Yesterday we made Raman noodles and opened a squeeze bottle of Sirachi hot sauce. The lower air pressure at the altitude of our campground made the hot sauce squirt up in a fountain---Joy just noticed it is on the ceiling!
We started the day going to Wind Cave- another giant cave with a different geology. The picture of its ceiling (below) is covered in these delicate "boxwork" structures. It used to be an ancient seabed. The cracks in the mud filled with minerals. When the cave's limestone eroded away, these harder minerals did not.
This cave was much more claustrophobic in some sections. Long convoluted passages with narrow sections, low overhead. We could really feel the phrase "in the bowels of the earth".
Nearby is an ancient sinkhole that trapped many mammoths. They have dug out much, but give tours of the active dig site. the picture below has the not-yet-removed bones of a mammoth skull with tusks, and a nearly complete body skeleton.
Yes, everywhere you drive out here there are amazing vistas:
It started raining again so we went next to a woodcarving museum. Look at the chair below, particularly the legs
Tomorrow we move to Hardin, Montana to see the Little Big Horn park. All this rain has produced widespread flooding. We just checked highway conditions. I90 has been re-opened. the state road we take is open as far as the campground..........crazy weather!
Boy, I am sorry you have had so much rain. The flooding is all over the news, so be careful! Sounds like you are still making the most of it (although I don't think it was necessary to throw hot sauce around!). You are seeing some amazing things...thanks for sharing the stories and pics!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I finally found your blog! What wonderful sites and your photography is capturing it beautifully. So glad you are sharing all this. I'll try to show this to all the team at Dr. Kingston's office.
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