Moms' and Kids' Caving Trip

To celebrate #optoutside, here's a post about our pre-Thanksgiving day outside. My friend Jenny had asked about going to a nearby cave with the kids. I thought it was a great idea, so I contacted the Forest Service and got a permit and key to go to the cave. (It's only open in the winter months to protect a summer maternity colony of bats.) The kids were stoked to go with their friends. Desert Boy helped me unlock the gate.

Here's the view of the portal into the magical underground. We were all prepared with helmets, lights, kneepads, and gloves. And a guard dog.

The entrance of the cave is kind of dusty, so we were eager to get to the less dusty section. But we had to stop and take a look at the long spiderweb dangling from the amberat-encrusted flowstone.

Some of the cave passageways are such a neat shape, it's one of the things I like best about this cave. Oh yeah, and that there are lots of walking sections!

That's not to say there aren't plenty of holes. Here's Jenny going down one.

Everyone was patient and let me take a few long exposures, lighting up the more distant parts of the passageway.

Then it was on to scrambling down more holes.

Finally we reached the end of the cave. The kids sat still for a moment.

They all enjoyed signing the cave register.

One more shot of the kids. The walls of the cave are really colorful, with lots of oranges and reds.

Then it was time to head back out. It was a really fun time, and such a nice way to get some exercise even though it is so cold right now. The cave stays a constant 50 degrees or so, so it's a really pleasant environment.

Hope you're getting a chance to get outside!