Our first destination was Kartchner Caverns State Park (#24) located about ten miles southwest of Benson on SR90. The drive down was gorgeous as we passed cactus, wildflowers, mountains of green and brown and several dry riverbeds. Finally, we arrived at the park.
(Photographic proof we were there since cameras are not allowed inside the caverns. In fact, visitors are not allowed to bring ANYTHING into the caverns!)
The caverns lie inside the Whetstone Mountains where they were discovered by two spelunkers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, in 1974. They kept their find to themselves for four years before revealing it to the owners (the Kartchners) of the property where the limestone caves and magnificent formations were located. All agreed that the caverns needed to be protected but also agreed that they are a natural treasure that should be enjoyed by all.
The caverns lie in the foothills of the Whetstone Mountains. There is nothing impressive or exquisite on the outside.
They approached the State Parks office and with extreme secrecy that included blindfolding an official and driving him all over southeast Arizona before finally arriving at the very small hole inside a sinkhole that leads to the caverns, they determined the process for designating land as a state park. The secret remained intact until all the official paperwork was completed. With the help of scientists from all over the nation, work began almost immediately to create the Visitor's Center, walkways inside the caverns, etc. without destroying the ancient caves.
Kartchner Caverns State Park opened to the public in 1999 and tens of thousands of people from all over the world visit it every year. The formations are beautiful; some are as slender as a straw and others are massive. These living caves have the world's longest soda straw stalactites at over 23 feet long as well as the tallest (58 feet) and most massive column in Arizona- definitely impressive! What blew me away was the simultaneous strength and fragility of the structures as well as the colors revealing a deeper beauty.
We stopped in Sierra Vista for lunch. While The German Cafe isn't on my "list," it was so delightful that it is worth mentioning. The food was tasty and the servers friendly. While the rest of us ordered in English, Ursi did order in German- what fun! We all agreed we would stop there again the next time we're in Sierra Vista.
After a brief stop at the San Pedro House (see next blog post- this trip was too long for one post!), we arrived in Bisbee. Our first adventure there was a tour of the Queen Mine (#43). This copper mine closed in 1975 but even 37 years later, we felt like authentic miners heading into the mine!
Doug, Ursi and Richard modeled our mining duds!
We were fitted with yellow slickers, hard hats, and a battery pack with a high-intensity light. Although the mine is quite cool (signs said 47 degrees!), it was sweltering "up top" in our garb as we waited for our tour to begin.
Mike, Doug and Richard saved us spots on the mine train by sitting "side saddle" rather than straddling the bench.
The ladies (Ursi, Kristin and Laurie), meanwhile, found a cool breeze blowing out the door of the mine!
Finally, they called our tour and we boarded the mine train to travel the 1500 feet inside the mine. Unlike some other mines, this one goes straight into the mountain, not down, so the ride was very level.
Deeper and deeper into the mine we went until we reached the 1500 foot marker.
We climbed a flight or two of stairs to get to different levels. All around us were beautiful "rocks" and our tour guide identified many of them for us. The walls sparkled like glitter as our lights danced around - what a treasure trove!
The mine was in operation for nearly 100 years. It opened in 1877 and was one of the richest copper mines in history with over 8 billion pounds of copper mined. Gold ( over 2 million ounces), silver (over 77 million ounces), lead ( over 300 million pounds) and zinc (over 300 million pounds) were also mined.
I suppose it would be easy to get disoriented inside the mine- so the way out was clearly marked at regular intervals.
All the tour guides into the mine are retired miners from the Queen Mine. Ours, a third generation miner, painted quite a picture of what life in the mines was like both in the very early days as well as just before the mine closed when he worked there. It was gruelingly hard work and many developed lung problems but the pay was good and there never seemed to be a shortage of willing miners.
As we left the mine, I was thinking of the beauty we had seen that day. From the outside, both places looked like an ordinary mountain. But deep inside was a treasure; each had something beautiful to offer. What an incredible reminder to search for beauty in seemingly ordinary- even dreary- things... relationships, situations or circumstances!
Thumb Up or Down: UP and UP
Miles Round Trip: see next post
Miles To Date: see next post
Percent of List Completed: 46%
Date of This Trip: March 28-29, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment