Going Under Ground

I wanted to go on a family bike ride last Saturday morning, but at 8 AM it was 80° and very humid. Chris nixed the biking idea and started looking on the internet for something for the family to do on a hot, humid day. Most people would probably choose the pool or a water park, but not my husband. He decided to go underground to beat the heat. We packed up the kids and headed for Luray Caverns.

First off, I need to apologize to one of my dear friends. She and I spent a weekend sight seeing in DC in August 1995. On the way back to Southwest Virginia, she really wanted to stop at Luray Caverns, but I didn’t want to because I thought it would be too cold. Over the years I have occasionally thought about this and how selfish it was for me not to agree to go. I have also thought about the fact that it probably wouldn’t have been as cold I imagined it to be. Then the trip last Saturday confirmed how foolish I was.

I carried a bag with a jean jacket for me, a sweater for Lydia, and a long sleeve shirt for Wesley in case it was cold. Keep in mind that I am often cold and Wesley wants to wear socks year around because his feet are cold. Well, it is an average temperature of 54° down there but with all those people, the caverns warm up quickly. So, we didn’t need the warmer clothes.



My favorite part of the caverns was the mirror lake. This picture doesn’t do it justice. The water reflects a mirror image of what is above it. The water appears very deep in parts but it is in fact very shallow. It was incredibly beautiful.

Wesley's favorite part was the stalacpipe organ.

Here is a picture of one of the solenoids that strikes a stalactite.
Wesley was very interested in this.



After the caverns we went through the car museum. Chris and I are both car fanatics (him more so, of course) and we would have enjoyed looking at all of the cars and reading all the signs but that is hard to do with two very mobile little ones. I was impressed with this car.
Not so much as the looks but the stats. This sign is angled because I was trying to avoid photographing the glare.

Like every good tourist attraction, the exit pushes you right into the gift shop. Wesley immediately spotted these and kept asking, “What is this?” I guess boys will be boys …