Caving
(Continued from Page Dl4)
nerves and you wind up with
a polished, semi-precious
stone.”
She explained that the
onyx in their cave is the
color of honey, rather than
the black onyx most people
are familiar with. The black
onyx, she said, is only found
m New Mexico
Demonstrating its tran
slucence, Theresa held her
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flashlight against an onyx
stalagmite which let the
light shine through its semi
transparent shape.
Theresa reassures her
touring guests that they are
safe when inside the cave.
She tells them geologists
claim nothing has moved
naturally inside the cave for
3500 years.
To add credibility to her
statement, she beams her
flashlight to a fallout shelter
sign deep within the cave
This sign, she said, was
placed there by the civil
defense so she knows she’ll
be safe inside the cave in
case of a nuclear attack.
Theresa is a delightful tour
guide, answering questions
about the cave with mystery
and humor.
When explaining about the
125 foot long natural bridge
that angles through the cave,
she tells her guests that the
bridge is strong enough to
support the weight of an
elephant.. .“but who ever
heard of getting an elephant
mto a cave, much less up
there.”
And at one point in the
tour, she let the cave visitors
get a feel for how dark the
cave actually can be without
lights. After they’re con
vinced that they can’t see
their hands waving inches in
front of their faces, she
hauntmgly says, “It cost you
$3 to get mto the cave—
what’s it worth to get out? ”
As her guests laugh ner
vously and give sighs of
relief as she switches the
lights back on, Theresa tells
how the water level inside
the cave fluctuates with the
weather. She relates that in
dry spells, the water ac
tually dries up and the cave
becomes dormant. When
Hurricane Agnes went
through, she said, the cave
was completely filled with
water.
“When the cave is dor
mant and there is no water
dripping from the ceilings,
the cave formations cannot
grow. If the water never
comes back, over the years
the formations will begin to
flake away and disin
tegrate ”
As the tour ends, Theresa
explains that since their
family took over the cave
they have done something
special at Halloween—they
‘haunt’ the cave.
Using colored lights and
other special effects, the
cave takes on an eerie glow,
just right for the special
mood of Halloween.
“The first year we tried it,
we only had it haunted for
two weeks,” she said. “Now
we have it haunted the whole
month of October. ”
Onyx Cave is open 7 days
each week from May to
Labor Day in September.
The hours are 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. They ate open
weekends during the months
of September through
November, and March
through May.
Admission charges to tour
the cave are: adults, $3, and
children under 15 years old,
|1.50. Children under the age
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 21,1980—D17
Leaning against a stalagmite, Theresa tells the
cave visitors about the various cave formations,
like the 125 foot natural bridge behind her.
of 6 are free, and senior
citizens are only charged
$1.75.
Ann Rizzo pointed out that
if several families want to
tour the cave as a group of at
least 15, the admission
charge is: adults, $2 and
children under 15, $l. She
pointed out advanced
reservations are needed for
groups.
If you follow the signs for
Onyx Cave, found scattered
around the Hamburg-
Kutztown area, there are
generally signs marking the
way to Crystal Cave nearby.
Less than 5 miles east of
Onyx Cave, near Kutztown,
the cave enthusiast can take
a look at a slightly different
type of cave.
If you think when you’ve
seen one cave, you’ve seen
them all, you’re in for a big
surprise.
SUMMER SfZZLERS
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P.O. Box 176 Blue Ball, PA 17506
As you turn your car into
the parking lot of Crystal
Cave, you’ll notice a dif
ference on the spot—a
spacious, paved parking
area, large office, food and
souvenir shops, Indian tee
pees, and a picnic grove give
the visitor a more com
mercial ‘hello’.
A strenuous hike up
several flights of steps to the
cave’s entrance keeps the
tour guides in tip-top shape
and lets the cave guests
know they’re not as fit as
they used to be.
Crystal cave is somewhat
older than the 140 million
year old Onyx Cave—the
tour guide explains that
Crystal is estimated to be 190
million years old, still a
‘baby’ in geological years.
Like Onyx Cave, Crystal
was found on November 12,
(Turn to Page D 18)
ETI4”
UIOSAW
Reg. $499.00
SPECIAL
s 37s°°
rids July 31,1980
JBS-14