The past couple of weeks has been filled with so much adventure. We have done so much exploring and learning that I have not had time to write about it. We did go to a couple of caverns that need to be talked about. On moving day from Tombstone to Benson, Arizona the kids and I explored the Kartchner Caverns.
Unfortunately bringing anything at all in these caverns is prohibited. That means no bags, bottles of water, and no cameras. If you happen to bring a sweater or coat you need to roll it up and tie it around your waist. This way nothing can fall onto the cavern’s floor and grow bacteria.
The inside of the cavern is a wet and warm 80°. If you happen to go in the winter and it is windy leave your coat in the car. They do have lockers at the visitor’s center but I am sure that there is a charge for them. If we ever go again I will suffer the wind and make my littles suffer too. Carrying their rolled-up jackets under my armpits was not a very comfortable activity for me.
From the visitors center, we climbed into a trolley to be brought to the cave. Once we arrived at the entrance the guide went over the rules again and also let us know that there was a misting system that everyone goes through. This misting helps keep lint, dust, and hair on you.
Down at the bottom of the cave, we came to a muddy floor. There are bars preventing people from going into the mud. My middle noticed that the mud was cracked and wondered why. My answer was that like dry skin it flakes and cracks but there is still moisture below the surface. The tour guide had a more scientific answer unfortunately I cannot remember what she said.
Even though we could not take any pictures of the inside that did not prevent us from having a photo shoot outside. So below is a picture of my girls having fun posing with statues of equipment. Below is a link to Kartchner Caverns.
https://azstateparks.com/kartchner/cave-tours/cave-information
Colossal Cavern is one of the driest caves in the United States. Our tour guide did an amazing job pointing out the different formations and telling a creative story about them throughout the tour. She also had my girls who were itty bitty walking ahead with her so they could see everything that she was pointing out.
This cave was harvested of it’s stalactites and stalagmites for decorations in the hotel. People who paid to be in the cave were also allowed to take from it by any means. This cave also provided some relief from the heat in the middle of the summer staying at 70° F. Year-round.
At the end of the tour, the guide had a metal wand she passed to everyone so we could hit stalactites and hear it make music. Below is a link to the history of the Colossal caves.
https://colossalcave.com/history/
I hope everyone has had a great day. Thank you for stopping and reading/looking at the pictures. The links I provided for you so if you would like more information about the caverns you do not need to search to far.
Everything and Anything 