Luray Caverns

My friend Lisa recently took a trip back East to the great State of Virginia, where she got to tour Luray Caverns.

Talk about a spectacular underground vista of Mother Nature!

I haven't been in a large cave like this since I was a kid, so I got a real kick out of seeing these photos.  It's a beautiful place!  So, come with me now, and visit the caverns - with a little help from Lisa's photos!

Stalactites in Luray Caverns

The Luray Caverns are just west of Luray, Virginia, USA.  This large, celebrated commercial cave, originally called Luray Cave, is actually a series of underground caverns with columns, mudflows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone and mirrored pools.  

                          

The Caverns are located in the Shenandoah Valley, just east of the Allegheny Range of the Appalachian Mountains.  

According to scientists, Luray Caverns contain some of the
most incredible rock formation "draperies" in the world!

It's easy to see faces and figures in the rock formations!  I believe the one above is called the Sheik's Tent.

The caverns were discovered in 1878 by a group of local men who noticed a nearby sinkhole had cool air coming out of it.  They were looking for caves, so they started to dig.  When they'd dug a hole big enough to slide through, one of them ventured down a rope to explore by candlelight.

When I read this part of the history of the cave I got the creeps.  I can't imagine exploring a dark cave by candlelight!

Yes, I am a chicken.

Geologists teach us that the caves were carved from Silurian limestone and the niches and already formed chambers were at some point in time completely filled with highly charged, acidic water which began to eat away at the softer material composing most of the walls, ceilings and floors.

Dream Lake

There is a spring of water in the cavern called Dream Lake because of its almost mirror-like appearance. Stalactites are reflected in the water, making them appear to be stalagmites.  The illusion is so convincing that it makes it difficult to see the real bottom of the lake, which at its deepest point is only about 20 inches deep.

This photo shows a mirrored image in the water

The temperature inside the caverns is a uniform, cool 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees C).

It's easier to see the edges of the pool of water in this photo

The water in the caves has receded over time by a lowering in the entire valley's water table.  However the quantity of water in the cavern varies greatly at different seasons of the year.

The Great Statactite Organ

Luray Caverns are noted for the Great Stalacpipe Organ which was invented in 1957.  You can see the plaque here:

There is a large shield-like rock formation inside the caverns, which from early times has been called "The Organ" as it has been used as a musical instrument.  By striking the various stalactites, different notes are played.

In the late 1950s, an inventor named Mr. Sprinkle invented a way to actually play these rocks as if they were organ pipes, and attached a real organ keyboard to make it easier to play.

The actual organ keyboard looks rather lonely in the dark

The individual rocks are struck using an ingenious hammer mechanism.

The organ "hammers" which strike the rocks

The organ and its "Cathedral"

Apparently there are gnomes in the cave, too!

Lisa brought her gnome friends, Squatsie and Shotzie, along for the trip.  They enjoyed the field trip underground immensely!  I believe they have cousins who live here.  They were, of course, in their element.

Visitors to the cavern nearing the end of their tour

Nature's archways

The passageways are well-lighted and clearly marked

Luray Caverns is an active cave where new formation deposits continue to accumulate at the rate of one cubic inch every 120 years.

The Fried Eggs

I love the fried egg formation.  Mother Nature was obviously hungry...  It almost looks like fingers above the eggs, too!

Strange formations

These strange formations look like skulls and cave paintings.  However the colors are caused by various impurities in the calcite - reds and yellows from iron and iron-stained clays; black from manganese dioxide; blues and greens from copper.

Here is a different view:

At the end of the tour rests an exhibit honoring Virginian veterans.

Thank you for your service to our country, Virginia Vets.

Looking back past the exit

I hope you enjoyed your visit to the Caverns with me today.  If you're experiencing a hot summer day, I hope this cooled you off some.

Thanks for sharing your photos, Lisa!