On the Road Again...

The DH and I have embarked on another adventure. For Father's Day, he got a camper trailer. Best Father's Day Present Ever, right?

But he didn't want it for selfish reasons. He was thinking about me. (For more about that, check my Second Wind blog! I've posted the floorplan of our new "tiny house" there.)

I've always been a proponent of "ziptrips"--quick visits to nearby locales you might ordinarily overlook. So once we got all hooked up, we took our new rig on a "shake-down cruise," driving about a hundred miles to camp out for a couple of days and see a few sights.

Along with relaxing, reading & lounging by the campground pool, we toured Fantastic Caverns. This is not for hard core spelunkers. It's as tame a cave as I could wish. We enjoyed a well lit, guided tour that actually let us ride through in a jeep on an ancient dry riverbed.

But that doesn't mean it isn't fascinating.

The cave was discovered by a farmer's hunting dog who chased small game down a large hole. The existence of the cave was a closely guarded secret through the Civil War because its owner realized it would be a huge source of bat guano (a key ingredient in salt peter, which was used to make gun powder.) He didn't want it to be confiscated by either side of the conflict. He also didn't feel up to the challenge of exploring the cave either.

So after the war ended, he put an advertisement in the paper asking for someone to survey and map the cave. The only ones intrepid enough to tackle it was a group of 12 WOMEN! As you can see from the picture, their names are carved on one of the limestone walls.

Call me a fraidy-cat, but I can't imagine poking around in a cave using only a kerosene lamp--especially since the explorers had no idea that there were two massive sinkholes in the cave, one 20 feet deep and other 50! In addition to bats, there are pools in the cavern that are home to species of blind fish and salamanders.

During prohibition, the cave was used as a speakeasy and Buck Rogers, a country western singer from the old Hee-Haw show, along with a number of groups that now perform in Branson, have given concerts in the big cavern. Of course, as amplifiers became more powerful, concerts were suspended to preserve the delicate formations in the cave. Now in addition to tours like the one we went on, this family-owned business offers educational programs to schools as well.

Our Coachman camper was perfect for this little getaway and we look forward to more adventures this summer and fall!

Do you camp? Where is your favorite "ziptrip" spot?