Turks & Caicos Islands – October 2007 (Part Three; Danny Buoy’s, and Horse-Eye Jack’s)

DAY THREE:  Friday, 26 October 2007

I got up and walked along the beach before Lee got up.  When she did come out, she watched me stop here and there to pick up shells.  I was grabbing smaller shells (roughly a little larger than my thumbnail) so Henry’s wife could string them together into a necklace once we got back to Austin.  As this was to be a surprise to Lee, I hadn’t mentioned it.  She just commented that I picked up a lot of shells, and couldn’t believe I was bringing that many home.  I’d also been trying to find at least one of each type of shell present, which I was collecting for myself.

After breakfast on the beach, and my swim and Lee’s sun time, our objective today was to explore the shopping area known as The Saltmills.  From the information we read, it sounded like it was “pretty big,” so we figured that would take up a good chunk of the day.  We also figured as we were out and about, we’d figure out where to get lunch, and then have dinner back at the Mango Reef (so we could have our rum punches and evening sunset afterwards).  As tonight was suppose to the full moon (and tomorrow her birthday), Lee considered this to be a special time.Across from the Saltmills was a more ritzy shopping area called Regent Village, which had a lot of things out of our price range.  Saltmills was a long strip-mall (kind of in an elongated triangle-shape) with lot of little shops.  While there were some more pricier items, there were also “touristy” shops similar to Mama’s.  It didn’t take as long as we thought to explore the area, since there wasn’t anything we needed at the shops.

When we were finding our way into the Saltmills, I noticed a castle-like structure nearby.  We checked it out, and it was an Irish pub named Danny Buoy’s.  I got real excited to have something there, but there was some renovations going on, so we didn’t eat there.  I did buy a polo shirt with their logo, which I planned to wear to work when I got back.  We were on the island during “off-season” (but just before the “tourist season” began), so there were a number of places we’d read about in the various literature we’d gotten that were currently doing their renovations or even closed.  This was the time for places to get themselves fixed up for the season.

We did make our way back to the Saltmills for lunch at a little place called the Saltmills Café.  This was a small café/deli, and we chose to sit inside in the cooler section.  We were wearing shirts, shorts, and shoes, so we knew we were dressed appropriately.  While it was considered “bad form” to wear your beach attire into the establishments (no matter how laid back they said they were), apparently there was one item of clothing which was considered optional in the Saltmills Café.  Shoes.  First I thought it was just a few people that had taken off their sandals.  Then I saw a couple walk in, place orders or grab tables, who were sans footwear.  While I’m sure there must be something from the local health board that says not to do that, no one seemed to mind.  After a decent lunch, Lee then spied a massive chocolate cake in the cooler.  It cried out to us to consume it, and we joyfully did.

It had been bright and sunny in the morning, and by the afternoon the clouds had rolled in.  We weren’t sure if it was going to rain or not, so we worked our way back to RWI in order to get in some more beach time.  The clouds made it less hot, and more comfortable to sit out on the beach, but this wasn’t the sunny weather we wanted.  There was suppose to be a green flash as the sun went down over the horizon, and there was no way we’d see it like this.

DAY FOUR:  Saturday, 27 October 2007

Lee had been reading about co-ops where you could get hand-crafted items from some of the other islands that make up Turks & Caicos.  She found a place called the Blue Hills Artisan Studio, and thought that would be a good place to visit.  Blue Hills is the western side of the island, far away from where the resorts are, so we’d be in local territory.  We weren’t worried about that, it’s just part of the adventure.  The guides we had said there were a couple of restaurants up that way also.

We hopped on Leeward Highway, and headed westward past both the Graceway IGA and the turn off which would take us back to the airport.  (Learning how to drive back to the airport is always a good thing, especially when you might be travelling back in the dark).  We found the sign for Blue Hills Road, and headed that way.

