Here is Nate along the way. Nate may not look too excited because he's focused on a Wall-E movie. But we knew he was pumped because he had a red crease in his forehead because of that headlight. He wore the light for two days before we got to the cave!
Arkansas is an underestimated place. There is natural beauty here that some Arkansans don't even know about. Blanchard Springs Caverns opened in 1973 and I proudly mention that my husband helped assemble that project in his work with the Forest Service. The caverns have been open 38 years now, but the Visitor's Center has weathered well.
We had a little time before the cave opened, and so we went down the mountain to Blanchard Springs to see where all the water exits the cave. Mike and Nate got out their walking sticks (carved by Larry Winters from real Alaska willow) and hiked to the springs.It is amazing to think that so much water makes its way through the cave. I found a little 52 second video that shows the beauty of the springs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8A27EHjjy4&feature=related
Papa's experience with the cave promoted him to Team Leader of our small band of three. My job became Official Worrier and Wrangler. Nate and I have asthma in common and I wondered about the air quality in the cave. We were pleased to find out that every 24 hours the cave air is completely exchanged naturally. I wondered about the safety for a 6-year-old entrepid explorer...and we were on a concrete trail with railing on one or both sides. I wondered about taking a coat because the constant temp down there (even in Arkansas 100 degree summers) is 58 degrees and humid. But after pulling a few inclines, the temp was perfect.
We entered an elevator and as the Park Ranger talked, I kept thinking about how long it was taking us to get to the bottom. That's because you descend 216 feet. Twenty-one stories. Down. When the doors open, your tour begins in the Cathedral Room.
To quote Nate, the cave was "ginormous". It has a domed ceiling and one particular column (you remember from third grade...a column is where the stalactite and stalagmite meet) was 65 feet tall. Strangely, it didn't look particularly tall because the space was so large.
Our tour through the cave was on the "Dripstone Trail" which went .4/mile and then we turned around and doubled back. During the busy tourist season Mike says they take the traffic out another entrance so that the tours coming along behind don't meet on the trail. But this day's tour was off-season and there was only a lady from Pennsylvania, a couple from Missouri, and the three of us.
There are several stops along the trail as the Ranger parked us on bleachers to hear about the particular room that we were in. The Forest Service hired a German man to come install some lovely backlighting that is turned on/off along the way. When we got to one room shy of the .4 turnaround spot, I remained behind on bleachers to catch my breath. It was a bit scary to be alone in what seemed like the darkened center of the earth. But as I looked around a song came to mind and I began to sing "oh, Lord my God....when I in awesome wonder...consider all the worlds Thy hands have made" (from How Great Thou Art). It truly is amazing to think about the intricate detail that God bothered to go into that far below the earth. For so long, who even knew it was there? The Creator did the same thing out in space where only recently do we see the farthest galaxy because the Hubble tells us it's out there. Infinite and matchless. More evidence that begs for explanation...just like Romans 1.20 says.
This cave is about 15 minutes north of a little town called Mountain View, in the hills of north central Arkansas. The town has a quaint square and Nate enjoyed "shopping" there at the knife shop, the candy shop, and the toy shop. When the weather warms up, there is great fun to be had on the square on Friday nights. People come from miles to set up around the square for "picking and singing". It's bluegrass. No amps. There is also a Folk Center at Mt. View which includes aspects of life in the Ozark Mountains. Here is a video from HGTV that shows a little about the Folk Center and the Caverns.
If you are a spelunker or a hillbilly music fan...or if you just want another cultural experience, bring your overalls and come see Blanchard Springs Caverns and the Folk Center at Mt. View, Arkansas.
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