Post by L Roebuck on Jul 17, 2006 18:16:58 GMT -5
Cave's glory revealed to our eyes once again
Kentucky's newest show cave is among the showiest of them all.
Cub Run Cave, on Ky. 88 in Hart County near Nolin Lake, had been sealed for more than 50 years before its reopening for tours two weeks ago.
Fifty-six years ago this summer, two teenage Hart County farm boys, Garland Kenneth Childress and his cousin Duvall Logsdon, decided they'd trace the mysterious source of a cool breeze that gushed from the mouth of a small spring on a wooded bluff with such force that it stirred leaves on trees 15 feet away.
They dug a hole large enough to crawl into and, by the light of a kerosene lantern, squirmed more than 60 feet along a narrow stream until it opened into a large room filled with amazing formations.
"We were absolutely flabbergasted," said Childress, now 74 and a resident of Louisville. "I said that I knew how Columbus felt when someone from the crow's nest yelled down, 'Land ho!' "
Cub Run Cave was opened to the public in 1951 but closed after only one year when owners of the land above the cave got into a dispute over property rights. Accessible again
Louisville builder Terry Schneble and his wife, Judy, who own a camp on Nolin Lake, bought the 100-plus-acre cave property at auction in late 2004 and later an adjacent 100-plus-acre tract, and decided to reopen the cavern for tourists.
"We bought the cave sight unseen, and when the kids and I actually went through the cave we were just in awe," Judy Schneble said. "It was gorgeous."
Nature has sculpted a gallery of formations visible during the approximately 80- minute tour, including a small pool where a constant, single drip every few seconds from the cave ceiling radiates a perpetual concentric ripple, ceilings of "soda straw" formations, and a "boxwork" pattern that some speleologists say is found in only four caves in the United States.
The half-mile tour eventually will be expanded to include more of the nearly 6,300 feet of passageways that are still being mapped.
"It's an exciting place, because so few people have ever set foot in this cave," said Susan Jobe, a local publishing executive.
The Schnebles have built a new restaurant serving local Amish dishes, and they plan to feature the work of local artisans in the gift shop. Their tour guides are Western Kentucky University students, most of whom are studying geology-related subjects.
Childress, who shared in Cub Run Cave's discovery at 17, was invited back to lead one of the first tours after its reopening this month.
"It was one of my favorite days," Childress said. "I stand to gain nothing monetarily from the operation of the cave, but I guess I'm hoping as much as anyone for its complete success."
IF YOU GO: Cub Run Cave is open seven days a week. Admission is $14 for adults and $9 for children over 4, with special rates for seniors and groups. For more information and directions go to www.cubruncave.com or call (270) 524-1444.
Full Article: www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/COLUMNISTS04/607160381
Kentucky's newest show cave is among the showiest of them all.
Cub Run Cave, on Ky. 88 in Hart County near Nolin Lake, had been sealed for more than 50 years before its reopening for tours two weeks ago.
Fifty-six years ago this summer, two teenage Hart County farm boys, Garland Kenneth Childress and his cousin Duvall Logsdon, decided they'd trace the mysterious source of a cool breeze that gushed from the mouth of a small spring on a wooded bluff with such force that it stirred leaves on trees 15 feet away.
They dug a hole large enough to crawl into and, by the light of a kerosene lantern, squirmed more than 60 feet along a narrow stream until it opened into a large room filled with amazing formations.
"We were absolutely flabbergasted," said Childress, now 74 and a resident of Louisville. "I said that I knew how Columbus felt when someone from the crow's nest yelled down, 'Land ho!' "
Cub Run Cave was opened to the public in 1951 but closed after only one year when owners of the land above the cave got into a dispute over property rights. Accessible again
Louisville builder Terry Schneble and his wife, Judy, who own a camp on Nolin Lake, bought the 100-plus-acre cave property at auction in late 2004 and later an adjacent 100-plus-acre tract, and decided to reopen the cavern for tourists.
"We bought the cave sight unseen, and when the kids and I actually went through the cave we were just in awe," Judy Schneble said. "It was gorgeous."
Nature has sculpted a gallery of formations visible during the approximately 80- minute tour, including a small pool where a constant, single drip every few seconds from the cave ceiling radiates a perpetual concentric ripple, ceilings of "soda straw" formations, and a "boxwork" pattern that some speleologists say is found in only four caves in the United States.
The half-mile tour eventually will be expanded to include more of the nearly 6,300 feet of passageways that are still being mapped.
"It's an exciting place, because so few people have ever set foot in this cave," said Susan Jobe, a local publishing executive.
The Schnebles have built a new restaurant serving local Amish dishes, and they plan to feature the work of local artisans in the gift shop. Their tour guides are Western Kentucky University students, most of whom are studying geology-related subjects.
Childress, who shared in Cub Run Cave's discovery at 17, was invited back to lead one of the first tours after its reopening this month.
"It was one of my favorite days," Childress said. "I stand to gain nothing monetarily from the operation of the cave, but I guess I'm hoping as much as anyone for its complete success."
IF YOU GO: Cub Run Cave is open seven days a week. Admission is $14 for adults and $9 for children over 4, with special rates for seniors and groups. For more information and directions go to www.cubruncave.com or call (270) 524-1444.
Full Article: www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/COLUMNISTS04/607160381
