Crystal Caves

 Today I had the opportunity to go on a field trip. My brother Scott is in 2nd grade and got to go to Crystal Cave. My dad was supposed to go with Scott as a chaperon but  its an hour drive from our house and Dad gets really stiff from his Parkinson's so I went with him and drove. I'm really glad I went. It was really cool. The last cave I went in was Timpanogos Caves which was when I was a sophomore in high school. When I was Scott's age, I used to go to Penn's Cave, but its filled with water so you ride in boats throughout the cave. It's really neat. Crystal Cave is a lot smaller but the kids still had a lot of fun. Here is Scott at the beginning. 

The guide called this an upside down ice cream cone. Interestingly, the guide was trying to teach the kids about stalagmites vs. stalactites and to teach them the difference he said if you jump up high and hold onto something you want to hold on "tight" vs. so the ones on the ground are stalagmites. 

Does this look like bacon strips to you?

The guide was also saying that the cave was also used as a place to celebrate. It is always 54 degrees. So in the winter, its warmer than the outside and in the summer its cooler than outside. People used to have babies baptized, weddings, dances, and meetings in the cave. This formation was used as a pulpit for meetings in the cave. 

The cave used to be full of water, but this is all that's left.

Called "fried eggs", this formation is a result of the removal of stalagmites. It is also the only formation in the cave that could be touched because it is already dead. 

 

coming out of the cave 

looking down from the top of the cave

Scott in front of some of the signs for crystal cave, and the Amish Buggy .

In front of the ice cream parlor... too bad it was closed!