in Benson, AZ.  We had to be there 30 minutes before our appointed time; Benson is at least a 90-minute drive to the east of Tucson, which meant there was a decent chance we’d hit morning rush hour and possible construction back-up. So, it’s not that we needed to be somewhere early, but we needed to be on the road early in order to get somewhere on time.

   We arrived only 20 minutes early but as it turns out, less than 30 wasn’t a deal breaker as they hinted

at on the website. The tours head out about every 20 minutes…and from what I saw, 10:20 was a good time to go as we had maybe 15 people on our tour.  The tour before and after us each had twice that many people.  The cave averages a year-round temperature of about 70^o, with close to 99% humidity. Despite the scary high humidity number, it wasn’t too oppressive.  Almost everyone had a jacket or extra shirt on because of the coolness of the wind above ground; however, once inside the cave, the jacket wasn’t necessary. But we were instructed that just tying it around our waists wasn’t acceptable. Nothing was to be hanging/flapping that could possibly hit the walls of the cave or a formation, so we were given very specific instructions as to how to roll the jacket prior to tying it around the waist. The park rangers mean business when it comes to protecting the cave.

   I knew going into this that I wasn’t going to be able to take my camera or cell phone.  There are very strict rules about what isn’t allowed in the cave: No items (bags, cameras, cell phones, backpack carriers, purses, packs, bottled water, strollers, etc) are allowed into the cave while on tour; however, lockers are available at the park to store these items. Kim asked why nothing is allowed in the cave and was told that they used to allow phones, cameras, etc., but it became evident that in order to protect the fragile cave environment, people would have to leave the extras behind.   Fair enough, I’ll just buy a postcard or two.  

   The cave is in excellent condition and is full of so many delicate formations; the precautions seem to be working. Our guide has been working at this cave for almost 27 years (part of the team prior to opening and for the almost 25 years since it became a state park) and was very knowledgeable about the geology and history of it.  Back in the 1990's when the cave was being prepared for public viewing, those in charge asked other cave or cavern sites what they would do differently in preparing to allow the public in.  They tried to incorporate as many of those suggestions as made sense.  To that end, all the trails/paths are paved; drains are included for ease of washing the trails; before entering the cave, one must walk under a mister, which helps keep lint, dog hair, etc to a minimum; there are a series of air lock doors; lights are kept to a minimum to prevent growth of algae; and the trail is wheelchair accessible.

   I enjoyed the experience and totally understand all the precautions, but I wish they had better postcards available in the gift shop.  

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   This is the written history of the caverns from the park website: In November 1974 two young cavers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, were exploring the limestone hills at the base of the Whetstone Mountains. In the bottom of a sinkhole, they found a narrow crack leading into the hillside. Warm, moist air flowed out, signaling the existence of a cave. After several hours of crawling, they entered a pristine cavern.

   Inside the visitor’s center, there is a video presentation of the history of the cavern.  Included in this video, is a recreation of Gary crawling through that narrow crack in the sinkhole. One second of watching him turning sideways, struggling to get his body through that crack was enough to make me anxious; I had to close my eyes. Can’t even fathom crawling on my belly into a small hole toward an unknown underground destination.   

   I much prefer the written history.

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  Cloudy, sometimes rainy day leading into a sunny evening and then back to clouds. And cool…the night air is down in the 40s.

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   Kim and Bryan’s presentation went well tonight.  About 13 people were in attendance, including our neighbor Tomas with Maya, Miley and Malachai.  I can’t believe how quiet and attentive those kids were for a program that had to be way over their heads.  Anyway, nobody complained that it was about astronomy instead of astrology as advertised on the flyers and posters. Two very different things.