Monday, February 10th – one sleep

We needed a quick stop over on our way to Austin from Terlingua, otherwise it would have been an 8 hour drive. Sonora Caverns had a brochure at Carlsbad we picked up and then again, someone told us about it in Terlingua, so off we went. I called ahead looking to see if we could get a reservation, but they didn’t take them. FCFS. When we arrived, there was only one or two other RVs there. When we checked in, they had told us that if we had been there just a week earlier, we’d likely not have found a spot- they had a huge group of French Canadians in from Quebec. The Canadians appear to be following us, or rather us following them!

These caves were very different from Kartchner and Carlsbad. The prior two are publicly owned, while this one is privately owned. In a ranch setting with a gift shop and a bunch of peacocks running around, we perused the different gemstones and fun gift ideas. The caverns itself was discovered in the 1920s when a dog chased a raccoon into the 20 inch opening to the surface. We paid for an excellent private tour accompanied by no more than 5 other people.

On this tour, the kiddos saw totally different formations than the other two caves and frankly, in a much more personal and intimate setting. Our guide knew her geology; the calcite triangles that seemed to defy gravity growing every which way, the butterfly, soda straws, applesauce, shell impressions, and a whole room full of formations that grew under the water with the water line to prove it. The entire cave was a sea bed at one time. We descended about 150 feet and then climbed back up again. Enjoy the pictures- it took millions of years for these formations to be created.