Friday, July 12, 2013

West Virginia Vacation - Smoke Hole Caverns

June 14, 2013

Mommy's cousin, Alex Bullard, and his fiance, Rachel, were getting married in West Virginia.  So, the whole Bullard clan used this as a great excuse to rent a big house and have a vacation in Canaan Valley, West Virginia!!  First stop:  Smoke Hole Caverns.


 Elsie was thrilled to see her Aunt Kate again!

Chilling with Uncle Pete waiting for the cavern tour to start.

The beginning of the tour was great for the kids.  It was dark and chilly, and they could touch all of the big rocks around them.

As we moved further into the cavern, we were told that all of the surfaces were still alive and growing, albeit at a VERY slow pace.  It was very hard for Duncan to not touch the "BIG" rocks.  And, it got pretty tough for Daddy to hold him back!

The formations in the cavern were really amazing, and very different from the caverns and caves I had explored in my childhood.

A stalagmite and a stalactite touching!

Some really cool formations on the walls of the cavern.

Some air and light were added to a small stream running through the cavern so this fish could live there!

Finally, we found a spot we could touch!  There was a rock that looked like a frog, and since it was no longer actively growing, we were allowed to touch it.

After the caverns, we had a nice picnic lunch in the courtyard.  Elsie got some pushes from Uncle Pete.

And Daddy and Duncan washed some rocks at the mining station.  I think it was just an excuse for Duncan to splash in the water!

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