Lava Tubes & Volunteering

LAVA RIVER CAVE


Kathleen heard about a volunteering project for the AAF (Arizona Antelope Foundation) where our boys could earn their Mammal Merit Badges including a day of volunteer work tearing down a 2 strand electric fence by Lake Mary. We decided to take the boys,and one girl, and head up there. I've always heard about these "Lava Tubes" and figured we might as well check them out!



The entrance is actually a hole in the ground and the floor just inside is covered with large, slippery boulders. Also, conditions throughout the cave are always cold and dark. About this point I was having some serious doubt if I really wanted to go in there! This brought back memories of how Natalee and Katie tricked me into climbing down a cliff-ish area (despite my fear of heights...) and exploring a cave that was "so cool". Little did I know that they didn't dare go in so they decided to have me check it out first! NICE!!! This is when I discovered that Natalee has a bit of sneakiness in her...



A Little Bit of History.. betcha didn't know I majored in History. For a semester or two anyway... funny story, but not now.

Lumbermen working for the Saginaw and Manestee Lumber Company discovered Lava River Cave about 1915. These lumbermen made less than $2.50 per day and each day was usually 12 hours of back-breaking work.

Homesteaders are said to have visited lava River Cave sometime around the turn of the century. According to historians, homesteaders would collect large quantities of ice from the cave. The ice was used for refrigeration, cooling drinks and maybe even to help create a rare summer treat- ice cream.



So how cool is the condensation on the sides of the cave? It was about 42 degrees inside. Can't even tell you how great it felt to be cold! The pictures don't do it justice, but you get an idea. The bottom picture is the patterns of condensation all along the walls of the cave, which goes for about a mile before you hit the end.
We camped overnight near Mary's Lake. YES, we women folk can pitch a tent too!



This was quite the project! We started a little after 7am and went until 4pm. I have to give props to these kids (and adults)! We worked hard and they didn't complain until about 7 hours into it, and I was pretty beat myself by then! It was a good day. The AAF treated us to some steak dinners which were superb!



Don't much want to see any more wire for a while....my hands still hurt.