Turtle Tales: Day 2 - Caverns of Sonora

We awoke this day to a beautiful sunrise and 46 degree temperatures! The guinea hens and peacocks didn't seem to mind the crisp morning air! We ate a causal breakfast, and left for the cavern tour at

10 AM. The tour took two hours and 15 minutes, and we walked a total of two miles - mostly on a steep grade! The temperature in the caverns was 72 degrees, the humidity was 98 percent! We have visited the Carlsbad Caverns, but the Caverns of Sonora are quite different. The entrance and the "rooms" at Carlsbad Caverns are much bigger than the ones in the Caverns of Sonora. The pathways are narrower as well, and it was very difficult to not touch anything! The number one rule emphasised repeatedly by the tour guide is not to touch anything while on the tour! No walls, no formations, nothing! It is now a state felony if you do! This is because there has been extensive damage to caves in the state of Texas by unappreciative visitors in the past. Touching the formations cause them to cease growing......after already growing for thousands of years! There are many names for all the various formations - I can't remember all of them, but some of them were rather cute and very appropriate for the formation i.e: Drinking Straws, Ice Cream Sundae, Popcorn, Fish Tails, Butterfly, etc. To learn more about the Caverns of Sonora, go to www.cavernsofsonora.com. It is a truly magnificent experience, but probably not one we will repeat any time soon due to the physical endurance involved and the fact that we aren't getting any younger!
After the tour of the Caverns, we drove into Sonora for lunch and to see what the town had to offer. Sonora is a quaint little town and we took a few pictures of the courthouse, old jail, main street and of course the First Methodist Church............For more information on Sonora, go to
www.sonoratx-chamber.com.

Our home state certainly has some wonderful hidden treasurers!