The Depths

Glasses clink sharply in the near darkness. Laughter mingles with the shuffle of feet and the pulse and pop of music. Bats swish softly overhead. Wait, what? 

A speakeasy is only one of the iterations the Fantastic Caverns has gone through in its many centuries of existence. And all have failed to detract from the beauty and fascination of this enormous cave.

Discovered by a farmer during the Civil War, the cave was kept secret for many years to stop it becoming a key hiding place for either side. It wasn't explored very thoroughly until 1867, when the farmer put an add in the paper for explorers. It was answered by a women's adventure club! Twelve ladies descended  through the tiny (really, really tiny) opening into the dark depths. They would have had only lanterns, and it must have been scary but oh so thrilling to wander through such an alien place. I'm curious how the full dresses fit into this equation however. It seems likely the adventurous women went adventurously without petticoats. Or even in bloomers! What happens in the belly of the world, I imagine, has unusually good odds of staying there.

This fact, unfortunately, led to some racist groups meeting here, but also to concerts, weddings, dancing, and the aforementioned speakeasy. During the great depression mushrooms were even farmed in the cave!

Wouldn't a speakeasy in a cave like this be amazing? The entrance was still very small, the cave mostly unaltered. Revelers would have had to shimmy through cracks and climb slippery rocks, but that would only make it more exciting. And the acoustics would be stupendous! Dancing in the lantern light with the shadows of stalactites all around you is something I'd love to do now.

Seeing the wonders of this unearthly and yet so natural place was a treat even without the dancing (and I suppose without the illicit adventure.) Sigh. You really get up close to the wonders of the cave, and the tour guide is informative without being dull. They also don't mind you taking pictures, always a plus in my book. And not so common for sights in Washington state, where I'm living now. 

It was twenty-five dollars, more than I usually like to pay but definitely worth the price. It is long enough and slow enough a tour to really give you a chance to enjoy the sometimes graceful, sometimes intimidating grandeur. While the heat blazes outside the cool damp air and gentle echo of drips are all around you.  The cave stays sixty degrees all year, so it would also be a welcome respite from the endless months of winter.

The only thing I would change is not being able explore on foot. The carts pulled by a jeep do mean that people with disabilities are able to experience it. I'm sure it also meant we could traverse parts that would have been difficult or impossible otherwise.

All in all, definitely a place I would recommend if you want to see something really different!

P.S. I was really really excited to see a cave like this. As you can see by the fact I am smiling at the camera and not looking nervous about my baby (camera)  being in frail, frail human hands which are not my own. 

Golden Green May

Last week I took a trip to Springfield, Missouri! My youngest brother was graduating from college, and afterward there was a chance to visit friends I haven't seen in nearly a decade. I've lived there for a few years previously, and the chance to see an old place with new eyes and in new times is exiting.

Its feels like an eternity since I've really traveled! There have been cool weekend trips with my boyfriend or with family, and those are great memories. But there is something about the feeling of the plane going from rough tarmac to weightless flight that is so exhilarating. I never do get over it. People once went their entire lives without seeing the world from this height, at this speed, or across these distances.

Leaving Seattle the view is spectacular, lush evergreens make a carpet topped by icy mountains and cut by the silver gleam of Puget Sound. The hunkering Cascade ridges grow larger as you move east and suddenly become the golden miles and jewel like rivers of eastern Washington. For a while we are buried in clouds and I in a book, then the worlds fastest layover (luckily within sight of the first plane). At last we descend toward Branson, a world equally green but with smooth expanses of  leaves swirled like milk in coffee with turquoise rivers.

The Branson airport is..unique. But it has a lot of character, if only with two carriers currently. And is the cheapest way to fly close to Springfield as far as I've found. The lack of crowds and confusion is a really pleasant surprise. The Employee lounge cutely labeled saloon is slightly alarming, though they conduct security like the pentagon.

After a long and winding road we finally reach Springfield. Check in at the Route 66 Rail Haven hotel and get ready for the next days travels. Which include the depths of the earth... 

Check back later for more Midwestern adventures!