Exploring Meramec Caverns
We have started to get back into the lifestyle of “working for the weekend”. We have always enjoyed planning on different outing and enjoying the lead up to them. This weekend, we have planned to explore another cave system here in Missouri. The Meramec Caverns is widely promoted and advertised in the area. Especially this time of the year, because the air temperatures underground stay in the mid 60’s. This makes for the perfect winter activity.
Mile - 4424
Quote of the Blog - ”Not until we are lost do we truly begin to understand the nature of ourselves.” - Henry David Thoreau
Song of the Blog - “God Bless American” - USA USA USA
Amity has been loving her new job. She often makes comments about how much she likes her co-workers and the fact that she works in a very supportive environment. This is a sigh of relief, because we did not know what to expect with her first contract. That all being said, we still live for the weekends and love to get out and explore when we can. We have seen a lot of billboards and advertisement about the Meramec Caverns, so we decided to take a day to check it out.
The caverns are 39 miles east of St. James, MO along Interstate 44. After quickly passing through a small community, we find ourselves in the rural rolling hills we have found to be all so common in this area of the state. While en route, we drove past the Riverside Wildlife Center. This was something straight out of the Tiger King!!! Trailers everywhere behind a poorly kept entry way. Even though we drove past this spot twice, we could not find ourselves checking it out. If anyone has ever been here, please let us know. All I can think of, is a bleached blonde metrosexual man running around back there with baby tigers.
The main entrance is a cool little gift shop and cafe that has been built into the cave. As we walk through the building the walls quickly change from man-made structures into natural cavern walls. The smell in the air began to change into the musky stagnant smell that can only be found in a cave. The main cavern where the tour’s start is massive!!! The ceiling of the cave is an easy 40+ feet up. The tour company has done a really good job of lighting up the cave walls while hiding the lighting structures and electrical wiring!
As we started the cave tour we were quickly introduced into some stories about how the cave was discovered, and the different groups involved. We quickly learned that this was the Largest Cave in the United States west of the Mississippi River that was used by the indigenous people as a refuge from bad weather. As time passed it was used for many other things; from mining Saltpeter to make ammunition in the Civil War to a hideout for the infamous Jesse James and his band of outlaws.
Walking deeper into the cave the walls only continued to go up and the ceiling vaulted higher and higher into the air. Only to collapse back down and close in onto a narrow passageway into the next chamber. Throughout the years, the tour company has done some major upgrades inside the cavern. Now they have a smooth paved walkway and handrails where you need them. These modern amenities do not take away from the reality that we are walking deeper and deeper into the earth. With every chamber we come to the end of we have to wait for the guide to get the next area of the cave lit up with lights. The small moments before and after the lights come on give the experience a very eerie feeling!
The cave features changed and evolved throughout the tour. We walked past small channels of water flowing under the earth. We watched water slowly dripping from the ceiling of the cave, slowly making stalactites. Every room had a story about it. Some were about the Hollywood movie that was filmed there, and others were about the rare rock formations that only exist in this cave system. One of the coolest features we were able to walk through was called, The Jungle. This was a series of Stalactites and Stalagmites running through a passageway no wider than 20 ft across and the ceiling so low I had to duck down as I walked through.
As we proceeded deeper into the cave, we found a shallow pool of water sitting on the cave floor. Our tour guide gave us a quick minute to turn off the lights and just listen to the quietness of the cave. Without our knowing, they were setting us up to give us the first of many light shows projected across the cave walls. A collective “WOW” spread across everyone in our tour as we looked upon a technicolored cave wall features dozens of stalactites and stalagmites. It was this moment, when we both started to think of how far we were into the cave. We learned at this point we had gone about one mile into the earth. We were both mind blown!
As we continued on with the tour, we came into a cave dubbed the Mirror Room. This area they had lit up in a way that the glassy water on the ground of the cave perfectly reflected the ceiling of the cave. This made the room look infinitely big. It was cool to take a moment to let the tour get ahead of us and allow us to take in the vastness of these caverns and the pure serenity that comes along with it. So cool!
One of the Rarest Cave Formations Anywhere!!!
Next we made our way into an area known as the Wine Room. There is no other cave formation like it anywhere else in the world. It featured a massive table-like structure that was supported by three stalagmite-like structures. The room also had a large number of bubble or spherical looking formations on the cave walls. We were informed that all of these were formed while the caves were submerged in water over millions of years.
Next, we passed through another technicolor room to a small auditorium that they had constructed deep inside the cave. We were informed that we were looking at one of the largest stalagmites in the world, which they call the Stage Curtain. We were then treated to a good ol’ fashion light show and video projection on the cave walls that was curated to the song God Bless America. We walked away from that feeling like we were riding a Bald Eagle across the country! On the way out of the cave, our guide got everyone but me to put their ear to the cave to “hear something.” It was her opportunity to drop a cheesy “Rock Band” joke! She didn’t get me!
We would highly recommend this place to others! We were able to geek out on some unique geological features, and the unexpected light shows were a total treat! All in all, it was a pleasant tour! We are curious to what this place looks like in the peak season…. Maybe not!