Today, we're not going too far FROM Tombstone, which, if you'll recall, is on State Route 80, Bensen's first exit from I-10. Today, we're either going back to Bensen and exiting again at SR 90 (the second Bensen exit), or we'll cross from 80 to 90 on a back road. However, I would suggest that anyone who wants to see Kartchner Caverns plan to arrive first thing in the morning, having made reservations for the tour (s) well ahead of time.
Yes, reservations.
Kartchner Caverns (I'm going to abbreviate them as KC because I'm an abbreviator?) is extremely rare and unusual. In the whole US, there are currently only about 10 living caves that have been discovered. (There are, no doubt, more, but spelunkers haven't sigjted them yet.) Of those ten, KC is the only one that is open to the public. The rest remain undisclosed so that they do not suffer harm and die.
Here's a map it's kinda basic, but you get the drift.
The story of the discovery and development of the cave is a long one and involves secrecy that would put the FBI, CIA, and Interpol to shame. Indeed, for 14 years after two spelunkers found the cave, they told no one about it, not sure what to do. But absoutely certain they did not want the public stampeding through and killing a living cave.
After incredible secret negotations and visits by then Governor Bruce Babbit, the land the caves are under was purchased by Arizona in 1988. Another 11 years passed before the first public tour happened. The reason for that delay was the effort required to ensure that the cave remains a viable, developing entity.
Living caves are still growing. Their formations are still developing and there is a solid ecosystem in place that permits continual growth and development. In order to protect the caves from visitors, (The thing that indicates a living cave is the presence of water dripping from stalactites and sheet formations...water that cares the minerals that make up cave formations.)
And readying the caves for visitors required special care. All pathways were built using concrete that was brought in in buckets, for example. No gasoline powered engines are allowed near the cave, so electric carts sufficed for transport. Lighting for the caves is sectional and lights are turned off once a tour group has left the area. At each end of the cave, two huge refrigerator doors lock out the outside air; the only outside air the enters the cave is that brought in as a result of the cave's respiration (I still dont' understand the process, but the cave actually breathes!). When walking from the outer door toward the inner door, a mister removes particulates from the visitors. (No hats are allowed, nor cameras, purses or anything else that might touch a wall of break a formation. I had to leave my Earnhardt cap in the CAR! I was sooo shattered!) Two guides, one leading, one bringing up the rear, shepherd the group through the caves, answering questions and providing tremendous levels of information. (I have been two times, and learned huge quantities every time!)
Here's the outer outer door (I meant both "outers") at one of the cave entrances.
Visitors are reminded not to touch ANYTHING in the cave. If someone does accidentally do that, the guides place a marker at that location. After the last tour of the day, the area is cleaned to eliminate any bacteria that might have spread from visitor to cave. Yes, the park service is definitely that concerned about the saftey of the cave.
The cave is kept at a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity is always 99%. Why? Because that's what the caves are accustomed to, and what the residents of the caves have adapted to. You won't need a jacket if you're taking the tour.
For part of the year, the Big Room is closed to the public. Why, you ask? Because the Big Room is a bat maternity ward, I answer.
Before anyone goes "ewww", please let me explain. Bats are insectivores with a vengeance. The tiny brown bats (the adults weigh about 8 ounces) in Kartchner leave the cave every night through the blowhole in the limestone substrate in which the caves are forming. Each one of those bats eats huge numbers of insects every night. Homeowners in Arizona, especially, welcome the presence of bats, since insects or all kinds thrive in the climate of Arizona.
At any rate, bats have priority over humans, so the Big Room is closed while baby bats are present. They're ready to head south for the winter (in Mexico) by the end of October, but the Big Room isn't opened to the pblic until after every bat is safely out.
I've written a lot. Here are more pictures: This is called cave bacon (can you see the stripes?P) Note that the surfaces are shiny and wet...these are growing.
This formation is called "fried eggs"
These are soda straws - they are extremely thin and hollow in the middle, hence the nickname. One of the soda straws (just about in the middle of the picture, stretches over 20 feet, one of the largest of its kind in the world. Water plus rock DOES equal some pretty wonderful things!!!
This is the largest formation in the cavers. It's called Kublai Khan and is 52 feet tall. Yes, that's a full grown adlt in the lower part of the picture. . Overlooking KubaKhan is a small group of stone benches. To the sound of quiet recorded music, the tour group watches lights set up to bathe the stalactite in soft colors that bring out the nature tones of the stone. It's a wonderful, unrushed way to end the tour and people seem to want to stay and enjoy the silence for as long as they can.
There's so much about the caverns to know that I could go on for a long time, which I won't because you're probably already asleep. However, I did want to say that the bones of a gigantic prehistoric ground sloth were found in the cave, indicating that, at some point, animals may have wandered in or fallen through a crack in the limestone roof of the cave. No one is sure how the huge sloth got in, but the bones are unmistakable.
Feeling a little clammy (99 percent humidity is one heck of a lot of humidity!), we will leave now to go and visit Kitt Peak and San Xavier del Bac outside of Tucscon
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