HOME AGAIN

That week went by sooooooooooo fast. But here are a few pictures from our time away. This is Lars and me getting ready to descend into Boyd Cave.

It was a great get-away. We had a wonderful time together - caving, swimming, biking, and running. I never made it to the rock wall at The Mavericks to climb (which I really wanted to do) but you can only do so much in one week.

Here are a few photos of our time in Bend, Oregon.

Boyd Cave was a great way to spend a day. We were climbing over rocks and moving around in the dark. I think these pictures came out really well for how little lighting there was in that cave.



Here's my little sis crawling over what looks like a cave-in inside Boyd Cave - and there were quite a few of those inside that cave.

There were eight of us who went together (me, my husband, two of my three kids and Kenzie, plus my sis, her daughter, and her daughter's boyfriend) to spend the week enjoying a little fun in the sun at Sunriver - even though we spent a couple of those days underground.

We went to Skeleton Cave - we've been there before, years ago and went in to explore the cave - but it has been vandalized and is barricaded off now - it's such a shame. So, there was no way we could get in there again. I wanted to go to Arnold Ice Cave but didn't realize you have to rappel down the side of the rock to get inside. I'm a little too out of shape for that right now. Maybe next year.

If you're going spelunking, remember caves are cold about 55 degrees. So you need to wear a sweatshirt, hiking shoes, and carry flashlights or lanterns. If you forget these things, your day won't go so well. But caving can be a lot of fun, as long as you're not claustrophobic.

If you're not into caving, you can visit Eastlake or Paulina Lake - both are beautiful.

Ape Cave

SO YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS SUMMER?

Just GO APE! At Ape Cave.


Have you ever wanted to go exploring or travel to the center of the earth? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a mole, rabbit or even an ant; all these creatures burrow away beneath the surface, down deep, inside holes in the ground. They travel through tunnels – never seen by human eyes.

If you have ever wanted to go exploring beneath the surface of the earth, then maybe you’re a natural spelunker and simply wanting to go spelunking.

A spelunker is someone who travels inside the earth by visiting caves and tunnels. One of the best places in the world to visit, if you want to explore these natural wonders is the Pacific Northwest.

And, Ape Cave is always about 45 degrees so it doesn’t matter whether you visit in the summer or winter.

Just visit Mt. St. Helens and you can enter Ape Cave or travel over to Bend and you can visit Lava River Cave, Wind Cave, Arnold Ice Cave, Boyd Cave and more. And not too far away, in Northern California, The Lava Monument offers stories of the famous Indian known as “Captain Jack” and the Modoc War.

Listen to tales of Captain Jack’s standoff and this little known war. Then learn about stalactites, stalagmites and the bats and other inhabitants inside these underground dwellings.

And with The Oregon Cave near Cave Junction, the opportunities for underground exploration are nearly limitless.

As you wander these underground sites, you’ll learn the answers to questions like:

How old is Ape Cave and are there monkeys living inside?
Where is Ape Cave?
How long is Ape cave?
Why is it called “Ape Cave” and not “Chimpanzee Cave”?

Maybe it should really be called Gorilla Cave because it’s the second longest lave tube in the entire world (almost 2 and ½ miles long!) And when you explore Ape Cave you can travel 4000 feet beneath the surface. Luckily, the floor is covered with sand, which makes walking easy inside this cave. This is a great first cave for any wanna-be spelunkers to begin exploring especially since it only takes a little over an hour for a round-trip walking tour.

This is one very old Ape. Can you guess how old this hole in the ground is?

The lava tube was formed when Mount St. Helens erupted about 1900 years ago and molten lava ran through the earth to form Ape Cave.

Ape cave wasn’t even named after an animal. It was named after a youth group called the St. Helens Apes.

So travel via the web or your welcome to come to the Pacific Northwest and explore all the caves we have to offer. Just go APE