While most of the resort area (eastern portion) of Providenciales is pretty flat, the western side has small hills.  There’s not much elevation to these hills, perhaps a couple hundred feet at the very highest point.  We past the only school on the island, and many neighborhoods, and it wasn’t the prettiest of looking regions.  You have to keep in mind that tourism dollars have only been flowing in for about a decade or two, so much of that hasn’t trickled down yet.  Also, in a region where the sun beats down three-hundred-some days of the year, as well as the salty ocean air, that does a number on any house’s paint job.  The area isn’t as economically depressed as it appears.

Only a short distance after turning off from Leeward Highway, Blue Hills Road begins to parallel the coast.  We were able to look out at the blue water of the Atlantic Ocean here, and we could tell the beach wasn’t as pristine as it was on the other side of the island.  Makes sense why the resorts sprang up where they did.  Our view was only interrupted by the occasional house or establishment, as most where on the other side of the road.  The locals drove at a pretty good speed.  I was driving a little slower, but not significantly so, only because we weren’t as familiar with the roads, and we were trying to figure out where we needed to be.

The Blue Hills Artisan Studio was a small building on the coast-side of the road.  Not much parking, so we just pulled off on to the shoulder where we could find a spot.  Inside there were some painting, pottery, and other large works which would be difficult to bring home.  There also were a lot of woven baskets of various sizes.  Lee found one smaller one which she liked for a pretty reasonable price.  Keep in mind when buying things form a co-op, you know the money goes right back to the artists.

We stopped for lunch at one of the few places which was open here, called Horse-Eye Jack’s.  There had been a number of good things said about this place on TripAdvisor, so it seemed like a good place to try.  The parking lot was rather chaotic (kind like Kerby Lane off of 183, where there’s trees and potholes covering the lot), and there were many tress and shrubs to obscure what the place looked like.  There was a pathway, which resembled a dock, which cut through the jungle back to the restaurant.  Out front, mounted on a raised platform, was a sea-green coloured 1950’s pick-up truck with the place’s logo painted on the door.  That was rather odd, and we figured it just added to what sounded like an interesting establishment.

Upon entering the main portion of Horse-Eye Jack’s, there was an open-air bar section where we could see a patio seating section, and the beach beyond it.  To the immediate right of the bar was a white stucco building which housed the enclosed kitchen.  Stretched out to the left was a dining area under thatched roofs.  The walls were thatched panels on hinges which could be opened to see the ocean beyond it.  The look of Horse-Eyed Jack’s made this feel like Gilligan’s Island meets Cheers.

One of other things we noticed was a group of a half-dozen British ex-pats hanging out, and having their drinks.  The number of empty glasses sitting in front of them was a testament of how long they’d been sitting there, or how much they’d drank, or both.  While we waited for our food to come, we chatted a bit with the ex-pats who were over here on holiday.  While it seemed odd to find so many Brits so close to continental America, this is a popular overseas destination for them.  It was a kin to American’s going to Hawaii.

We were able to take a few moments and wander on the beach in front of Horse-Eye Jack’s.  There were steps from the place down to the beach, probably so those who came strolling by could stop in.  We could look across the water, and see the island curve around, and almost tell where RWI was located.  Even if we had binocs I doubt we could’ve zoomed in on our home-away-from-home, because of the little point the resort was beyond.  The sand here was the white soft powder like what Grace Bay had, but the beach was much narrower here.  There were some exposed rocks (or sandstone, perhaps even coral), and lots of tuffs of sea grass.  While any tropical beach was pretty, this is more the “natural state” as opposed to the manicured beaches in front of the resorts on the other side of the island.

When it was time for dinner, being Lee’s birthday dinner, she wanted her favourite food.  We’d learned there was only one Tex-Mex place on the entire island, and she wanted to be able to have her cheese enchiladas and a margarita.  Heading back down Leeward Highway, we went past the Graceway IGA, and about half-way to the turn off for Blue Hills Road to find the little plaza called Central Square.  Buried within was our destination:  Hey Jose’s.

