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Oregon Caves |
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9/21/03
We spent the night at a rest area just before Grants Pass, OR. I slept so well! Even the sound of the semi�s engine�s revving and their generators seemed to lull me to sleep. It was so nice to have dry sheets and Kim and Ginger next to me. We got up and took showers then headed down the road. We found a dump sight just past the rest area and took a road into a small town. I think the name was Wolf Creek Campground and they had a dump station for 5 dollars and a place to fill up with water. It was really nicely maintained. |
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. We got some gas and headed down the road. Kim pulled me aside and said �We have a decision to make.� She showed me the map and how the Oregon Caves are really nearby. This was too much of a temptation and we headed down the road towards them.
We got up to a campground and chose a site. It was right next to a day use site, which looked promising for bike riding. I notice that I am looking for bike trails to go on with Kim and the girls more and more. Its so exciting thinking about going for rides with the whole family. Kim took me up to the caves and I walked really fast to see if I could make to the 4:00 tour. I got there just in time, the tour was just starting. |
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| The ranger told the story of the late 1880�s when the cave was first discovered by white people. A hunter was chasing a bear and his dog chased the bear into a cave. He heard his dog make wounded whines and went after his dog into the dark. He was surprised that the cave went on for so long and soon got lost in the dark. The only way he made it back was following the sounds of the stream. He couldn�t find his dog and set up camp close to the cave. Several hours later a scraped and wounded dog came back and was all right. |
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| The first thing you notice as you enter is a deep earth chill as you leave the warmth of the sun and descend down into darkness. An underground breeze could be felt as you stood very still. We climbed some stairs and soon saw large walls of stalactites and slick rocks. A dampness permeated the whole area. Drips came down at certain spots and at times we waded through shallow puddles. The river Styx flowed through there below our feet and cascaded down the smooth rocks. A certain point came where the whole ceiling looked marbled and we walked past what looked like whales ribs. |
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They called that the Belly of the Whale. At times the steps were narrow and quite steep. We came across a room that was the size of a football field. We were 200 feet below the surface of the earth. We climbed up a steep set up stairs and saw the Paradise room where bubbling carved fingers elaborately decorated the walls. I stood closer to the wall and got small drips of icy water on my face. |
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The fact that these structures have taken over 10,000 years to form is just incredible. At a certain point you can see where an earthquake made a crevasse in the ceiling which was filled with dark lava type rock. Many bear bones have been found and scientists believe they are 1000�s of years old. It is believed that at one point part of the cave was open to the outside and critters used it as a watering hole until it caved in. I was really glad that I didn�t become an ancient artifact.
Back in the 1930�s the CCC put a lot of work into the caves. In the 1900�s people would walk on rubble and take rickety ladders. Now there are concrete and metal steps and tunnels built by hand (and dynamite) that allow people access to parts that were once inaccessible. |
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The guide said that the workers would build about 4 feet a day of tunnel the rocks were so thick. It was laborious work and one worker only made it half way through then took the money and ran paying none of his helpers! The tunnel was eventually finished by men working on opposite ends and meeting in the middle. They were only off by a few inches. One thing that�s different about the man made tunnels as opposed to the nature made ones is that they echo. As we left the caves, we were in a man made tunnel and I could feel that the air flow through wasn�t as good. |
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I didn�t feel like I was getting much oxygen and then I saw the sunlight coming through at the top. I could hear people breathing heavily all around me. We came out into the sun and I immediately stripped off my sweatshirt as the heat hit me. Coming out of the cave, you could see the expanse of the treed valley below. I set off down the trail back to Kim and our puppies.
We made it back to camp where we had already set up our trailer to mark our spot. Kim backed in and got the camper absolutely and totally and completely level!!! : ) We walked with the dogs for a short ways and found a swing to sit on. The dogs looked at us completely puzzled as we swung together back and forth. When we got back to the camp sight, it felt so good to sit down. We put three rows across by the fire and Ginger sat right between us. The two puppies looked exhausted. It had been a good day. |
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Next: 9/22/03 N. CA Hwy 1 |
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