Our plans were to visit Howe Caverns. It was cold and wet so visiting a cavern system would keep us dry at least we could also be geologists and archeologists for a day! We arrived at Howe and it was indeed raining, windy and cold. Well, I didn't find it cold as much as the others did. A little bit of rain, temperature drop and some wind and these guys think its mid winter. To me, it's an average day on Dartmoor. As my ol' pappy used to say "what have you got running through your veins? Water?".
The weather looks good in this picture but dont tell anyone, this is a picture of a postcard. Shhhhh!
It was pretty busy, probably because of the wet conditions. We bought our tickets and were told we had a 45 min wait until our tour. So we decided to check out the fossil and rock activity centre across the way. That was surprisingly quiet. It was only across the car park but I guess most other people didn't fancy stepping out into the arctic conditions to visit it. Or were too busy stuffing their faces in the canteen to even notice it existed because the canteen was packed solid!
Ryan bought a rock from the shop, I forget the geological term for such a rock but it looked like any ordinary rock but he was told he could crack it open to see what was inside. Oh this was too exciting to pass up! He was led to some massive nut cracker and the guide proceeded to help him crack that sucker open.
After a few turns there was a surprisingly loud crack and we got our first view inside a rock that was millions of years old and got to see what Father Time had left for us to discover.
It was full of tiny crystals, all white and silver and glistening. Pretty amazing really, especially to think we were the first humans to EVER lay eyes on that rock's hidden secrets.
We could also go panning for fossils or gemstones. Both Ryan and myself were bought a bag of dirt each and we went panning. Long troughs of running water were built in this activity centre with sieves down their lengths. We had to pour in some of the dirt and use the water to wash away the dirt to see what we could find. I had a fossil bag and I can see why Nina bought that particular type of bag for me, it was jam packed with fossilised sharks' teeth! From sharks that are long extinct. Ryan got a gemstone bag and found loads of brightly coloured stones.
We both were very pleased with our 'loot bags'.
Sam took some pictures of us panning for these great finds so look out for those pictures when I get home.
It was then our turn to visit the caverns. Before we went in, I got to see another OCC motorcycle. I saw one at the Statue of Liberty last time and now there was one here, built to commemorate the anniversary of the discovery of the caverns.
Pretty good job, Sam said "That's a necro bike if ever I saw one."
So, into the caverns we went.
A guy named Howe discovered these caves. During the summer, the cows he used to keep would wander up a hill and stand, chewing grass around a pile of limestone rocks on his neighbour's land. He wondered why they would go all the way up there and stand in the open on such warm days, rather than sit in the shade of the trees. So he decided to investigate. He looked around the limestone mound and found a cool breeze coming from a hole in the stones. He took a closer look and saw the hole went down very deep.
Luckily he was friends with the neighbour who's land this was on and they both went exploring. Every day they went a little deeper and found better and better geological discoveries. One day Howe decided to buy the land from his friend for a princely sum of $100 in cash! And thus, it was known as Howe Caverns.
However, some time later Howe came into financial difficulties and had to sell part of the caverns. Limestone is a huge ingredient, needed in the production of concrete, so he unwillingly sold off part of his love to a cement company. They saw dollar signs and opened a quarry nearby. However, the caverns were formed by water pouring into the ground and there was still a stream running through them, so the quarry had to dam off part of the caverns to stop the water flooding their works. The water backed up and formed an underground lake, which would be part of the tour... In boats!
Luckily, the caverns were later preserved and now no longer allowed to be exploited in such a way. We were told not to even touch some of the ... Some of the... Errr ... 'White stuff' on the cavern walls. I don't remember what it's called but its white and it forms the stalagmites within the cave. If people touch it, the grease and salt on their hands will ruin the process which takes a hundred years to grow a single inch!
Now, I'd like to point out a little piece of irony here. We're not allowed to touch the cavern walls where these formations are occurring because the formation could suffer and yet, the caverns have been filled with pathways, stone walls and even dams redirecting the water away from the path structure. Even the artificial lights lights inside have been fixed to the walls. With water being redirected, it can not erode the limestone as it was intended, formations that would of been eroded are now 'protected' and the lights are even causing fungus to grow where none would grow previously. So you see, the natural formation of the caverns have already been greatly disrupted before we even think about touching the rocks. Just wanted to share that opinion as Sam just looked at me with that blank look on her face when I tried to explain it.
Anyhoooo...
I tried to take some shots of the great cave formations but the best I got was this,
So, I cheated and purchased a pack of postcards and photographed them instead. However these postcards do not even begin to do the cave justice. There were some really great formations and I think there could be some much better postcards.
Looks like these were taken before the age of Face Book!
We really enjoyed our tour of the caverns and when we got top side it was almost 7pm!
We went back to Nina's hotel to get them checked in and headed to the Olive Garden for a meal. More pasta, seafood and Italian, it was delicious and very reasonably priced. Nina picked up the tab and for that, we all thank her, thank you for a great meal Nina!
The party of explorers then parted ways and we went home.
It really was a wonderful day. It was great to see Nina again, as always. Ryan really has grown since I last saw him but he is still as adorable as ever, a little mischievous, always mocking my accent and surprisingly well I might add and ever curious. Ron was also a great guy, a good laugh and we got on very well. I find it amazing that had it not been for the Internet, I wouldn't of met these great people and had such a fabulous time.
I would have loved this tour! The rock that Ryan broke open is called a Geode. It probably contained quartz crystals, but can also have amethyst crystals. Yep, I took Geology in college.
ReplyDeleteSam, you are doing a wonderful job as a tour guide!
So glad you were able to see Nina too. You are all making some really great memories. :)
That's it, a geode! I knew it was called something and look at you with all the knowledge! It really has been an awesome time but I feel like Sam is getting a little worn out, must of been the busiest three weeks she's had in a long time.
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