It wasn’t much to look at inside, so pretty average, as far as we were concerned.  There was a short wait to get a table, but a longer wait for everything else.  It turned out to be the worst dinning experience we had on the entire island.  Hey Jose’s was a pretty inexpensive place, but the entrees were pretty average.  We both got cheese enchiladas, and they were nowhere as good as what we could get back home.  The reviews said this popular with American visitors and ex-pats, but probably because they don’t know what good Tex-Mex is.

We’d gone a little earlier to try to beat the dinner rush, so we could be back at RWI in order to see the sunset.  One of the things we noticed when we’d sat down in Hey Jose’s was they didn’t take plastic.  We did make sure we had enough cash on us to be able to order.  When we were done with our meal, our server had seemed to vanish, so it took far longer than normal to get the check, as well as the change.  It was dark by the time we finally got out of there, and obviously missed the sunset we’d wanted.  If the food had been better, we probably wouldn’t have minded the slow service.  They say you can’t judge a place by a single visit, but all the factors made it so this wouldn’t be a place we’d be in a hurry to go back to.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – October 2007 (Part Two; Royal West Indies, and Ports of Call)

DAY TWO:  Thursday, 25 October 2007

I’ve always been a morning person.  I was up before Lee, and sat on the patio and watched the area.  I saw a few people heading down to the beach in the morning, but only a few.  We hadn’t figured out our routine for the visit yet, so I didn’t want to leave the room to head for the beach, and have Lee wonder where I was.  My phone was locked in the safe, and neither of us had the international calling feature activated (so it would’ve done any good if I had it on me).  The sound of the wind blowing through the trees, and the gentle crash of the ocean waves, were the only sounds I heard.

Once Lee awoke, we headed back over to Mango Reef for breakfast.  The breakfast was very good, but we didn’t want to break our budget by eating every meal there.  If we could have something light for breakfast (something we could eat on the beach), we could eat lunch at one of the places on the island, and either snack in the evening or have an actual dinner (whichever we chose).

Now was the time to see how well I remembered the roads coming in.  We were going to the Graceway IGA.  First, I have to note that driving on the left-hand side of the road with a right-hand drive vehicle felt odd at first.  All the controls are reversed.  Instead of having the turn signal on the left of the tree and the wiper controls on the right, turn signal on the right and wipers on the left.  Shifting gear on left, too.  Coming up to a roundabout, you would veer to the left the same way you would go “right on red” in the States.  It felt odd at first, but I got use to it quick.  When coming up to the major intersection, I did have to think momentarily what side of the road I needed to be.  Usually an additional moment of waiting to watch what the rest of the traffic was doing was enough of a reminder.

Stepping inside the Graceway IGA was another reminder that we were in a different world.  It’s not that it wasn’t clean, it could’ve been cleaned better.  It wasn’t slummy, just very well-used.  I noticed there wasn’t any Dr. Pepper on the shelves, and Lee pointed out there’s drugs available her over-the-counter which are illegal back in the States.  Read nothing into the observation, as it was simply an observation.  Since we couldn’t have our DP-products, we got a six-pack of Mountain Dew (for me) and a six-pack of Diet Coke (for Lee), in addition to a loaf of wheat bread, turkey cold-cuts, sliced cheese, and some snack items.  I made sure to save the receipt to show Mum later.

While there other shopping areas nearby the store (like Unicorn Bookstore), and not far from Royal West Indies itself (The Saltmills), we didn’t want to spend all day going around the stores when there was a beautiful beach nearby to take advantage of.  We decided we’d check out a different shopping area each day while we’re out and about exploring the island.  We dropped the groceries off in the fridge, and went headed back out to the closest little of shops to RWI, called Ports of Call.

