Today was a very wet day, both above ground and underground. As we prepared to leave the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the day was already rainy. Rainy enough to cause the stream next to our hotel to change from a babbling brook into a very fast moving stream.
Not a good day for wading in the stream.
Fortunately, we had been able to park under cover the night before, so packing up was not a problem.
Papa SUV, Mama SUV and Baby SUV
Our plan for the day was to visit two caverns, so the rain was not a big issue for us. Our first and best stop was at Tuckaleechee Caverns. The owners of this property participate in an international program to detect both earthquakes and underground nuclear testing. There are far more earthquakes than we thought. Most are so small that they are hardly noticeable.
It’s dark down here.
Taking pictures in an underground space is trickier than it seems. We have selected a few of the shots we took so you can get a sense of the caves, the water, and how dark it really is underground.
The picture above shows the underground stream in the foreground and a rock that has been eroded when the water level is higher. If you look closely at the water you will see the speed of the water indicated by the waves and whitecaps.
The wishing well.
The picture above is both natural and man made. The waterfall is the natural part. The wishing well is the man made part. They built a wall to keep the water from running across the path at random. People called it a wishing well. It is now a way to donate to the local hospital.
This waterfall was the premier item to view in the cave. This is one source of water for the stream. It was interesting to note that water flows downhill even after it reaches the ground.
The 210 foot two level waterfall is the highlight of the tour. After the waterfall, all that remained was a long climb back to daylight.
On our way to the next cavern, the Lost Sea, we found an A&W drive in. We stopped to get something to drink. What do you suppose we ordered?
Of course, a root beer float! What else would you get? After the refreshing drink, we continued on our travels to the Lost Sea.
It is not lost any more, at least not for us. The big feature of the lost sea is a four acre underground lake that is stocked with Rainbow Trout. The Lost Sea cave has more history than some other caves. There is evidence that the cave was home to native Americans for a very long time. It was also used as a mining location during the Civil War. Because of this, the cave did not have as many formations as the first cave we visited. The Lost Sea was interesting.
The Lost Sea. The water in the foreground is lit. The lights in the background are about 400 feet away on the other side of the lake.
It is appropriate to call this a lake. It is up to 70 feet deep. They have stocked the lake with rainbow trout. They have tagged and marked the trout hoping that one would be found outside so that they would know if there is an outlet to the lake. So far, it appears that the lake is part of the local water table because it does rise and fall depending upon rain levels. So far no trout have “escaped”. Divers did not find an outlet either.
Our biggest surprise of the day was that it was so wet in the caves that we needed a raincoat underground and had to be very careful on the slippery path. It was fun, but it is great to be above ground again.
We ended the day by driving to Chattanooga, Tennessee.