Dwarfed

This doesn't look like Charlottesville.

Too much mining paraphernalia.

Oh, that explains it. Shane, Carrie, and I went on a weekend trip!

There was an hour before the tour started, so we ran around the park.

At least, Carrie and Shane ran around. I walked (It was hot).

The park grounds were beautiful. There was a local produce booth, paths, picnic grounds, a deaf picnic, a playground, and corn.

We let Shane explore it all.

We showed up at the tour launch/museum about ten minutes ahead of time. They had a mini-museum with lots of reading material. Not that Shane wanted to sit still and read any of it.

Thankfully, they had touch tables and toys, too.

They cave itself was a blast of cold air. Instant air-conditioning.

It was wonderful.

Shane was amazed.

I immediately linked it to The Hobbit. "Dwarves live in caves!"

The sudden temperature shift was too much for one lady in our tour group. She suffered from MS and collapsed 20 yards from the entrance.

We got her back to the entrance with her husband to rest. Their son continued on the tour.

Dramatic views and a dramatic start.

Carrie started to feel the caves and the packed tour group after a while. We hung around the back to avoid the crowd and she took pictures to help. I smiled and kept a tight grip on Shane!

The tour lasted about an hour and a half and was full of stories. Different formations had funny names and the cave itself was full of history. People used to have ballroom dances in this cavern. The rock in the middle was for women who wanted a dance partner. It was impolite to ask a man to dance. Instead, they put a hand on the rock post to signal their availability.

Thus, it was called "the hitching post."

There was the rainbow room, the haunted room, the upside-down pizza....Maybe tour cave guides don't have much else to do but come up with stories. It's illegal to touch anything!

Piggy-back rides helped with that.

In the heat, I might have died, but in the blissfully cool cave I was quite alright.

This formation was called "George Washington.' The slimy exterior is from human contact. The oils in people's hands over the decades damage the rock (hence, the "do not touch").

Headache rock was next. We ducked.

The last room of the cave had a thermometer. It was in the upper 50s.

Carrie toughed it all out. Even when the tour guide turned off all the lights (Cave dark is dark). When we got out, she rested on a bench and checked the map for food.

Meanwhile, Shane and I went back into the nature room we found earlier. Some of the tour guides were in there checking on the fish. Shane did not hesitate to jump in a lap and ask questions.

Grottoes was a small town, so we ended up going to Waynesboro. They had an Arby's (a Grandma Lois standard) and an amazing frozen custard shop. We had to air out the car some before we got in. It turned into an oven while we were underground (I noticed the town pool across the green and was tempted to dip the car into it).

It was nice to have Carrie for an unencumbered Saturday. We got to spend it in a unique way!