Various Trips of 1996 (Part Two)
HOWE CAVERN -- JULY 1996
It was pretty hot the latter part
of this month, so we figured on a nice way to beat the heat (at least for a
short time). Instead of doing something
near water (where most people were already flocked to), we decided to go
underground. We hopped on the Northway
which took us to Albany , and then went about
thirty minutes southwest on Interstate 88 to the small village of Howes Cave
While the caves had been first
discovered earlier settlers, but the historic claim goes to Lester Howe. The story goes in May of 1842, he noticed the
particular way his and his neighbor’s cows were hanging out in the
pasture. When Lester investigated, he
found a cave opening which had cool air coming from below. He entered the cave, and realized the value
of what he’d found.
There was about two miles of
underground passageways, complete with various rock formations, so he opened it
up for visitors the following year. It
ended up being a rather prosperous venture for Lester Howe. He guided many people through the caves up
until 1872, when a change of the railroad baron bought controlling interest in
the caves, and began mining the limestone within to be turned into cement and
plaster. Thanks to two later gentlemen
who saw its potential, Howe Cavern was re-opened in 1929. In place of the previous entrance, there was
now a 150 foot elevator shaft to allow visitors in. Due to the mining from the cement company,
over half of the cave had been destroyed in the intervening years. What remains is still pretty spectacular.
The guide tour we were given went
over much of this information. As the
surviving sections of the cave are still considered living (that means the
rocks are still forming, thus they appear wet), we weren’t allowed to touch
anything. There was one formation which
was designated for visitors to get the feel of these rocks. The oils secreted by human hands will
eventually break down the minerals which cause the rocks to form over thousands
of years. The one we got to touch
wouldn’t grow again, but it was better than having endless visitors put their
grubby little mitts on everything.
Considering the amount of time the caves were open the first time (and
the subsequent activity by the cement company), I think it’s doubtful these
will ever continue to form.
The walking portion of the tour
paused as we came to an underground river.
We then boarded small boats (which would hold about eight to ten
adults), and that took us to the edge of the property. A large piece of wire mesh kept the boats
going any further, but allowed the water to pass. That was good, as we could hear a waterfall a
short distance away. The river’s
passageway was only wide enough for two boats to fit side by side. Metal rods had been sunk in the walls on
higher levels, which the guides used to push the boats along. Once we reached the mess, the guide moved to
the other end of the boat, we spun around in our seats, and headed back the
same way.
At one point the guide lost her
balance when she reached out for a rod, and fell off the edge of the boat. Just about everyone in the tour group lost
their frickin’ minds. These people work
down here, dumbasses, they know what’s going on. The water was only four feet deep, so the
guide was able to stand back up, and crawl into the boat. She commented the water was about 60 degrees,
so it was cold. Once we returned to boat
launch, the walking portion resumed.
There were many specification
formations which had cute names which described what they looked like, and
there were a bunch of winding passages.
Our tour ended in an area which was referred to as the cathedral. There was a rather impressive, cross-like
rock, so this had been the site of many weddings. A heart had been carved in the floor, and
stained red (in order to stand out). There’s a bit of lore associated with it which
said if someone wished to be married by the end of the year, you’d stand on
it. One woman asked what if you didn’t
want to be married any more, so the guide said you sit on the rock; which that
woman promptly did.
The entire tour lasted about an
hour, and it was pretty informative. I
know there are other caves which are more impressive, but for one nearby it
wasn’t bad.
WILSON CASTLE (PROCTOR, VT) – AUGUST 1996
Let’s take a day trip over to see
the castle in Vermont ,
she said. That had my attention. I was picturing a medieval-style castle with
towers and battlements and such. No, we
were going to Wilson Castle. Originally
built at the close of the Civil War by an American doctor and his English wife,
they only were able to live in it briefly.
When the wife died, the doctor couldn’t afford the taxes on it, so it
was repossessed. The property went
through a number of different owners until 1939 when it was purchased by
Herbert Lee Wilson (for whom the estate bares the name of).
The castle has remained in the
possession of Wilson ’s
descendants ever since, tours began in the early 1960s. There’s over a hundred acres of grounds, and
a few small outbuildings. One of those
is the old stable, where Mr. Wilson placed a radio station (which is still in
operation).
The interior is ornately decorated
in a mix of different 19th Century styles, and the rooms are set to
show the artifacts of the Wilson
family (specifically focusing on Herbert Lee Wilson). Stained glass is found through-out the
manor. There’s a lot of fireplaces in
here (which makes sense for cold Vermont
winters), and they are just as ornate as everything else. There weren’t too many people taking pictures
on this trip, so I wasn’t going to be the only pulling out my camera the whole
time.
The entire tour lasted about an
hour, and covered the history of the mansion and Wilson ’s family. It was very informative. I wanted to go up and see the radio station,
but other than the structure of the stable it was built in, there’s nothing
historical about it. Some statues can be
found on the grounds, so there are interesting things to see. It wasn’t that expensive for the admission,
so it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
For current information on the places visited:
Howe Caverns: http://howecaverns.com/
Wilson Castle: http://www.wilsoncastle.com/
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