Wyandotte Cave

June 15 was my 58th birthday and Meg treated me to a tour of Wyandotte Cave which is a little west of Corydon, Indiana.

 We joined a group for the 2 hour tour.  This is the natural entrance.

This cave had been closed for a long while because of the White Nose disease that decimated the bat population.

 Even though this cave is close to where I grew up, I'd never been here before.

 This is one of the remaining barrels from a scheme by some guys to corner the onion market back in the 1800's.  The cave has a long (and colorful) history of use: first by native Americans, a group of counterfeiters, a secret society called Oddfellows (who had meetings with costumes and musical instruments) etc.

 This room had strange acoustics that made it sound as if the floor was hollow.

 I loved these dry-laid stone cairns that were at various locations throughout the cave.  Long ago, people would stay in the cave for days - exploring and making their own "monument" to show they were here.

 I liked these long Epsom salt crystals growing on the path.  Lots of geology in the cave: calcite, gypsum, dolomite, flint etc.

 There was a passage that had helictites - which are erratic growths of stalactites that seem to defy gravity.

 Meg caught this close-up shot of a twisty bunch.

You can see the seated silhouette of our guide (second generation following in his Father's footsteps).  He did a great job - let us take our time and enjoy the experience.
So… I'll have to go back another day and take the short tour of a different cave on the same property.
It was a pleasant way to spend my birthday.