Ports of Call was a small plaza with two or three large two-story buildings which housed shops, some offices, and a few eateries.  In the plaza were some wooden stocks, which I’m sure only got used by tourists now.  One of the “recommended” places was a touristy souvenir shop called Mama’s.  A few small things were gotten there to bring back for people.  But I’d read in the Discover Turks & Caicos 2007 magazine that while the U.S. Dollar was the accepted currency, the local treasury had produced three coins:  A “Crown” (equivalent to a Dollar) and a quarter.  As our driver the previous day had mentioned to us, these were minted any more, but you still might be able to find some at a local establishment.

I asked about these at Mama’s and was able to score a “half-crown” piece and a “quarter-crown” piece, as that was all which was hidden under Mama’s register.  As Mama said there were too many of these left, I was lucky to find the ones that I did.  Both coins were from 1981, and Queen Elizabeth on front.  The half-crown had a salt windmill on the back, and quarter-crown had a spiny lobster (which was also on the coat of arms on the TCI flag).

After wandering around Ports of Call a bit more, we returned to RWI in order to enjoy the beach.  I swim and play in the water, as Lee sits on the deck chairs to soak up the rays.  We’d also discussed some future things we wanted to do this week.  I’ve been wanting to try parasailing for a bit, and Lee said she’d watch me.  There was a boat tour Lee wanted to do, where we’d get to see a local critter, known colloquially as the “glow worms.”  Seems these marine worms perform a mating ritual just after sunset a few nights after the full moon which releases a bio-luminescence.  That sounded like it would be fun to do.

A little bit before sunset, we decided to walk from RWI back to Ports of Call to have dinner at a place called Jimmy’s Dive Bar.  It seemed rather irreverent in attitude, even though it was pretty much just a small sports bar.  Other than a small bar, a room with a pool table, and about a dozen tiny tables, there wasn’t much to the place.  I’d been listening to Jimmy Buffet on my Ipod on the flight down, and that was on my brain.  When the waitress asked what I wanted, I quoted the “Cheeseburger In Paradise” song exactly.  She was amused as no one had ever ordered that way.  It was a decent meal, and worth the humour value.

When we walked over, it was still light out, and we’d been able to stay on the sidewalk and walk the half-mile to Jimmy’s.  This section of Governor’s Road hadn’t been developed yet, so there weren’t too many buildings we passed.  We could really see the chalk-like nature of the ground, and the spare shrub that clung to it.  It was after dark when we left, and were glad there were street lights along the way.  We’d heard some stories about the “Haitians hiding in the bush” which might occasionally mug tourists, but since the area seemed pretty when we were wandering around it during the day (and it was well-light for the walk back to the resort).  We didn’t worry too much about that.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – October 2007 (Part One; Arrival at Grace Bay Beach)

HOW THIS GOT STARTED:

Lee wanted to go someplace “special” for her birthday.  She didn’t know where, other than some tropical beach location.  Since this was to be her birthday trip, I was fine wherever we went.  A couple different locations were looked at, and discarded for various reason (either cost would be too great to fly there, didn’t have a lot of amenities, or whatever).

While watching House Hunters International one night, we saw an episode where a lady was looking at property on Providencials.  Where’s that?  Turks & Caicos Islands?  Where’s that??  We’d never heard of the location, but what we saw on the episode looked really nice.  Immediately we began to research this, and soon we knew the “Grace Bay” location of the island of Providencials was where we wanted to be.

Due to some diligent checking on TripAdvisor, and reading in the only edition of the Frommer’s book, we decided that a resort by the name of Royal West Indies would be the place to go.  RWI had three types of rooms:  Ocean front, ocean view, and garden view.  Garden view would only open on the interior of the resort, and the least expensive.  Ocean front was obviously the most expensive, because it’s was exactly what it said it was.  Ocean view was described as “being able to see the ocean from your balcony, but not a direct view.”  Since the information on RWI’s website made it sound like the beach was “only a short distance away” from the buildings, it made sense to go the mid-range-cost ocean view.

Through her research, Lee also found the existence of a locally-produced magazine called When When How, which was made specially to give tourists information about eateries, shopping, and other points of interest on the island.  Lee got a subscription to it, so beforehand we could read about places to check out once we were there.

