"Bill's Excellent Adventure!"

4/28/07 Sat - Well, I decided late in the morning to take this little hop to Blanchard Caverns. Now, as I found out the hard way, is almost exactly 120 miles away (I guessed it at 100) Of course once I got to Harrison (40 miles) I wasn't about to stop and come back home! I really didn't realize I wasn't even halfway there yet!

Really doesn't matter though, because I justified the trip once I was in the caverns...they are spectacular! the Caverns are the only one run in the country by the US Forest Service. It is a well developed cavern with concrete and handrail pathways designed to accommodate the handicapped. I guess it is always a trade off as to whether you let people get close enough to ruin the flows, etc. by touching them or keep them at a distance...I prefer to keep us at a distance.

You go down an elevator 200 ft. the part we come out into is the top of three levels they are aware of in this system. This top part was discovered in 1963 by two cavers from the 2nd level. They actually found a skull and some crude torch material from someone in ancient times who managed to get into the cavern but couldn't find his way back out and died there. There wasn't any evidence of animal bones that would have indicated he had eaten down there or lived in the cave.

I'm going to leave most of the cavern description to my photo page so check back tomorrow and I should have things updated by then.

Got back "home" about 6:30 this evening. My butt is sore from all that riding though! Also managed to break a light bulb in my tent! had to run out and get a fresh batch...seems to be becoming an occupational hazard!

I'm pulling out Monday AM and heading for a night in Oklahoma City, a night in Amarillo and then to my new home for 3 weeks in Albuquerque, NM (It will be nice to be inside for a few weeks again! This camping has thrown me off the rhythm I had in Nashville.)

See you guys.

Bill