Cold Caves and Hot Water

Here's a two for the price of one post!  I just finished with Hot Springs National Park and before that, Mammoth Caves.

Cave Entrance

Signatures in the cave, some almost 200 years old.

I found Mammoth Cave to be really cool: it wasn't too crowded and the caverns were really impressive.  Given that its hard to take a picture of a giant empty cavern, and that flash wasn't allowed, I don't have any great pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  I spent two full days at the caverns, longer than I expected, but it was worth it.  The first day I got to take a couple of the more basic tours.  One took me through the natural entrance to the cave down all the way to the bottom where the underground river (River Styx is flowing.  There isn't much flow and you can't get close enough to see the cave fish, but it was still cool to see a river all the way down there.  The second tour was through the "New Entrance". blasted in the early 1900's.  The highlight of this one was the Frozen Niagara, a section of cave formations which are rare in Mammoth.

Salamander friend

The second day I took a couple of the less popular tours.  Both would be by lantern light this time, too, which added to the experience.  The first one was actually in a smaller nearby cave, Great Onyx, and had more formations and lots of white Gypsum crystal covering the walls (200 years of tours and use by Native Americans had stripped or tarnished all the Gypsum in the main caves).  The second tour followed a similar route from the natural entrance.  But with kerosene lanterns and a rather eccentric guide telling stories, it was a very unique experience.  That night, rain storms soaked my campsite, which was a pain, but I did have a really cool visitor come by.  Check the picture, he's a Marbled Salamander.

Bathhouses

I then headed to Arkansas and Hot Springs National Park.  The highlight of this park are the bath houses, but me being more of a nature person, I just looked around.  I did get to drink some of the hot springs water (perfectly safe and has no taste), so maybe I'll get some of the healing effects...  This park is small and urban, and like Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio, it doesn't quite live up to the expectations of a National Park.  it was fun, but I wish there was more "nature".




I'm now in the great state of Texas.  It's starting to feel like home too; lots of familiar stores and restaurants are popping up now.  I'm heading out to Big Bend NP now, one of the more rugged and remote parks.