2022 Life Logs, Day 158: Caverns and Mountains
Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Weather: Overcast, Afternoon Rain; High 75, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Gate House at the Monroe Institute, Faber, VA
The weather forecast for today was right on . . . cloudy all day with afternoon rain. I drove to the Retreat Center at the top of the mountain first thing this morning to pick up Ziggy and Coco after their overnight with mommy and daddy. They were having breakfast on the patio when I arrived, and we discussed plans for the day. We would be able to come visit with Justin and Jo in the afternoon, but for the morning we decided to take advantage of the cloudy weather to go underground. We went to the Grand Caverns, discovered in 1802 and opened for tours in 1804. Their claim to fame is that they have been open for tours for longer than any other caves in the US, and maybe in the world. We walked a mile and half in 70 minutes and saw a massive array of fantastic formations.
We then drove home via the Blue Ridge Parkway that we visited yesterday. But today the wind was whipping the trees limbs and we were driving through the clouds. It was truly dramatic.
As was the shortcut Google Maps suggested. It was 9 minutes shorter, so I took it. It was Turnpike 610—a one-way gravel road straight up a mountain. It was quite an adventure, but it did come right into the Parkway. We got back to the Retreat Center to visit with Justin and Jo for a couple of hours and then came home to make a taco dinner. Later in the evening we drove up and brought Justin and Jo down to spend time with Z and C. Justin and I started talking about the Monroe Institute and about the conference he and Jo are attending. I felt guilty keeping him away from the kids, but really enjoyed learning about his work with the Institute and the interesting people I have met attending the conference. Ziggy, Coco, and I have set tomorrow as our day dedicated to exploring Roberts Mountain afoot, so Justin and Jo drove the van back up the mountain tonight. We will walk to meet them at the lake in the afternoon.
