Mammoth Cave Lava Tube

Last weekend there was a campout for Utah grottoes (caving clubs), and it wasn't too far away, so we decided to go. We all managed to catch a cold and didn't think that camping out at 9,500 feet would be that much fun (with nights getting to about 28 F), but fortunately we were able to rent a cabin nearby. We met the other cavers in the morning and decided that we were going to do a couple easy caves with the kids.

Our first stop was Mammoth Cave, which had multiple signs pointing it out.

At the parking area there was even a pit toilet and kiosk with information.

Mammoth Cave lava tube has nearly half-mile of passages that are in four main tunnels.

We descended down the main entrance.

Desert Boy was very excited to go caving. He had been talking about it for a couple of days. We don't let him go too often so that it's a special treat to go.

We decided to go in the mostly walking section of the lava tube, but to get into it, we had to crawl through the gate. That was a little challenging while wearing Emma in a sling, but doable.

The gate is to protect hibernating bats during the winter. During the summer, the gate is open for folks to go exploring.

Before long, Emma went with Daddy. I was busy looking for cave invertebrates to help the Forest Service, and Emma didn't like me bending over so much.

Desert Boy was a great size to go exploring all the little alcoves. I'm always surprised when I go in lava tubes how many irregular nooks and crannies they can have. In my mind I always imagine lava just flowing straight and regular, but the reality is that it can be very curvy and irregular. We really realized that when we found out that the passage had curved and we ended up going nearly under where we parked.

Kent, a caver from Utah, came with us. He has six kids and many grandkids, so he had no problem hanging out with us.

Desert Boy was happy that we kept moving. He loves having little challenges like climbs.

Meanwhile, I kept checking for cave critters, finding some flies and mites. The little white mites were probably the most common biota in that tunnel.

Here's the closeup. Ha, not very close, is it? They were tiny, only about 2-3 mm long.

The ceiling got lower as we went further back in the tunnel. My husband didn't really want to retrace our steps over all the slippery rocks. He looks a bit worried, doesn't he?

Fortunately there was another way out, and although it was small, we all made it (even with Emma attached).

Here's a view from the outside, with caver Peter exiting. He was with another group that had joined with ours at the end of the tunnel.

We took a little break, and then Desert Boy, Kent, and I decided to go into another tunnel.

Kent and I went in first and watched Desert Boy climb into the cave.

Climbing over the big boulders wasn't the easiest for him.

But he's certainly the right height for easy movement in the cave!

This tunnel had some fun creatures, including this orange centipede.

Cave crickets were abundant. We counted 21, and we weren't even looking that hard.

The cave crickets were all over the floor, walls, and even ceiling. There's one in a pocket above Desert Boy's head.

This tunnel was like the others, squeezing down into a smaller and smaller size, but it also had an exit at the end.

It was a really fun lava tube, and we'll be back some day to explore the other tunnels. We also enjoyed watching the array of folks coming to the cave. It's a huge attraction, due to the signs and many ATV trails in the area. We didn't see anyone else besides our caver group have helmets, and most folks only had one or two lights per group. We even saw some people take their little poodle down into the cave entrance. The Forest Service has a real opportunity to do some outreach about caving safely and cave conservation.

Although we had finished at Mammoth Cave lava tube for the day, we still had one more cave to visit. We finished our lunch and headed off for the next adventure...

Teaser

A hint of what we were doing last weekend...
...and hopefully I'll find time to post more before another week goes by!

Coyote Calling

Pardon my rant. But rant I must.

I recently found out about a contest to hunt coyotes that will take place not too far from where I live (keeping in mind that distances are on a different dimension out here, anything within 100 miles 'isn't too far'). The goal of the contest is during one day kill as many coyotes as you can.

The supposed reason for the contest?
"Contest Purpose – to reduce the Coyote population in prime wild life habitats and to raise money for future projects sponsored by the Mule Deer Foundation Bristlecone Chapter"

Whoa, there. Did I miss something, or aren't coyotes also considered wildlife?

And is the Mule Deer Foundation really sponsoring this? I would have thought that a big, national organization would show a little more compassion.

