Into the Dark

Who can resist a labyrinth of low twisting passageways that open into cathedral-like spaces, stone draperies, underground waterfalls rushing away into the dark, and seemingly bottomless shafts?

I can offer no tales of international travels this year either, I'm afraid, but for the past several days I have with family visited the Mammoth Caves area, not just the national park but also other cave systems. My friend also has a snippet about Mammoth in her blog, here.

After taking all the typical touristy walking tours, I can ensure you that the novelty wears off after the third or fourth time. Then there is the following around slow-moving packs of fellow tourists and the listening to repetitive explanations about formations. Usually half the information offered is well-enough known to the general public. The depth of the explanations given by tour guides also seems to be inversely proportional to the number of people present. It is therefore quite worth a drive out to see lesser known caves.

Obtaining good photographic results in these low-light areas takes additional effort. Moving with a group makes anything but snapshots impossible, and minimal time to adjust camera settings. Without a tripod, shutter speeds need to be faster, but that also cuts out much of whatever light is available. I did not end up with very many decent shots. Eventually I had to resort to using flash, which I generally avoid for its ugly, flat white balance.

All a well-spent few days, nonetheless.