The Airport Experience:
The group arrived in San Antonio in two groups on Saturday morning, due to a predicament at the Minneapolis Airport the day before. We had originally planned on flying in to Texas on Friday the 14th, but upon arrival to MSP we were told that our flight had been cancelled. This began a long process of sitting in the airport, waiting to hear when we could finally start our journey to Texas. Eventually the problem was resolved, but our group had to split up: five students ended up going to Houston for the night, while the two professors and the remaining seven students went to Atlanta for the night. These flights didn’t leave until later in the evening though, so we spent most of Friday in the airport playing card games, reading, or catching up on sleep. Although it was a rough start to our trip, the group handled it well by staying positive and doing the best to entertain each other at the airport. When we finally arrived in Texas we were still in high spirits and excited to start our adventure.
The group arrived in San Antonio in two groups on Saturday morning, due to a predicament at the Minneapolis Airport the day before. We had originally planned on flying in to Texas on Friday the 14th, but upon arrival to MSP we were told that our flight had been cancelled. This began a long process of sitting in the airport, waiting to hear when we could finally start our journey to Texas. Eventually the problem was resolved, but our group had to split up: five students ended up going to Houston for the night, while the two professors and the remaining seven students went to Atlanta for the night. These flights didn’t leave until later in the evening though, so we spent most of Friday in the airport playing card games, reading, or catching up on sleep. Although it was a rough start to our trip, the group handled it well by staying positive and doing the best to entertain each other at the airport. When we finally arrived in Texas we were still in high spirits and excited to start our adventure.
Cave Without a Name:
Our first exploration of Texas takes place near Boerne where you can find the scenic national natural landmark known as Cave Without a Name. 2.7 miles of the cave have been mapped on a 1975 expedition which would make this Texas' 7th longest cave. Our cave tour took place in six of its rooms where the beautiful formations were well lit by string lights and spotlights. The cave has come to be known as Cave Without a Name because in the naming contest after it was first discovered, a boy had stated that the cave was too beautiful to have a name. Karst landscapes is what makes this type of cave formation possible. Karst refers to rock being soluble which create these large openings beneath the surface from the ground water. The limestone cave has naturally come to decorate itself in stalactites, Stalagmites and many other interesting drape formations caused by dripping water. Some of the sheet-like deposits are known as "cave bacon" because the shorter brown strips resemble pieces of bacon. These features are still actively but very slowly being formed. Some formations of the cave even make for great acoustics. Within the room called the Queen’s Throne which has good enough acoustics to host up to a dozen concerts a year.
There is more to see in the cave than just unique rock formations; the cave is also home to many different species. Bats are likely to be seen on the cave walls while frogs, salamanders, crayfish and snails will be seen within the aquatic areas of the cave. The cave stays a constant 66 degrees which makes it a suitable place for these creatures year-round.
For more information visit: http://www.cavewithoutaname.com/
Our first exploration of Texas takes place near Boerne where you can find the scenic national natural landmark known as Cave Without a Name. 2.7 miles of the cave have been mapped on a 1975 expedition which would make this Texas' 7th longest cave. Our cave tour took place in six of its rooms where the beautiful formations were well lit by string lights and spotlights. The cave has come to be known as Cave Without a Name because in the naming contest after it was first discovered, a boy had stated that the cave was too beautiful to have a name. Karst landscapes is what makes this type of cave formation possible. Karst refers to rock being soluble which create these large openings beneath the surface from the ground water. The limestone cave has naturally come to decorate itself in stalactites, Stalagmites and many other interesting drape formations caused by dripping water. Some of the sheet-like deposits are known as "cave bacon" because the shorter brown strips resemble pieces of bacon. These features are still actively but very slowly being formed. Some formations of the cave even make for great acoustics. Within the room called the Queen’s Throne which has good enough acoustics to host up to a dozen concerts a year.
There is more to see in the cave than just unique rock formations; the cave is also home to many different species. Bats are likely to be seen on the cave walls while frogs, salamanders, crayfish and snails will be seen within the aquatic areas of the cave. The cave stays a constant 66 degrees which makes it a suitable place for these creatures year-round.
For more information visit: http://www.cavewithoutaname.com/