I figured maybe I was just getting worked up because I usually try to protect all native species, and maybe I needed to get a different perspective. So I asked my husband what he thought about the contest.

He said, "I hope they don't hunt around here. We need those coyotes to eat the gophers that are out in the fields."

There you go. An ecologist's view and a rancher's view. We find that we agree most of the time, although our reasoning may be different.

I know that many in the sheep industry approve and support predator control. There is still a predator control guy who spends months in our valley trapping and poisoning coyotes before the sheep come in the winter. And there are low-flying planes that shoot coyotes.

But none of it makes much of a difference. Every year there are about as many coyotes as the year before. According to the website Predator Defense, the alpha coyote male and female are the only ones to breed, but if they are killed, then lots more coyotes breed. Apparently deer are only susceptible to being killed by coyotes for a few weeks in the spring, when the fawns are very small, but the rest of the time coyotes don't eat deer. Plus the deer populations are really high anyway (take a look at our feed yard to see that!).

So I don't like this coyote contest. It's going to go on regardless of how I feel about it, but I just need to write about it because it bothers me.

Okay, I feel better now. A little.

What Every Kid Needs in the Backyard

We went to a party at some friends' house, and the kids were instantly enamored with the fun new toys. Desert Boy loves trampolines and jumped and jumped. Then Grandpa took Desert Girl up there for her turn, and she thought it was pretty fun, too.

But a trampoline, fun as it is, isn't what every kid needs in the backyard. After all, trampolines can be a little (or a lot) dangerous, and out here in the desert they have a nasty habit of blowing out of yards when dust devils come and stir up the yard ornaments.

So what is it that every kid needs in the backyard?

Well, for this model, we started out standing on a 55-gallon drum.

Notice the red rope? It's connected to a pulley.

And the pulley?
It's on a zipline.
A zipline that goes all the way across the yard.

Now how cool is that?

Desert Boy was a little short to disembark by himself, but fortunately his cousin Caleb was willing and able to help him.

Desert Boy agreed with me that this was an awesome thing, and repeated the zipline over and over. I had never seen him hold on to a bar that long.

We have discovered the solution to improving American youth's fitness: install ziplines at all schools. If the kids have fun playing outdoors and have to be strong to do it, they will!

To see Desert Boy in action, check out the video.

School Starting

Preschool started last week, and Desert Boy and his friends were so excited to go. I filled up the back of the van with six car seats (I love my van, despite what my brothers say!!), and off we went.

At first the kids have activity time, where they do individual activities and learn to put them away before getting out the next one. This has been wonderful to adopt at home!

Then it was group time, and they all piled on the bean bag.

Teacher Gwendy had them line up and they went over letters and numbers. Most of them were very attentive and eager to learn.

Some were ready for snack time and recess. The weather is about perfect, so recess is extra long, and they all have a great time playing outside.

They play together so differently than they did last year. There's a lot more interaction this year, whereas last year there was a lot more parallel play.

They decided that the little playhouse was the ice cream shoppe and were looking for customers.

They had every flavor of ice cream imaginable.

The slide was lots of fun for all of them.

Desert Boy dressed himself again, but did a better job of it than usual.

Ava wanted to keep her backpack on as she went down the slide.

She gave it a try on her belly.

Oops!

Diego thinks it's fun.

Time to go back to the ice cream shoppe!

Meanwhile, Emma was enjoying watching all the action from the lawn.

Or maybe not so much. You can see the dirt and grass around her mouth. She makes the most of any snack break.

Diego climbed up into the tree.

Desert Boy and Elizabeth went for a ride in the car.

And then it was time to race dump trucks.

Then it was time to see how many kids fit on a tire swing. Six seemed just right.

They loved spinning and going high.

What a good time!

A couple days later it was Joel's birthday and his mom brought a yummy tractor cake to share with all the kids.

Then we decided to get a group shot. Trying to get all the kids to look at the camera wasn't the easiest thing in the world!

The little guy in the orange shirt didn't want to sit still, and Elizabeth wanted her mom nearby.

Finally we got one that was fairly decent. I think they're going to have a fun school year!