at times it's surreal

I don't have any pictures for this post. It is not like a wedding on a beautifully sunny summer day where a photographer is at every turn of the event documenting the momentous occasion. This is one of those experiences where I had to snap the pictures in my head. Sure I could have brought a water-proof disposable and snapped a picture or two, but they would be like the wrapper saved from a candy bar that you bought as a tourist in a foreign country - they would have reminded me of the great experience but not excited you very much.

The river wasn't chocolate and Oompa loompas wouldn't be there to save me, but, at times, this experience was just as surreal. I spent Sunday in a canoe on a river flowing 100 feet underground. After a half-mile float I hiked another three-quarters of a mile over a slick-mud encased trail that wound its way through a landscape carved by an ever-flowing and fluctuating river. Some rooms were the size of my house while others I had to walk through as though I was trying to touch my ear to my knee. This endeared cave is called The Devil's Ice Box.

This State Park cave is open only a few weekends each year to guests who sign up for the adventure. I, however, got paid to go in. This would be a good example of why I like being a scientist. In order to sample the endangered animals, in this case an invertebrate that lives in the litless waterway, you have to adventure in!

The cave name may be misleading - the truly unusual landscape is not the Devil's. Caves with rough physical terrain, flying bats and sometimes with lots of water and hypothermia temps aren't for everyone; but, they often are cathedrals with decorations only fit for a heaven. It is fascinating that such precious gems for the eye are enshrined in darkness and few humans will ever see them.

(side note: caves can be photographed and photographed well, there are some great pictures of caves out there)