Luray Caverns, Virginia (Feb. 28)

Here are my photos of the Luray Caverns- I just love the patterns the stalactites and stalagmites made (yeah, I had to look up how to spell those), so here are probably too many photos (but if you like rocks, abstract art or design at all, I think you'll enjoy them too).

 

  

  

The one below is of an underground lake.  It's not very deep, but the reflections were very beautiful.

  

In the Luray caverns you go from "room" to "room" through passages, it's very cool.  It's a one-way passage, over a mile in length I think, guided by roped off areas so you don't get lost.  I liked this tour as it was by an audioguide and not a tour guide, so you could see it at your own pace.  There are also human guides stationed here and there if you want to ask questions.  I went in the morning so it was nice and empty, saw very few other tourists.

  

This is one of the column formations, where a stalactite and stalagmite grow together.

  

  

  

More columns, I think they call these the "totem poles".

  

I think the one below is the formation they call "Tatiana's veil".

  

This is looking up at the ceiling of the cavern... the stalactites form cool patterns!

  

You can see why I just couldn't stop taking photos, right?

  

  

  

These below are the coolest yet!  They call these formations "draperies", and they form when the water drips and deposits the minerals on an angle.

  

  

  

  

This one below is a fallen stalactite, that's why it has a flat edge on the right, that's where it was attached to the cavern ceiling thousands of years ago.  It's grown together with the stalagmite on the left, and they can tell when it fell by how much growth is there (but I can't remember when that was!)  They figure it was an earthquake that made it fall.

  

This is a close-up of the fallen stalactite (on the lower right) growing into the adjacent stalagmite:

  

I think they should call the formation below "cauliflower":

  

Looking up at some draperies from underneath them...

  

This one looks like a column but it isn't, it's a stalagmite (left) and stalactite (right) that grew into each other horizontally as they got wider.

  

This is the room the call "the Cathedral".  It has an organ that uses the stalactites for the notes.  They played an automated song on it while I was there, very beautiful sound.  Supposedly in the early 1900's or so they had dances in this room.  That must have been something in the days of candlelight!  I think they said they still have candlelight events in the caverns once a year.

  

  

  

  

  

This formation below is called the "fried eggs".

  

  

Back out at the surface.  This is the view to the east, towards Luray.

 

I loved these caves, I think they might have been my favourite thing I saw on the trip (considering the Grand Canyon got weathered out.)