Our trip from Fort Stockton to The Caverns of Sonora was short and under a bright blue sky. We passed by several oil wells............to be expected, this is Texas.
There seems to always be something new blooming.
At the halfway point between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio on I10 are the Caverns of Sonora. After leaving the highway it is about 8 miles to the Caverns. The RV Park feels like you are staying on a ranch. The photo above is what our view was behind Gypsy. They have about 10 pull through spots and several back ins. When we arrived there was only one other in the pull throughs but by evening it was full and the last person in had to resort to a back in.
The birds had a high rise condo.
But this one opted for a nest in a tree instead.
I followed this guy around for awhile hoping he would raise his feathers but they called that it was time for the tour so no luck.
Walt chose not to go on the tour with me after finding out that the tour has 360 steps, reaches a depth of 155 ft. and covers two miles.
This formation is called the snake pit. They looked a little too small for me. More like a worm pit.
The temperature in the caverns stays at a constant 70 degrees and the humidity is 98%. Believe me you feel it when you are climbing those stairs and the heart is pounding.
If you look closely at the center of this picture you can see what looks like butterfly wings. It is the most unusual formation and the only one like it in the world. The wing on the right was partially broken off and stolen by someone who then true to being a stupid criminal listed it for sale on ebay. Since is is illegal to even touch the formations he was arrested and is now in jail.
This formation is called Applesauce. It really did look like it was good enough to eat.
Soda straws..................my favorite. They are so thin and fragile looking.
The Caverns are privately owned and were discovered in the early 1920's when an opening in the rocks was found in the southern part of the ranch when a dog chased a raccoon into the 20-inch opening. Locals started exploring the cavern but could only go back about 500 feet to a 50 foot pit.
In 1955 more experienced cavers started exploring. Labor day weekend, Danny Sheffield, Jack Allen, Claude Head and Jack Prince crossed a narrow, sloping ledge, high on top of the right hand side of the big pit, and reached the passages on the other side. Stories of bizarre formations and untold beauty began circulating among members of the caving community.
The cavern was being destroyed by human impact so it was developed to stop this destruction and preserve the cavern for future generations. Development started in 1959. The Caverns of Sonora was opened to the public July 16, 1960.
The development of the cave continued until 7 miles of it had been explored but only 2 miles of it is open for general tours. You can schedule a tour that is called Adventure Caving where you crawl on your stomach through tunnels and rappel down walls in the more primitive parts of the caves.
Our guide said that they think there is about 20% more out there to be explored but the decision has been made to not explore any further at this time.
The cave is formed in 100-million-year-old Segovia Limestone.
The formation of the cave itself probably occurred between 1.5 to 5 million years ago.
The aerobic workout on the tour was well worth being able to see this scenic wonder.
Co-founder of the National Speleological Society Bill Stephenson once said of the stunning environment found in the Caverns of Sonora that “…its beauty cannot be exaggerated, even by Texans”.