Since this was considered British territory, we’d need our passports.  We were getting our about six or so months ahead of time, so we weren’t in a rush.  I recall sitting at the post office waiting to have the pictures taken (and final paperwork done) hearing about all the people who were trying to get their passports for trips only a few weeks away … and then complaining about how slow the process was.

Flight arrangements were made, but it seemed like the easiest flight would be one out of Dallas.  (I seem to think there was a layover on the flight out, but I don’t recall specifically.  It might’ve been in Miami, as that’s where a lot of international flights going to and from the Caribbean end up.)  Lee’s friend Michael would stay at the house all week to keep an eye on it, make sure Ais got to school, and take care of the dogs.  Since there was a laundry facility in the room we’d be in at RWI, there was no need to bring a lot of clothes.  We’d just plan on doing laundry half-way through the week.

One of the things we built into the trip was to come back on Tuesday the 30^th, even though we didn’t have to be back to work until Wednesday the 31^st.  We figured we’d be exhausted from the traveling, and need a day just to catch up on laundry, get groceries, or whatever before diving back into the work week.

After I got home from work on Tuesday, and Michael was already there.  I immediately went to bed, not because I was being un-sociable, but because I’d be driving us to Dallas for an early morning flight, and it was a three hour drive to get there.

DAY ONE:  Wednesday, 24 October 2007

Whatever time the alarm went off, it was too early to get up.  I was a bit more well-rested than Lee was, as she stayed up talking with Michael for a bit.  Once Lee was showered and ready, she could sleep in the car on the way up.  Lee woke up briefly here and there, especially as we got close to Dallas to be able to direct me along the confusing highways (which didn’t have a lot of street lights to chase away the dark) so we could get to the airport.  Argent was parked, and the location noted so we could find it again.  Once the shuttle brought us to the terminal, I seem to recall that we still had to wait about an hour before we could even start going through security.

Once through security and boarded on the plane, I’m sure we slept the first leg of the trip.  After the layover, when we were actually out flying over the water, I’m sure we enjoyed looking at all the little green islands in a vast ocean of bright blue.

It was probably late afternoon when we arrived on Providencials (or “Provo” as the locals call it).  The plane parked out on the runway, and you had to go down a ladder to disembark, and then walk to the terminal.  Really gave you the feeling that you weren’t in your own country any more.  As soon as we walked inside the terminal, we immediately had to go through immigration (as this _is_ foreign soil), and then we got to retrieve our luggage.

We’d previously made arrangements with Grace Bay Car Rentals, so we’d have wheels for the week.  From the information we’d read, taxis were few and far between on the island, and you could wait a little before one showed.  While that might be fine for some, if we only have a limited time on the island, and want to be back at the resort to see sunset, then we don’t want to wait.  A person from Grace Bay was waiting for us out in front of the airport.  They would drive us to the resort, where our rental vehicle would be waiting for us.  This would give us the chance to get a feel of what the island looked like.  And was helpful for me, as I’d be doing most of the driving, and I needed to be able to figure out the traffic patterns.

Ignoring all the locals who were standing about outside the airport, we really had no idea what to expect of the area.  All the information we’d read said that Turks & Caicos had one of the lowest crime rates of all the Caribbean islands, but it did exist.  We were certainly strangers in a strange land, and I kept my eyes open.  The area around the airport is not the prettiest of places.  Many places you could see the rock strata which makes up the island, and all the cars were covered in an off-white chalky-type dirt (which was similar color to the rock strata).  Going down the roads in this section, many of the buildings looked like they could’ve used a fresh coat of paint, and many had bars on the windows.  That didn’t make me feel safe.  I started thinking that the resort would look more like that too.

