Grab your torch and helmet!
Aug. 1st, 2009 06:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seiberwingPictures from my jaunt five minutes up the road to Cherokee Cave on one of the few days a year it's actually open.
There is no reason for this car to be here. There is no need for there to be a reason for this car to be here. It's just an awesome car.
With that settled, into the cave!
Mustache man is suspicious. Or he's just sweltering hot like the rest of us and pissed off that he has to wait in line.
The colors are a bit funny on these, since my camera isn't used to taking pictures in such dim light. But you get the general idea.
Back in the eighties, before the official protection of the caves went into effect, it used to be inhabitated by a local biker gang known unoriginally as the "Outlaws". The holes you see in the stalactite here were made by .30-30 caliber bullets, most likely fired by bikers during drunken merrymaking. Or possibly because they were attacked by very large bats.
Everyone eying the bulletholes with awe.
This is the last thing many adventurers see before respawning.
Flint. It's hardier than the stone above it, which has worn away, so at this point it's the only thing keeping this part of the ceiling up. Woogie.
Our tour guide, from the back.
Our tour guide from the front!
The odd dangly thing that kind of looks like a moray eel is a formation known as "The Alligator".
The rare cave-dwelling Tennessean in its natural habitat.
These are mud volcanoes. They don't actually do anything, but I'm sure they're cool somehow.
It's a little hard to see here, but between the mud hills there are still imprints of motorcycle treads from when the motorcycle gang used to ride their bikes inside the cave. God knows why, that sounds like a good way to crash into a wall covered in pointy objects.
Cave ghost? :O I have no idea where it's coming from, I didn't see any smoke before or after taking the picture.
The "Big Bird" rock formation, so named because apparently they look like Big Bird stepped in a hole and fell through the ceiling. *shrug* I don't name the things.
My little brother David in front of cavestuffs.
My little brother David glowing. I think it might be a side effect of one of his medications.
Ceiling graffiti.
This is not mold, but actually small sparkling crystals that grow on the cave wall. In some place they're matted close enough to look like fur.
David has this thing about taking pictures of displays and exhibit signs, so I took this for him. Apparently they actually found some fossilized bones of short-nosed bears inside the cave, and since my brother's currently on an Ice Age kick he's very excited about this.
As far as I understand it, a few decades ago someone brought newspapers to read into the cave and left them there. The calcium-imbued water dripping onto those papers transfixed them to the rock, leaving imprints a bit like how silly putty does with newsprint. Pretty neat stuff.
"Duuuuude. Cave."
These dark blue crystals are known as 'cave flowers', and are rare but awesome.
A small glowing child looking at more cave flowers.
David and his caregiver Rachel from the back. For some bizarre reason Rachel had never been in a cave before, a state we had to rectify as soon as possible.
"Hardcore Cavebusters". We may never know the true meaning behind this strangegraffiti series of symbols.
Some bit of whatever that they're working on to expand the touristable area. The cave itself is miles long, we only got 1/8 of a mile.
And some random outside structure thinger. I don't know, it was too damn hot for me to care at this point.
There is no reason for this car to be here. There is no need for there to be a reason for this car to be here. It's just an awesome car.
With that settled, into the cave!
Mustache man is suspicious. Or he's just sweltering hot like the rest of us and pissed off that he has to wait in line.
The colors are a bit funny on these, since my camera isn't used to taking pictures in such dim light. But you get the general idea.
Back in the eighties, before the official protection of the caves went into effect, it used to be inhabitated by a local biker gang known unoriginally as the "Outlaws". The holes you see in the stalactite here were made by .30-30 caliber bullets, most likely fired by bikers during drunken merrymaking. Or possibly because they were attacked by very large bats.
Everyone eying the bulletholes with awe.
This is the last thing many adventurers see before respawning.
Flint. It's hardier than the stone above it, which has worn away, so at this point it's the only thing keeping this part of the ceiling up. Woogie.
Our tour guide, from the back.
Our tour guide from the front!
The odd dangly thing that kind of looks like a moray eel is a formation known as "The Alligator".
The rare cave-dwelling Tennessean in its natural habitat.
These are mud volcanoes. They don't actually do anything, but I'm sure they're cool somehow.
It's a little hard to see here, but between the mud hills there are still imprints of motorcycle treads from when the motorcycle gang used to ride their bikes inside the cave. God knows why, that sounds like a good way to crash into a wall covered in pointy objects.
Cave ghost? :O I have no idea where it's coming from, I didn't see any smoke before or after taking the picture.
The "Big Bird" rock formation, so named because apparently they look like Big Bird stepped in a hole and fell through the ceiling. *shrug* I don't name the things.
My little brother David in front of cavestuffs.
My little brother David glowing. I think it might be a side effect of one of his medications.
Ceiling graffiti.
This is not mold, but actually small sparkling crystals that grow on the cave wall. In some place they're matted close enough to look like fur.
David has this thing about taking pictures of displays and exhibit signs, so I took this for him. Apparently they actually found some fossilized bones of short-nosed bears inside the cave, and since my brother's currently on an Ice Age kick he's very excited about this.
As far as I understand it, a few decades ago someone brought newspapers to read into the cave and left them there. The calcium-imbued water dripping onto those papers transfixed them to the rock, leaving imprints a bit like how silly putty does with newsprint. Pretty neat stuff.
"Duuuuude. Cave."
These dark blue crystals are known as 'cave flowers', and are rare but awesome.
A small glowing child looking at more cave flowers.
David and his caregiver Rachel from the back. For some bizarre reason Rachel had never been in a cave before, a state we had to rectify as soon as possible.
"Hardcore Cavebusters". We may never know the true meaning behind this strange
Some bit of whatever that they're working on to expand the touristable area. The cave itself is miles long, we only got 1/8 of a mile.
And some random outside structure thinger. I don't know, it was too damn hot for me to care at this point.
