We could not pass up the opportunity to see the only commercial cave in FL located in a beautiful hardwood forest (it doesn't flood or burn) in a state park. Our tour guide was terrific, and we learned so much. Here are a few tidbits: the cave is made of limestone, formed by water over thousands of years, is constantly 65 degrees, was discovered in the 30s and excavated by the CCC under Roosevelt's New Deal, opened in 1942, and was expanded in the 60s. The workers were paid a dollar a day, kept $5 for themselves at the end of each month and sent the rest back to their families. It takes 100 years to get one cubic inch of a stalagtite or stalagmite. One gallon of spilled gasoline can pollute a million gallons of water in the aquifer. If any of the formations are touched by humans, it can prevent any further growth because of the oils on our hands. We also learned a lot about bats, and one flew by us. After the tour, we walked back to the visitor center on a path through the forest and saw various native species of plants and trees before visiting the museum. We ate lunch on the patio of a cute little bistro in town that was recommended to us by the woman who stopped to talk to us in Chatahoochie. The owner told they were open for dinner tonight, so we went back and had pizza and salad. This afternoon the Colorado girls enjoyed sitting at the pool.
You ladies will be signing autographs soon....saw this quote and thought of you all
ReplyDelete"You never know which door will lead you towards your dreams, until you have the courage to walk through it..."
you all have the courage of David....go getem Ladies