"Today we are going to see Jewel Cave," said Andy as we climbed in the car.
"Are there any buffalo?" I asked.
"No," he promised.
Jewel Cave, the second largest cave in the world, is a fascinating underground gem. The miners who discovered the cave thought so too, only they were looking for gold. Instead, they found black manganese and calcite, both worthless for miners. They decided to sell mine tours. With 151.5 miles of spaghetti noodle passages winding down under about three and a half square miles, the cave features almost every calcite formation possible: stalactites, stalagmites, columns, soda straws, bacon and flow stone. Ranger Lydia, a permanent ranger in the park system who was leaving in 24 hours for a honeymoon in Hawaii, told us the story.
"This was considered a very small cave for years until the 1950's," she explained. "In fact, last week the cave was only 151 miles of passages. We find new areas about every two weeks. They think that only about 5% has been discovered, based on the air flow in and out of the cave."
With only 13 in the tour group, we had plenty of opportunity to view the formations and ask questions.
Outside, Andy and I hiked the Canyon Trail, a three-and-a-half mile loop through the controlled burn of 2010 and the remnants of the Jasper fire of 2000, an arsonist blaze that destroyed 87,000 acres. We saw mule deer, the only natural entrance, and the original cabin that was used for tours before the park service took over Jewel Cave.
A visit with rangers Barbara and David before we left the park completed a wonderful experience. "That was a gem," I told Andy, "and you were good for your word. No buffalo."
WHAT GREAT PICTURES.
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