After a couple turns (courtesy of roundabouts), we were officially on the Leeward Highway.  This was two-lane divided highway, with street lights space long the center.  Oh, and this was a place where you drove on the left-hand side of the road, too.  Our driver gave us some various pieces of information as we went along the highway.  In a section of the island known as “The Bight” we passed the only grocery store on the island.  It was an IGA!  That made me amused as how much time Mum had shopped at the IGA in Argyle, as that was the only place close by.  Mum always said the letters stood for “I Gotcha Again,” as some of the quality wasn’t the best.  I didn’t say anything out loud, but mentioned it to Lee later.

We continued up the Leeward Highway, and did notice spare houses close to the highway, as well as the ocean beyond.  That was what we’d come here for.  A few turns off the highway later, we were at the parking lot for Royal West Indies resort.  Our small economy car was waiting for us, and it literally was a Japanese import.  All the “safety warnings” on the sun visors were written in Japanese.  The person from Grace Bay Car Rentals informed us they were one of the few rental agencies on the island that rented cars with the steering wheel on the right-hand side.  I signed all the paperwork, and got the keys.

Once we checked in, we were lead to our room, Room 331.  That meant we were in the first room on the third floor of Building Three.  We walked past the lush gardens surrounding the two pools, and noticed the Mango Reef restaurant to our left.  Our building was to the right, directly across from the restaurant.  On the fronts of all the buildings were the white patios which looked over the area.  We went around to the back side of the building where we went up two levels of switchback stairs, and the door to our room was to the right.

Upon opening the door, we were amazed how beautiful the room looked.  The door opened on to a galley kitchen and living area to our left (towards the front of the suite), a bathroom across from the entry door, and the large bedroom to our right.  Staying at RWI wasn’t cheap, but the style of the room was worth it!

Considering what time of day it was, we decided we’d go back to the IGA tomorrow morning to get supplies (the food we’d plan on snacking on, and having breakfast on the beach with).  We only unpacked what we needed to do so (and put the necessary items in the heavy room safe), and head out to the beach.  It really only was a short walk.  The grounds were well-manicured, and there was a stone pathway which went in front of Building Two (the only other “ocean view” location).  The pathway ended at a dock-lock structure, with a small building on the side where you could grab towels for the beach, and secure any available beach chairs.  Lee didn’t swim, but she watched me frolic in the ocean.  It was a quick dip, as it was close to supper, and we wanted to get something to eat.

We had a nice dinner at Mango Reef, and charged it back to the room.  We tried the local favourite, conch (which is a type of sea snail).  I found to be bland and chewy.  Lee thought it was decent, but not anything to write home about.  We knew you could get “conch fritters” other places, so we thought it might have a better taste once it was battered and fried.

After dinner, we got our drinks, our first rum punches on the island.  They tasted so good.  It was $8 for a pint-glass-sized drink, so that was pretty reasonable.  Since Turks & Caicos uses American money, it was just easier to give a $10 bill, and let the rest be tip.  We did notice some people had gotten their drinks in plastic cups to take them out to the beach.  We knew we’d have to remember that for later ones.

It was a bit overcast, so the sunset was mostly hidden behind the clouds.  Still, it was great to watch.  We retired a little early to catch up on the sleep which had been disrupted during the travel, so we could be fresh to explore the next morning.

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Natural Bridge Caverns (near San Antonio, TX) – May 2007

DESCENT INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH … UM, TEXAS

I like caves.  I haven’t been one to get on my hands and knees and shovel through the mud to explore caves.  I much prefer ones I can go walking in.  Makes for a good day outing.  Back in New York, the only caves I got to explore were the “iron mines” near Camp Wakpominee (in Fort Ann), or Howe Caverns (near Schoharie).  Both of those are what are considered “dead” caverns, as they’ve been open to the outside for so long, people and animals have stopped the caves from “growing.”  I know this from a visit to Inner Space Caverns (in Georgetown, TX) in early 2003.  I don’t have any scanned in shots of that trip (nor the second time I went in 2005), but I do for my visit there in 2010.  You’ll see those soon enough.

