Thursday, October 29, 2009

Adventurers Visit Grand Caverns

BY DAVID F.

On Thursday, October 15, the Adventurers team went on a field trip to the Grand Caverns in Grottoes. While there we saw some of the Shenandoah River's most amazing fish, macro-invertebrates, and snails. We also took a tour through the cavern.

The cavern was amazing.
The average temperature in the caverns is 54 degrees, but because it was so rainy and cold outside that day it actually felt warm. On the tour, we saw an area where two of the caverns' explorers had found a new part of the caverns while exploring. There was soot on the walls throughout the caverns from where torches had been used over 100 years ago.

During the tour water coming through the ceiling fell on all of us. The tour guide said when the water fell on us it was ''a cave kiss" and we would have good luck for a whole week. At the end of the tour we saw where the teenager who discovered the caverns first went in.

Upstairs, in the main museum of the caverns, there were different items that had been found in the cave over the years. There was a light bulb from the 1800's, pennies out of the old wishing well, and pieces of stalagmites and stalactites that had been broken long ago when the caverns was being made safe for tours. There were also different types of animal furs from the woods surrounding the caves and a large, stuffed Great Horned Owl.

Overall the field trip was a great experience. Our teacher, Mrs. Maddox, planned it for us. We had guest speakers there doing stations that taught us lots of things about science. We learned a lot and had lots of fun, too.

No comments: