January 14, 2005 ---We arrived at Oak City cave fairly early in the day. Everyone got their things together, and we made the five minute trek up the hill.
Rob walked us right to the cave, despite the teasing references to past trips. :-)
Everyone put on helmets, gloves, etc... and after some quick double checks we were headed underground. The cave begins with about a thirty foot passageway, and an abrubt 10 foot drop down a crack. After a few minutes of helping the kids reach the bottom, we were off into the cave. We explored the right half of the cave, looking at all the hidden corners where you could still find some of the original beauty that once must have covered the entire cave. It quickly became apparent just how little effort it takes to damage a cave beyond repair. Even the kids were asking why someone would want to spray paint their name on the walls.
After thoroughly exploring the right half of the cave, there was some minor confusion. Everyone who had been there before remembered the cave being much larger. After a few minutes of poking around, the passage into the other half of the cave was found and we were exploring once again. This opening is where the serated "bacon" was found. I thought it was interesting how all the dirt and discoloration made the color of the bacon look more realistic, and the serated edges were rather unique as well. After one low crawl, and a bit more exploration we had seen just about everything there was to see.
Everyone worked their way up to the surface at their own pace, and back to the cars. We ate some food, and all commented on how warm it was. 60 degrees in mid-January!!! I was quite happy walking around in just a t-shirt and jeans. After some food and chatting, we were off to Tabarnacle Hill to see the Lava Tubes.
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