Cara, my friend from SUNY Plattsburgh, was going to be in San Antonio for a geology conference.  Since that’s only an hour away from Austin, we made plans to hang out on the Saturday once the conference was over.  I drove down to San Antonio picked her up, and headed back northward to what looked like a fun destination:  Natural Bridge Caverns.

Natural Bridge Caverns is only about thirty minutes north of San Antonio (and slightly west of New Braunfels), so it was close by.  One thing I’d learned earlier was that Interstate 35 pretty much sits above a fault-line where two geologic plates come together.  East of IH-35 things are pretty flat, and west of that is the “hill country.”  Not too many earthquakes happen here, but they can happen.

I will say this, pictures do not do these caves justice.  Ignore the fact that I was a moron and didn’t have the “anti-shake” feature on, so most of my shots turned out shitty.  I guess I have a reason to go back again.

IT’S CALLED THIS WHY?

Commercial caves, the ones that make their money from tourism, always need to have some catchy name for people to remember them by.  Right at the very beginning of the tour we learned the reason why.  The whole area was a nice field that people went about their business until one day the ground gave way.  This collapse revealed the caves underneath.  These caves had at one point been open to the outside, and housed a bat colony, but had since been closed up through geologic action.

The way the collapse happened, it left a section of rock over the exposed portion which resembled a bridge.  Viola!  As our guide showed up, the rock was at least a foot thick in a few locations (and a bit more than that in the rest).  They’d really not have anyone go out across it, because sooner or later it would come down.  They equated it to thin ice.  One or two people may go across it quickly, but it’s not recommended.

Under the bridge are the steps which bring you down into the cave.  There’s a glass door which has been installed in order to keep the proper humidity in the cave, so it stays “alive.”  A “living” cave is one where the rock formations are still growing.  Oil from the human skin, and other animal interference, will strip away the surface of the rock so the formations won’t grow any more.  There’s more of a scientific explanation behind it that the guide tells.

INSIDE THE CAVES

Walking these caves is not easy.  Even though there’s a pathway constructed so you stay confined to specific areas, and handrails to you’re your balance with, the area is slippery.  Water (filled with minerals) constantly drips from the ceiling.  Those are called “cave kisses.”  They also make the floor wet.  Once we passed through the entrance door, we had to go down a series of switchbacks that brought us down a few hundred feet to the main section of the caves.

Once there you see various formations that were created by a geologic process lasting thousands of years.  The stalactites which hang from the ceiling will eventually meet the stalagmites on the floor, and form the columns.  Each of the columns, or a specific section of columns have there own names based on what they look like.  This is akin to seeing shapes in the clouds, but it’s very abstract.

 As we moved across the pathway, we noted there were few lights in the area.  Sure it made things a little dark and murky, but it also helped preserve the caves.  The tour guide would point out specific points with his flash light.  The trail splits into two sections, a “high road” and a “low road.”  Since there had been so much rain recently, we couldn’t take the “low road,” as the lower sections of the caverns were flooded.  The “high road” is essentially a bridge over a large cavern pool.  If the rains had blocked any portions of the “high road” then the entire caves would’ve been closed until the water receded.

The last major portion of the room we come to is the size of a large auditorium.  That’s where there’s a winding path which will bring us back up to the surface, but its easier going than the entrance path (not a continuous series of switchbacks).

The path goes around what you think it just another rock formation, just one that’s a darker material than others.  Then you realize it’s a pile of bat guano … a couple hundred feet thick.  On the ceiling of the area is a blackened section, which almost looks like the rock was burned.  That’s what the tiny claws of millions of bats over thousands of years had done to the ceiling.  That section will not grow any more formation.

  

After passing the giant pile of bat shit, a small corridor brought us the exit, and other glass door designed to keep in the moisture and the cave at a constant temperature.  A garden path takes you on a nice nature walk before bringing you back to the starting location.  The rest of our day together was taking a boat ride on the San Antonio Riverwalk, a casual dinner, and a lot of talking by friends who hadn’t gotten to see each other in years.

More information can be found at http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com

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