GONE CAVING!

Saturday was CAVE DAY in Cedar Park. This is an event that is held every 6 months for the public. The public meets at the Kay Redden Park and from there they go on guided cave tours, collect maps and directions to other area caves, and to talk with local spelunkers (professional cavers) from all over Texas. It was thrilling to realize we had so many caves in the area. There was so much to do and see, we were unable to visit all the caves. Fortunately, there's another cave day in September! Can't wait!

We met up with some of Pamela's homeschool Girl Scout troop and had a private tour guide take us on a hike. The first series of caves we visited were sealed and protected against the public. It was fascinating to walk from one cave to the next, learning about sink holes, how tree roots dig into caves searching for water and how to scout possible nearby cave entrances. The hike was VERY pleasant (except for an unfortunate child who fell over a cactus) and we stopped occasionally to take snapshots, admire the clusters of wildflowers or to stoop and examne the rocks. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather!

It was exhausting putting all these pictures together, as I had taken so many. I had to upload all the pictures from my camera into the computer and to index and identify which picture belonged where. But it was well worth it! This pictorial diary gives a glimpse into the beauty of the area we live in and the opportunities that we have to explore and admire God's beautiful creation. I anxiously look forward to caving and I earnestly look forward to more hikes with the family. What better way to spend one's day (with only the expense of gasoline and a picnic lunch) we can have so much fun with the family without breaking the bank! (Click pictures to enlarge!)














































The Twin Creeks Historical Area has an 1800's log cabin, beautiful springs, tall trees, running water year round and even an Indian Shelter Cave. After stopping for food to take on a picnic, we parked our car and climbed down a ravine and followed the long winding trail. The trees and brooks were beautiful - crystal clear water, fish, colorful wildflowers, butterflies, and the weather was PERFECT!

We crossed over a small bridge and made our way to the cabin and there we sat and enjoyed our lunch. Afterwards, we followed the trail behind the cabin into the woods... a winding path that took us up a hill.

We ducked under branches, avoided what looked like poison Ivy and Oak, and stopped to admire the boulders and rugged terrain. The Indian Shelter Cave was beathtakingly beautiful! Flint and broken arrowheads were found in abundance! Pamela was excited to actually hold and see for herself what the Native Americans had once held in their own hands. Clustered under the overhead, were fascinating nests of Granddaddy Long-legs. Don't forget to view the video of this cave!


















































































Video of Indian Cave!



It was right after 3 p.m. when we made it to Avery Ranch Cave. The line was long. Like the other underground caves we had seen, THIS one we got to climb into! We felt lucky to have been the last group of people to enter the cave. In fact, as the family photographer, I ended up being the last one out of the cave and bumping my head!

The cave won't be open again to the public until September.

We had to crawl down a ladder single file, careful to not bump our heads as we ducked under the cavern wall. After we stepped off the ladder, we descended down some steep steps into the cavern. WOW! It was well worth the exertion!

Immediately I could feel the warm humidity as I climbed deeper into the cave. My pictures do not give this cave justice! You would have to be there to experience this. In fact, I had to use Photoshop to doctor up the pictures as some of the photos were just too dark.

All in all, we wrapped up the day after 6 hours of steady hiking and cave exploring!






































Spying from the rearview mirror!